The Stogie Guys

If bourbon must be made with a mashbill that’s over 50% corn, and rye must be made with a mashbill that’s over 50% rye, what do you call a spirit that’s a mixture of the two? Wild Turkey calls it a mistake, but a tasty one.

According to Wild Turkey, distillery staff “unwittingly mingled very rare, high-proof rye with perfectly-aged bourbon” (78% 6-year-old bourbon and 22% 4-year-old rye, to be more specific). Given that they named the result “Forgiven,” I guess we can assume the staff that made such a horrible error hasn’t been fired.

Described on the bottle as a “blend of and rye straight whiskies” this unique spirit is bottled at 91-proof, notably lower than the traditional 101-proof for which Wild Turkey is known. It sells for $50 per bottle, which has the same shape as Wild Turkey’s Rare Breed offering.

The result is a light, orange/gold-colored spirit with a largely straightforward nose that features caramel with some melon and oak. The real fun starts on the palate, where the interplay between bourbon and rye emerges.

It’s a tasty combination dominated by resin, caramel, and wood spice, but also with notes of berries, apple, and cinnamon. The finish is long and oily with plenty of wood and dry spice.

It’s not what I look for in a rye or or a bourbon, but still I really enjoyed Forgiven. It’s a lively American whiskey that demands your attention: more rye than bourbon (despite the percentages), Forgiven pulls in a complex combination of sweetness, spice, wood, and fruit.

Even though the proof isn’t all that high, it demands a full-bodied cigar. I’d particularly lean towards a full-bodied Broadleaf Maduro-wrapped cigar like the Liga Privada No. 9, La Riqueza, or RoMa Craft Cromagnon.

If you consider yourself an amateur in the world of bourbon and rye, wait before you pick up a bottle of Forgiven. Instead, try these fine bourbons, or one of these ryes. But if you’re moving into bourbon connoisseur stage, you should definitely seek out Wild Turkey Forgiven.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here’s a perfect example of the politicization of anti-tobacco “science.” A study comes out, a press release announces it, and news reports on it. And each step seems to mislead readers more than the next.

An article about a government-funded study by the National Institute of Health (which, as you might expect, doesn’t go out of its way to fund studies that show that the risks of smoking are overestimated) is titled “Cigarette Smoke Toxins Deposited on Surfaces: Implications for Human Health.”

The authors wanted to get publicity for their study so they put out a statement titled “Third-hand Smoke Shown to Cause Health Problems.” The press release included references to the sponsoring university’s policy of a tobacco-free, campus including e-cigarettes, even though it was not related to the study at all.

Next, a reporter summarized the study with an article that ran with this fear-inducing headline: “Study: Third-Hand Smoke Exposure as Deadly as Smoking.”

Note the escalating sensationalism?

Analysis

If you’re an unsuspecting person who clicks on the article from the Drudge Report (where the link appeared), then you’d assume you might as well smoke if you’re going to be in places where people have smoked before. The study says it’s just “as deadly as smoking.” That’s the claim the headline makes at least.

But you don’t have to be a scientist to understand the basic concepts of dosage and concentrations make it ridiculous to claim that smoking cigarettes (that’s what is studied, not cigars, even though the headline doesn’t make it clear) poses the same danger as spending that time in a  room where people have smoked in the past.

Not to mention the actual study involved shaving mouses’ backs so that exposure would be maximized to the strips of carpeting that had been placed in tiny, unventilated containers that were filled with smoke by a special smoking machine. Needless to say, it’s not particularly analogous to any normal human activity.

Plus, so far as I can tell, the human equivalent would be rolling up a 16 foot by 16 foot carpet, and placing it in a small closet for weeks on end while continually smoking but keeping the closet closed air-tight. Then never cleaning the carpet and laying naked on it for most of your life. Still, somehow that gets reported to the public as if it’s “as deadly as smoking,” and then politicians and activists repeat it to justify complete smoking bans. (Take a look at the bills on this page if you have your doubts.)

After all, if you can be seriously harmed not only by contemporaneous exposure to other people smoking but by exposure to a place where someone in the past may have smoked, then the only way to protect people fully is a complete ban on smoking. Which, unfortunately, is exactly what they want.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

It’s my contention that George Dickel is as underrated as Jack Daniels is iconic. That’s not a slight on either.  The two Tennessee whiskey brands are inextricably linked, but in all likelihood you’ve probably heard of Jack Daniels and not George Dickel, which might just be exactly how Dickel fans want it.

Both are more or less bourbon, but utilize the Lincoln County Process to filter the whiskey through charcoal. The result, according to both competitors, is a unique, smooth variety of American whiskey.

George Dickel Barrel Select is the top-of-the-line offering from Dickel ($35-40). In a whiskey world where “small batch” is pretty much a meaningless term, Barrel Select is a genuinely small batch product, with each batch consisting of just 10 barrels combined in each batch.

It’s bottled at 86-proof and, according to Dickel’s website, it’s aged between 10 and 12 years. It’s a medium amber hue with a nose that features tropical fruit, maple, and leather.

On the palate it has raw corn, roasted cashew, caramel, and wood. It has a slightly oily quality that reminds me of a Campbeltown single malts. The finish is clean with hints of wood along with maple and honey sweetness.

There’s a depth and sweetness to the Barrel Select that’s exceptional, even if it really makes me want to try the same Tennessee whisky at a higher proof (100- or 107-proof would be my ideal). Still, it’s a whisky that proves my contention that Dickel is under-appreciated, even if, at around $40, this may not be the best value of the Dickel line.

