The Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 Year is one of the epitomes of flavor and balance. And to do this with such an old whiskey makes it that much harder and brings a wow factor. Heaven Hill knocked this one out of the park proofing it down just right to 90 proof.
I can't believe the Oliva Gilberto Reserva Blanc Corona is sub $6. The cigar easily smokes like twice that amount. I'd pin point this to the more traditional side of Connecticut Shade due to the dominantly creamy, sweet, nutty aspects. That, followed up with emphasized minerals, cedar and tannins all points to a Connecticut Shade done right. Best value cigar no doubt.
The Florida Sun Grown Limited Edition Trunk-Pressed Toro was a well executed Connecticut Broadleaf wrapped cigar. The medium plus body and strength formula worked well with the darker flavors of cocoa, minerals, baking spices and a very unique terroir mustiness/barnyard. I would definitely recommend this.
Each week we'll sit down and talk about our recent beer and spirits reviews, what we're drinking, as well as news topics we think are interesting. From time to time we'll have special guests on the show which will no doubt have us running over our standard 30 minute show time.
I enjoyed the interplay of cocoa to milk chocolate, minerals, cedar and toasted nuts of the Villiger La Meridiana Toro Box Press. Having smoked two samples for review, one sample had a considerable ripe plum note whereas the other had none of it. Regardless, both samples were good and worthy to be checked out.
I can definitively say one thing; the Wathen's Barrrel Proof Personally Selected by Cask (Barrel No .19) is not traditional bourbon, as it gives you ample caramel, toffee, vanilla, oak, etc. So, if that is not what you are looking for, stay clear and save yourself the ~$80 bucks.
Thinking about my overall experience with the Jas Sum Kral Toothpicks 2.0 Habano, I say it's good. There really isn't anything inherently bad or great about the cigar. The flavors basically hit most of the major components for me (spice, sweetness, earth).
The Casa Cuevas Connecticut Toro is Connecticut Shade done right. Start with a nice core of sweetened cream, bread, roasted nuts and gradually introduce spice into the profile. This is no doubt my favorite line within Casa Cuevas' offerings. I highly recommend this cigar.
After years of enjoying Springbank in a good variety of the aged expressions (10, 15, 18, 21), the Springbank 15 Year Old continues to be the best valued. The only gripe I have about the 15 year is the lack of a complex finish. With all that said, this is a no brainer of a pick up.
For such a lower proofed whiskey of 86 proof, it's amazing how much fullness of flavors there are in the Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Year Old (especially the coffee and dark chocolate). It really is a shame on the high demand of Japanese whisky since the MSRP of $330 is quite high (and that's if you can even find it at MSRP). But it is absolutely worth every penny.
