Abraham Bowman French Oak Series Lottery Win

Some people have all the luck. In this case, "some people" is my wife. A couple of months ago she had a winning entry in the A. Smith Bowman lottery for the "opportunity to purchase" a bottle of the distillery's new Limited Edition Abraham Bowman French Oak Whiskey. Fortunately, her luck is my luck by extension. 

From the A. Smith Bowman website:

The Abraham Bowman collection of experimental, limited-edition whiskies began in 2010 with the release of Abraham Bowman Rye Whiskey. Since, A. Smith Bowman Distillery has released 22 experiments that have challenged whiskey-making methodologies and captivated fans.

Recently, ASB has put a specific focus on exploring oak varietals with its latest collection, The Abraham Bowman Oak Series. For the series inaugural release, the experimental distillery is sharing its take on whiskey aged in French Oak barrels. This is the first of multiple releases that explores oak varietals and its impact on American whiskey maturation.

The distillate for this release was aged for 12 years in a combination of both charred and no-char French Oak barrels before blending and bottling in April of this year. Due to the use of barrels without char, this whiskey cannot be called a bourbon, instead is classified as American Whiskey.

The aroma from the glass is rich with vanilla, caramel, and fall-like spices of nutmeg and cinnamon. Bottled at a moderate 100 proof,  I can detect no alcohol on the nose. Sipping releases a delightful blend of candied cherries, vanilla, and toffee. There's a mild warmth going down. The flavors are long-lingering, with a mild char note mixed in with sweet cherry, vanilla, and spice.

Abraham Bowman French Oak Whiskey is an exciting drink. We'll be reserved in how often we pour from this bottle, likely saving it for special occasions. That said, I also don't see the bottle lasting a long time on our shelves. I know some local restaurants also managed to snag bottles. I wouldn't be opposed to paying for pours when I'm out either.

The whiskey was paired with an old favorite, the Rocky Patel Disciple. This time in a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigar is wrapped in a milk chocolate-colored San Andrés leaf. The binder and filler tobaccos are from Nicaragua. The medium to full bodied, richly flavored smoke with notes of espresso and cocoa. A bit of black pepper and raisons come in to play as the cigar progresses. I had nearly a two hour flawless smoke from the well-aged stick. The cigar's coffee and pepper note complimented the Abraham Bowman French Oak whiskey perfectly. 

Cheers!

A Patronal Feast Day for Cigar Smokers

Repost: Last year I suggested honoring Saint Pope Pius X as the Patron Saint for cigar smokers. Today, August 21, is the Saint's Feast Day, so that post is reprinted today in a slightly edited form.

Originally published June 28, 2023.

I was perusing the endless internet recently, questioning if there was a Patron Saint dedicated to cigar smoking. I found plenty of information related holy persons who smoked. Catherine de Ricci is referenced as the Patron Saint of the sick people, tobacco, and pipe makers, but no reason is given. Close, but no cigar. 

Then I came across a story about Pope Saint Pius X. This is from a reader's letter published by Cigar Aficionado,

Reading of his [Pius X] defense of cigars as not being a vice, I was reminded of a story that a cigar smoking priest of the Diocese of Tulsa, who is now in training for the Vatican diplomatic corps, told me. When he was a seminarian in Rome, he learned that Pius X, who was the pope from 1903 to 1914, called a bishop onto the carpet to reprimand him for his scandalous misbehavior with wine, women and song, and to correct his wrongs patiently.

The pope offered the errant bishop a cigar from the papal humidor on his desk. The bishop declined the offer with the protestation, "I do not have that vice, Your Holiness," to which His Holiness replied, "If cigars were a vice, I would not offer you one, for you have quite enough vices already."

There is no way to verify if the story related is true, or simply an interesting urban legend. However, it is known that Pius X kept a cigar humidor on his desk in the Vatican. Saint Pius X's cigar habit did not keep him from being elevated to sainthood, even if it may not be the reasoning behind it. There is little doubt in my mind that the relaxation provided helped him deal with the stress of his position.

Pope Pius X
It's easy to imagine a cigar in that hand

Smoking was allowed in the Holy See until 2002 when John Paul II banned the activity. I was thinking of Saint Pius X when I was seen enjoying a Tuscano cigar just outside the Vatican City boundary last year.

It's my opinion that Saint Pius X is worthy of invoking by cigar smokers. I intend to honor the Saint with a fine cigar today, perhaps with a glass of Italian wine, or a classic Negroni.

Cheers!

Eight Shires Accomak Shire Spiced Rum with Blackened S84 Shade to Black

I decided on a lighter palette for my palate during a weeknight sip and smoke. A coworker had given me a bottle of Eight Shires Accomac Shire Spiced Tavern Rum on the occasion of my retirement. I do enjoy spiced rum on occasion, but had yet try this one. Admittedly, I was not familiar with the Williamsburg, VA distillery, despite its geographic proximity.

Accomac Shire Spiced Rum is described as a "Caribbean style spiced rum using 18th century style spices and molasses." I've read that the molasses is imported from a south American company that uses 18th century methods. The distillery also employs some older equipment similar to that used in colonial times. 

The 83 proof rum is a light amber color. I smell baking spices from the glass. The flavor is mild with notes of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. It's an enjoyable beverage. I could almost imagine serving it warm, with some apple slices and cinnamon sticks on a cold winter night. 

For the cigar portion of the evening I grabbed a Blackened Cigars S84 Shade to Black Toro from the humidor. This cigar came in the June Luxury Cigar Club shipment and had been in the humidor for eight weeks. The 6 x 52 cigar from Drew Estate is a followup to the popular Blackened Cigars M81. 

The smooth stick boasts an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper. A Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro binder, with Nicaraguan Maduro and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro filler leaves completes the picture. The blend appears to be the same as the M81, excepting the wrapper leaf change. The proportions of the binder and fillers are never revealed so this may or may not differ between the two blends.

The cigar is widely listed as a medium to full bodied smoke. I found it to be somewhat on the milder side. The wrapper really seems to influence the flavors. After an initial few puffs of pepper and cedar, the profile notes settled into the bread, butter, and peanut realm. There was an underlying layer of sweet milk chocolate and some mild baking spices. The burn was excellent and the smoke production steady.

I'd rate the Blackened Cigars S84 Shade to Black in the mild to medium body range. It did pair nicely with the spiced rum. I would not pair it with a more robustly flavored spirit. That said, I suspect the cigar would satisfy the fan of milder smokes who are looking for something a little different.

Cheers!

Liga Privada H99, Rye, and the Humidity

"Now everyday is Saturday." I've heard that frequently from friends since I retired. However, "the weekend" is still something I look forward to. (I no longer get the Sunday evening downer though.) We had our typical Friday planned — meaning we were staying home. Colleen enjoyed baking and I enjoyed a cigar and drink on the deck. Life is good.

After it had a three month rest in the humidor, I decided to crack open the box of Liga Privada H99 Corona Doble I picked up at the Drew Estate event in May. The hefty 7 x 54 cigar promised a long and flavorful smoke. The Connecticut River Valley Corojo wrapper is grown exclusively for Drew Estate by a single farmer in Connecticut. The leaf is a hybrid of Habano and Corojo tobaccos. A Mexican San Andrés binder and a blend of  Honduran and Nicaraguan filler completes the picture.

My whiskey shelves have gotten overcrowded of late, so I've been working on finishing off those nearly empty bottles. One such forlorn bottle was the Sagamore Spirit Sherry Finish Rye. I enjoyed a wee pour to kick off the smoke.

This Sagamore release is of a blend of four year old ryes which is aged for 18 months in PX Sherry casks. Delightful aromas of figs, cherries, and raisons greet the nose. The sherry influence on the rye comes to the forefront right from the start, along with a hint of citrus and rye spice. The 106 proof is well masked. I've enjoyed this one with a number of cigars over the past couple years and find it to be an excellent accompaniment to a rich cigar.

The Liga Privada kicks off with heavy does black pepper. The complete flavor profile quickly comes up as the cigar gets going. I get dark chocolate at the forefront as the pepper moderates. There are light brown sugar and fig notes also in the rich, thick smoke. The dark fruit and a slight sweetness complemented the Sagamare Sherry finished rye nicely. I didn't have any open bottles of another sherry-finished whiskey to pour next, so completed my smoke with a pour from a bottle of Angel's Envy Rum Finished Rye. That too paired well.

The cigar required a few touch ups to keep an even burn line, and the smoke output occasionally waned until a quick touch with my torch. I think the extremely high humidity outside, from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debbie, had an adverse effect on the performance. The Weather Bug app was reporting 98% humidity to go along with the mid-80º temperature. My drink glass was coated with condensation and I kept a paper towel nearby dry my hands after each sip.

I am extremely glad I chose to buy this special box of cigars as a retirement gift to myself. I look forward to smoking many more in the near future.

Cheers!

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 and Heaven Hill BiB

Last Friday, I was looking forward to heading over to my local brewery to enjoy an evening cigar under the trees and listen to some live music. All while enjoying a good beer of course. That afternoon they announced that it was too hot to listen to music outside and cancelled the event. Disappointing, but I reverted to my usual spot on the deck. I took a chance and put some blues on the speaker – outdoors music despite their warning. 

I've had some Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 sitting on the humidor for about 8 weeks now. Though somewhat impatiently, I've giving them some rest after purchase at a Drew Estate event at my a local shop. After some indecisiveness standing in front of the whiskey shelf, I finally selected the Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon to complete the pairing.

The Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 is a 6 x 54 box-pressed stick. The Nicaraguan Maduro binder is smooth and glossy though somewhat unevenly colored. With both Nicaraguan binder and filler, it promises to be a robust smoke. The GT20 was created to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva. The blend used is the same as the original Antaño 1970 but the filler leaves were aged for more than five years. 

As suspected the smoke starts off robust with notes of cedar, espresso, and roasted nuts. The finish, and the retrohale, boasted white pepper spice. The cigar threatened to go out several times, and succeeded once, requiring a number of touchups to keep it going strong. The burn line got wavy at times never got out of hand due to the required lighter hits to keep a full burn. The GT20 is a full-bodied smoke from start to finish, and despite the attention needed by the burn, a quite enjoyable smoke.

Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond is a 7 year aged 100 proof bourbon. The pour is aromatic as caramel, vanilla, and oak waft from the glass. It's a flavorful sip with moderately intense oak and baking spice mixed with the oak and vanilla. Some tobacco and dark cherry join the finish. A pleasant caramel sweetness lingers for a long finish on the palate.

The Heaven Hill BiB has been an allocated item and hard to come by in our State (mis)managed stores. Just recently I noticed that VA ABC had removed the bourbon from their allocated list. That's a relief as this is an enjoyable bourbon, and at under $50, a bargain as well.

Cheers!

Root Beer and RomaCraft

Heading to the deck one afternoon to enjoy some reading in the warm weather, I opted for a rare indulgence in pouring a glass of root beer. We rarely drink sodas, but had the bottle of root beer on hand from a recent gathering. It seemed just the thing for an afternoon refreshment.

I decided to enjoy the soft drink with RoMa Craft Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 Roy Olmstead. The 5"1/2 X 54 Belicoso was part of the May Luxury Cigar Club mailing. It has been resting in my humidor for about 10 weeks. 

The Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 features an oily Ecuadorian Sumatra hybrid wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder. Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan tobaccos make up the filler. The binder is exposed at the last bit near the foot. Combined with the white and brown labels and the tapered cap, the cigar is quite attractive.

The smoke starts off with mild pepper and coffee flavors. Leather notes along with baking spices join in as the burn progresses. There are also some mild sweet notes in the finish. The flavorful smoke and the sweet root beer made for a delightful pairing.

Enjoying a nonalcoholic beverage with this afternoon smoke was fitting. The Intemperance Volstead is named for the Volstead Act implemented in 19020 which started the United States down the dark path of Prohibition. Roy Olmstead was a very successful bootlegger in the Pacific Northwest during Prohibition. 

Cheers!