It has enough subtlety to call for a mild- to medium-bodied cigar pairing. I’d suggest a Macanudo Estate Reserve, Cuban H. Upmann, or E.P. Carrillo New Wave.

I can confidently recommend George Dickel to bourbon fans. In all honestly, you’ll probably want to start with the No. 8 or No. 12 varieties, which provide a fantastic price-to-value proposition, but don’t shy away from the Barrel Select, which is very smooth, flavorful, and highly underrated.

–Patrick S

photo credit: George Dickel

This limited edition Cuban Montecristo celebrates the “520th anniversary of the arrival of Cuban tobacco to Europe.” Never mind that Christopher Columbus’ famous journey of 1492 didn’t return to Europe until March 1493. (Perhaps Habanos S.A. means the 520th anniversary of Europeans being introduced to tobacco?)

Not to mention that it didn’t go very well for the pair of Europeans who first ventured inland and saw the natives smoking. Rodrigo de Jerez introduced tobacco to Europe, only to find himself jailed for seven years by the Spanish Inquisition because “only the devil could give a man the power to exhale smoke from his mouth.” His partner Luis de Torres stayed behind when the Santa Maria sank to found a settlement known as La Navidad, which was wiped  off the earth by the time Columbus returned later in 1493.

None of which is pertinent information for evaluating this exclusive, expensive, limited edition Habano. The Montecristo 520 comes in a new size known by the factory name as “Maravillas No.3,” which is 6.1 inches long with a ring gauge of 55. Prices vary greatly by country depending on their tobacco taxes, but expect to pay at least $30 for the Montecristo 520.

It’s a sharp-looking cigar: a deep brown wrapper with broad proportions framed by the double band. It reminded me of another Montecristo Limitada, the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008, one of my very favorite Cuban cigars.

Once lit, it started with a bit of grassiness that I wouldn’t have expected from the well-aged tobaccos used for Edición Limitada. Fortunately, ten minutes or so in, that faded away and more standard Cuban-esque flavors revealed themselves: roasted notes, coffee,  cocoa, and sweet cedar. From there it was a pleasant, if largely uncomplicated, cigar that smoked for almost two full hours. It suffered none of the construction flaws that sometimes ruin Habanos.

The result is a very good cigar, but it’s not the masterpiece that the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008 is, as it’s lacking the complexity and finesse that made that cigar such a standout.

And let’s face it, given the steep price, you’re owed more than just a very good, flaw-free Cuban. So even though I had hoped for great, the final product is still quite good, which earns the Montecristo 520 Edición Limitada 2012 a rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Made in just one size, this limited edition cigar from Joya de Nicaragua celebrates 45 years of the original Nicaraguan cigar company. The puro is the perfect combination of Nicaraguan strength, complexity, and finesse. It features lots of wood, some spice, and hints of dry chocolate and roasted nuts. The construction is perfect. My only wish is for this same cigar in a corona size. Even though I think it may be even better in a slimmer size, I can easily recommend the Cuatro Cinco.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day, a good time to reflect on discrimination and tolerance. Since MLK died in 1968, the country has made great strides to eliminate racial discrimination against minorities.

Even today there continue to be many social movements that rally behind the slogans of ending discrimination and promoting tolerance. And yet, there’s at least one exception to this trend: the anti-smoking movement.

A week ago, I listed some cigar resolutions I had for 2014. Today I’m giving you my wish list for what I hope cigar makers will do for cigar smokers this year.

Get Creative

In understand cigar making and marketing goes in trends, but what I want the most is originality. Don’t just give your own twist on an existing formula, try something new that challenges the status quo. Last year we saw lots of San Andreas wrappers (we’ll probably see a lot more this year) and before that lots of Ecuadorian wrapper. While I like many of those cigars, I’m more interested in cigars that don’t just follow the trends. (Here’s a thought: What do the RoMa Craft, CroMagnon, and CAO La Traviata have in common? Besides being breakout hits, both use a Cameroon binder, something you don’t see very often. That’s not a plea for more cigars with Cameroon binders, but a reminder that cigar consumers will reward a good, unique cigar.)

Give Us Value

One of the most impressive cigars I smoked in 2013 was the Illusione Rothchildes. You’ll probably see a review of it in the coming months. What’s impressive about it is the value it provides for barely more than $4. It’s proof that you can produce an impressive cigar for well under $5, and that for the right price cigar smokers are willing to overlook an ugly wrapper if the flavor is good and sufficiently unique. If it were up to me, I’d have my favorite ten cigar makers all compete to create their best cigar that could be sold for under $5 at retail. But I’m afraid they are more interested in creating cigars that will sell for $10 each since there’s more profit in that.

More Info Please

A perennial plea from us is for cigar makers to disclose more information about the blends they release and for cigar brand websites to be kept up to date. Even though it can be frustrating, I get that sometimes people want to be vague about their ingredients to create some mystery, or because they don’t want their blend copied (even though I think that’s probably an overblown concern). But even more frustrating is cigar websites that don’t even have cigar lines listed that have been out for six months or more. Considering how easy it is for even a non-tech-savvy person to update a website, there’s really no excuse.

Fight for Our Rights

Every cigar event ought to include literature about Cigar Rights of America and a list of a few easy things every individual can do to protect cigar rights. Large cigar companies spend lots of money supporting the legislative programs of CRA, IPCPR, and CAA. It would cost almost nothing to have their reps insist that if you want your free event sample cigar, you also take a little literature about how to protect your freedom to enjoy that cigar. Given that one of the more likely regulations we might see from the FDA is a restriction on free samples and events, it’s not only relatively inexpensive, but highly relevant.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys