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theScotchlife

Enjoying Scotch Whisky and a few other things

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The Balvenie Caribbean Cask

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I make it no secret that I do appreciate Balvenie products and this 14 year aged Balvenie that was finished in Caribbean Rum casks is the perfect Christmas time scotch! The inspiration for this product is the 17 year Rum cask that came out a few years ago which was a one-time offering. This product which has been out for about a year, is evidently to be a regular offering for Balvenie. Like most of Balvenie’s regular offerings, the soft vanilla-honeyed notes are now joined with some spicy sweet ones from the previously used rum casks. The ABV rate is 43% and is easily enjoyed neat.

If you are wondering what to get that scotch lover for Christmas, Hanukkah, (pick your holiday) then I feel very confident in suggesting this product. This would also be great as an aperitif!

Cheers!

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La Gloria Cubana Cigar event with Master roller Leo Peraza

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Master Roller for La Gloria Cubana

La Gloria Cubana is a brand readily available in most stores and at least in my mind is a brand of cigars that is a lot less about flash and more about consistency. I have smoked a hand full or two through the years and while I’ve always thought them to be a decent cigar I can’t say that I’ve had a tendency towards them, this may have changed with this recent events offerings. The event was held at Cigar Town in Reston, VA, an excellent cigar shop in Northern Virginia. http://kickashcigars.com/

I had a very nice talk with the General Cigar reps that accompanied Leo and since Leo doesn’t speak English my conversation was limited to the reps (have got to get my Spanish back!). I’m not so sure if it’s the lack of offerings in the line or if their marketing just doesn’t connect, but I pretty much think of all Gloria products as maduro and non-maduro. I have a few series R’s and have had the N’s and so I purchased the new Artesanos Retro Especiale which is a new blend and breed with a Connecticut seed wrapper grown in Honduras in order to achieve a new cigar experience. It also has a unique binder of a Nicaraguan and Mexican leaf that adds the uniqueness that boutique cigar lovers are looking for these days. I was able to smoke this cigar the other day around noon (didn’t get to finish of course) and it was a very nice tasting cigar.

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Feliz Navidad!

It is not a heavy cigar (Artesanos Retro Especiale), it’s more of a medium-ish in strength but does deliver some nuances that an enthusiast will appreciate. The more I get to learn about cigars and follow industry news you get the appreciation that a cigar is not as simple as a bunch of leaves rolled up. A blender, these days, is trying to deliver strength and taste. These two seem to be hard to corral into a cigar. Taste is something that is quite subjective also, so there is no guarantee that everyone will appreciate what a blender is doing. I liked this cigar and am glad I have another one. The other product I purchased was a La Gloria Cubana figurado that was rolled special for the holiday season. I took a picture but due to being outside and dark, the image is horrible. I think you can only find this for a limited time. Look at the red band, that is quite different and may lead you to it. In short, it was a very nice smoke, maybe a medium to full in strength and very tasty! If you catch this rolling event somewhere you should be able to happen upon one.

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This event is was very beneficial for myself. I have not just a new understanding of what the La Gloria Cubana brand is about but more importantly a new curiosity about its products and I will be trying more of their products. I did get a special Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigar from the General Cigar rep and will be trying it soon. It is quite unique, two different wrappers on it, very unique not only in type but color and should be an interesting challenge to my palate.

Although thought of as a good value cigar, I think this brand has the potential to move up in my world, in at least my mind, as a must-try brand.

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West Village, bar hopping in New York City

On my recent visit to New York City I had the pleasure of being taken on a bar/restaurant tour by my friend Michelle who lives in the city. Like a lot of cities, its hard to know where the people go who “live” in that city. Typically a traveler ends up in a touristy area or an area that caters to business parks so if you are lucky you get a Chili’s or something similar to chill at.

Michelle decided to head towards her regular “go to” area and maybe try out a few new bars she had heard about but not been to. I’m always up for experimental bar hopping, why not! The area we first went into is referred to the meatpacking district which I have always heard about but never been. This is much like many areas in old cities that have been re-purposed from their historical industrial ways to a new trendy area for those seeking unique environments and expertly made drinks.

So the first bar we went to had only been open a couple of weeks but it had already created quite a buzz. Its on Gansevoort Street at 9th Ave and is called The Vinatta Project. They have an interesting wine bar set up that looks to be an elegant, grown up version of a do-it yourself bar. We were told this would eventually end up with whiskey in it! We sat at the bar and the bartender asked us what we’d like. What he meant was what kind of fresh fruit/herbs do you like and what is your favorite spirit. Well, I told him I don’t like mixed drinks but have had The Balvenie make me a drink that was delicious so if he could work out something with a Balvenie I’d give it a go. It was delicious! Tasted like dessert and I had a couple. Michelle had something with Gin and cucumbers, she said it was good but not as tasty as mine. So, two drinks, ready to hop!

I’m at a loss at what we were going to go to but she brought up a dive bar that she likes to go to. She wasn’t sure if I wanted to go but when she told me it was the real Coyote Ugly that inspired the movie, the real name is Hogs and Heifers, I was in! I love dive bars and surprisingly on a Wednesday night, plenty of NYC dwellers do also. The place was expectantly in overdrive with wall to wall people and shirtless bartenders who loved screaming through amplified megaphones. We had a ball! If you can’t have fun in a dive bar, you can’t have fun! Its at Washington Street and West 13th Street.

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After that we went to 675 bar. All I can remember is that is underground. Like the basement of Batman’s cave, dark, funky, I can’t remember too much……

The next night we kicked it off with two of her friends and headed to a Mexican bar, Tortilla Flats for margaritas and some food. This was a great neighborhood type bar that reminds you of college. It’s off Washington Street in the same area but at the corner of 12th (not little 12th, that is where the Biergarten is).

From there we went on a walk, somewhere in the West Village but I could not tell you where. We popped in and out of some cool places and ended up at a place called Whitehall (which is new). We had some good drinks there and by then I was wanting anything BUT a mixed drink. We had been talking about wine so I said we should find a good wine bar. We found a place called Vin Sur Vingt, this place is awesome! Not only did the waitress, who I assumed was French, help us through the wine list she genuinely wanted to help us find something we would enjoy and kept us from haphazardly ordering. I also was hungry, and it was about 1 am or so, I do not think we had actually ate a meal so I ordered some meat and cheese appetizers and a sandwich. The food was awesome, the wine was awesome, I did not eat all the food but had a few glasses. This was probably the best find of the whole two night “bar hop” and I will plan to go there again on my return. If foursquare is accurate it is at 201 West 11th Street 7th Avenue.

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So, if you find yourself in NYC but with no friends who know the city, feel free to jump in on these places, you will be entertained and most likely find something you want to drink.

Cheers!

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Bootlegger 21 Vodka

Cigars and Scotch are naturally found in the same places in this world, but when in Davidoff of Geneva’s cigar store off Madison Avenyue the unexpected pleasure of free mixed drinks entered into the cigar lounge. After enjoying a Vodka and OJ I went outside to see what Vodka line had showed up. The Vodka was called Bootlegger 21 and was a new product out of New York. The representative is one of the partners in the upstart and was eager to tell how the Vodka had come about and where they are in entering the market. Now I know what you are thinking, vodka is vodka. And to a certain measure I agree with you. The big difference with this Bootlegger vodka is the process of how it was made. This is the closest thing to what I’d call a craft vodka. Their research led them to some very old methods on how Vodka is made and more specifically distilled. Their research, which includes old Russian techniques, involves the use of charcoal filtering which evidently is much slower and more expensive than modern methods. The product though is amazing. This vodka truly has no burn at all. And it has great natural mouth-feel which is something that is usually done with adding oils to the finished product to achieve.

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I particularly find this branding interesting since my father was a bootlegger in Georgia back in the 1950’s. I really believe this is a must try vodka! Enjoy!

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Cigar shopping in NYC, Davidoff of Geneva and Nat Sherman International

You can find a Chinese restaurant or bagel place on any corner in New York City it seems. Block after block there are certain goods and foods that are ubiquitous. What you wont’ find everywhere is a cigar shop! During my stay for the Big Smoke in NYC 2011 I wanted to  hit a few cigar shops if possible. First on my list was the Nat Sherman store at 12 East 42nd Street near Bryant Park. Though Nat Sherman is not enjoying the frenzy surrounding many brands today, largely due to boutique blenders, they have recently developed new blends based off extensive experimentation and trials in a fairly condensed amount of time. What has come out is a new direction of flavor for Nat Sherman and one that it hopes customers will embrace obviously. Aside from the new line they have brought in many other lines of cigars that they traditionally did not sell. With the gentlemanly attitude, superior service and great location, I think they have a winning combination. I have not smoked the Nat’s I picked up due to a sinus meltdown/cold that is killing me and would ruin any good smoke. I hope to smoke it before Christmas, but who knows. The tobacconists there were very kind and Juan spent a good amount of time with me talking about various cigar issues and blends. I’m always appreciative of an informed staff!

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After my time there I walked back through the park, unfortunately the politicians of New York City have exercised ridiculous judgement and banned anyone from smoking in NYC parks. I would have loved to fire up a cigar and stroll some park ground but I was sequestered to the sidewalks.

After picking up some “meat on a stick” from a sidewalk vendor I found my way over to 515 Madison Avenue where I found the Davidoff of Geneva store. They have quite the Davidoff line, if that is your thing, but also have many other blends and brands. I spent some time with the buyer for the store and he steered me to a couple of new products that I had not tried. Like a good tobacconist, he also steered me away from some that he thought I would not find pleasing. This is saying a lot considering he actually bought them and then dissuaded me from buying them. It’s not that the one I had picked up was bad, but once he explained the characteristics of it I agreed that it was not what I was in the mood for.

So I hung out in the lounge there for a good two hours and made some very good conversation with some New Yorkers and one gentleman from Kentucky. It’s a very nice lounge that faces the street. The air filtration system is so good I believe there was at one time a dozen people in there and you were never bothered with a haze of smoke.

As luck would have it, there was a cigar representative from Room 101 cigars with a sample pack and swag. They also had a lovely young lady there to help present their products. Of course I do not pass up the opportunity to get the picture.

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With the sample pack I bought I got a free shirt and a pre-release sample of their “One Shot, One Kill” cigar that will most likely be out soon. I have smoked that, it is a small cigar that has good strength and a medium + body. I look forward to smoking my way through their line.

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All in all, I seriously enjoyed my time at these two cigar shops. I wish I had more time because I had a couple of more shops on my list which I will find next time I’m up in NYC.

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Cigar Aficianado’s NYC Big Smoke 2011

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New York, city of angles? A short and satisfying trip from DC to NYC via I-95 revealed a few things.A major wreck on the turnpike can turn a four-hour trip into a seven one. Two star hotels can be efficient and practical, and offer just what you need, maybe just not when you want it. Cigar events are sinfully fun, as is Hogs and Heifers in West Village. People watching in NYC is just damn hard to beat, as is the low-priced coffee and bagel from the street vendors. And most of all, there are a lot of fun people in NYC, aside from the cab drivers.

Angles, yes, not a misprint but an obvious play on LA’s Angels (which is not to be confused with Victoria Secrets show which of course is in NYC). In my self-portrait I was channeling Man in a Bowler hat, notice, Apple icon in my face, sans hat. Anyhow, walk through the city…. notice all of the right angles, then walk through the city, angles, everywhere, massive rectangular structures so rigid and cast shadows of the same. Streets composed of a grid system, again, angles. Window panes, angles. Ok, so maybe you’ve noticed.

So the reason for this trip was the Cigar Aficionados Big Smoke at Pier 92. For 3 hours over 2,000 cigar lovers impatiently strolled through the rope lines to pick up a free cigar from over 20 cigar manufacturers from central America with most headquartered in the U.S. No Cubans of course, and I honestly don’t care that there are none present because the current state of cigars coming from central and south America are amazing. Aside from the cigar companies you had accessories and other things that interest this crowd like Guinness, Conundrum wine and Ardbeg! Ardbeg was my favorite of course, I did imbibe the Guinness and wine because, who passes on free booze? Not me.

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Like last year, the big lines to wait in were the Alec Bradley line, the A. Fuente line (yes, Carlito was there) and the mother of all lines, Rocky Patel. Along with the celebrity status of the aforementioned gentlemen, America’s Mayor Rudy Guiliani showed up and patiently shook hands and took pictures with throngs of fans. No, he isn’t in office, but he will always be the Mayor of NY to me. Noticeably absent, well, its hard to notice because there are just so many people there! But there is a noticeable absence of women. My friend Michelle came with me because as she puts it, “where else in NY do you see this many men!” Michelle is among the subset of beautiful women in NYC who have too few options in dating, and are victims of their success in business. So ladies of NYC, if you don’t mind cigar smoke and have $240 for the event ticket, you might want to start making plans now! Having Michelle with me gives me unexpected recognition, hey, that dude has a chick with him! After spending some time with Michelle’s friends in the West Village, I’m hoping for at least two more women in my company in 2012, which will make me look like a rockstar!

After the event Michelle and I went to the West Village area for drinks and conversation. I can’t remember all of the bars we hopped to but seriously enjoyed my time at Hogs and Heifers. Remember Coyote Ugly,the actual bar is in the Meat Packing district and is called Hogs and Heifers. It was a Wednesday night, when we opened the door it was just as you would expect it, crowded with slightly inebriated people and bra wearing bartenders screaming at the crowd with megaphones. In a word, perfect! Michelle had hesitation bringing me there, at which I said, you obviously don’t know me! I love dive bars, it’s just an environment that graphic design and quirky chalk boards can’t top. I also love Pabst Blue Ribbon! Yes, I do like it and have drank it before it was fashionable to do so.

Overall, the trip was fast but intensely fun, the cigar event is maddening because the sheer numbers of people and it is a little disconcerting if you are seeking to be educated about a brand or product. I do wish that some of the smaller boutique cigar makers could break into the event but giving away that many cigars is probably a non-starter for boutiques. All in all, the event was worth the trip to NYC and having good friends who live there exponentially enrich the experience. I’m going to write more on that soon, I took the opportunity of being in the city to spend some time at Nat Sherman’s store and Davidoff’s of Geneva’s new store and had a blast at both of them.

See you next year in NYC for the 2013 event!

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The Macallan tasting event at Ibiza

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On a blistery cool evening in DC The Macallan put on a tasting at Ibiza which is best described as a night club that is in a more distant area than most events around the nations capital. It was too my surprise that these tastings had multiple times on the evening but that went into disbelief when I saw how large this event was. The setting itself screamed “nightlife” and you were just wondering when a DJ was going to pop out, Macallan poured and a mob dance break out.

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Instead of the DJ there were multiple servers swimming around with trays of tasting glasses and a stage set up with a large LED screen and Iconic looking bottles of Macallan lined up. Then out popped the DJ, er, well Martin Daraz actually. Now having seen Martin before at work, I knew that the right guy was sent to a large crowd that was probably hoping the DJ would show up. Martin is highly entertaining and extremely well informed. I actually wish more large brand distillers could follow Macallan’s lead. This was a very well done event and I think everyone went away knowing, as many do, how well Macallan products taste and are presented.

There wasn’t anything presented at this event that I wasn’t familiar with but because of the well execution and sheer entertainment value of Martin I left with a smile on my face. If you have not had The Macallan products, which I don’t know how you could avoid such a task, you owe it to yourself to try out their 12 year offering which is quite ubiquitous. The Macallan is one of those rare products that although found almost anywhere you go, is always worth the pour.

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Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza Washington DC 2011

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It's gotta taste good, right? If Dewar's could make their product taste better, they wouldn't have to find beautiful girls!

The annual event of the Single Malt Scotch Whisky Extravaganza was held on October 13 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC and as most of these events there was an abundance of booze, food, and giveaways. I’ve taken awhile to write about this event but the most exciting thing about this event for myself was that I actually won something! One of the raffle winnings was a box of Siglo cigars and somehow out of hundreds of entrants I actually won it! This made me happy on two counts, free cigars, good, and it actually helps defray the cost of going, better!

If you have never been to one of these large events I would encourage you to go. It is a great place to see that there is a LOT more scotch whisky out in the market than what you typically see in your local store and if you are like me and spend most of your time in Virginia (an alcohol controlled State “ABC”) you are not use to a lot of variety. I typically run through the Washington DC stores to find the non-typical offerings and offerings even from well-known brands that do not make it to ABC stores.

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The evening actually started out with an hour with the brand reps which actually was more collegiate upstaging by one another and friendly insults at each other. What sticks out in my mind from the Q&A session was the importance of selecting casks for distillers. If you don’t know, most all of the taste that your favorite scotch has is due to the wood cask it is placed in. This is more tricky for scotch than bourbon because you are using a spent bourbon or other whiskey cask to entrust your distilled liquid to.

After this the doors were opened and the multitude was sent in to mob the tables where the reps stood by. This is not my favorite thing. Partly because there is far more people than there is time for the reps to address and often you have uninformed reps helping out. Even if you know a lot about scotch it is quite dizzying to sample each table and then remember which offering from which brand you actually enjoyed. I would encourage you to bring something to write with and a small piece of paper, trying to record it on your iphone is quite time consuming. The event give you a Tour Journal but I find it large and cumbersome fighting through the crowds. I like to take pictures of offerings that I really find interesting.

Here are a couple of pics of some of the offerings I found interesting.

I really have enjoyed the limited Tomatin expressions that I have been able to try.
The packaging was done special for a shop. I really liked it.


If you have not tried Jura products, you must! Their  youngest offerings are excellent also.

This is a new Bowmore, like most of the line, I approve!

There were many I did not get pictures of because the crowds were just overwhelming! I’d like to make mention of Glen Grant’s 10 year which is a great “first” scotch and their 16 year old will be liked by the more experienced scotch drinker. The Scotch Malt Whisk Society bottlings were of course very good and probably were the best offerings there.

One of the freebies given were two cigars from Altadis U.S.A. and they were the VegaFina brand which is a light to medium cigar and I actually enjoyed it. The other was a H.Upmann Sun Grown that is medium-ish and I really didn’t find any satisfaction in it.

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Some Drams at Jack Rose Dining Saloon

Recently I met up with a couple of Whiskey enthusiasts at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington D.C. and as usual, tried a few single malt scotch whisky’s that I haven’t had before. Before I forget, the food, as usual was awesome! I had the Duck Breast, awesome, and a delicious appetizer the Chef whipped up for me special, many thanks!!

So, the first dram was a Glen Garioch 21 year that was very reminiscent of the 12 year I have in my cabinet yet smoother and more refined. I thought the Garioch would go great with Duck and I proved this out to my liking. The most surprising aspect of this dram was that at 43% ABV it still had a nice little initial alcohol burn on the nosing. It of course went away as I kept my nose firmly implanted in it. A very nice fruity dram.

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Second up was the Prime Malt bottling I spied that turned out to be an aged Macallan which always interests me. As a rule, scotch that I can find almost anywhere on God’s green earth tends to not please me but The Macallan has yet to disappoint. This dram was no exception and the 30 years of aging proved in-line with other aged Macallan’s I have had. It’s just a hard offering  to beat, regardless of the bottler!

imageAt the urging of the bartender I tried his favorite single malt, which is saying A LOT, when you are at Jack Rose! So the Rosebank is famous and unfortunately rare since the distillery was closed in 1993. Chieftain’s offering from them was a 20-year-old (aged) and I can’t say it is my favorite dram at JR’s but it offers a very interesting experience. The flavors impact you first at the tip of the tongue and on the finish the flavors rush to the rear of your palate. Quite different, and I have experienced this before but it is not typical in my experience. I quite enjoyed it and it was probably the best dram of the three that night.

So if you are reading this and find yourself in the Washington D.C. area, you also can find these fine drams (though drams like this are limited!) so get down there and imbibe!

Cheers!

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P.S.! If you were not aware, Jack Rose has a VERY nice humidor from Draper’s cigars and it is filled with Premium Cigars! All for $10! And between you and me, some are worth a LOT more than that! Smoking is allowed upstairs.

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