Whisky Review: Glenmorangie The Lasanta

It is better to give than receive, unless you are dealing with Scotch. Then it is much better to receive (of course).

I received this bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta as a Christmas gift from a colleague. I don't know what could have been a better gift. Who doesn't want great booze for the holidays!? Anyway, I am a fan of the Glenmorangie Original and I had very high hopes for this dram.

Color: Pale Straw
Nose: brown sugar sweet, syrupy with a little cinnamon
Body: medium and malty, had a mellow mouth feel
Palate: mmmm vanilla, smooth nutty taste with some spice
Finish: long and soft, oak plays it part here as it ends

This tasted a little like a Macallan 12 but at the same time, different enough. It was smoother and felt rich. When I say smooth, I mean there was no bite to it. Plus the sweet and syrupy tastes really added to the "smooth" characteristic. You could easily drink more than you realized with this whisky. It just tastes so good! Not the most complex, but it was just so nice to drink. Its sweet taste reminds me of a Dalwhinnie 15 but with the carmel and spice of a Macallan. I was very impressed and liked this whisky way more than the Glenmorangie Original. I give this sweet whisky a strong 8 of 10. This is a must own from the Glenmorangie Distillery.

Question for YOU: What was the last Glenmorangie that you had?

Cigar Review: Olivia Master Blends III

If this gloomy weather has you down and out, I have a solution for you. Yup you guessed it, my solution is this excellent cigar from Olivia. This Master Blend is exactly that , a masterful blend of delicious flavors and smells. As the weather gets a little colder and the clouds come in, warm up your day with a darker and heartier cigar.

The construction of this cigar is excellent and I could see no wrong wrong here. It has a rich oily sungrown broad-leaf wrapper and is constructed with  a Nicaraguan blend of Habano-seed, ligero tobaccos . This gives the cigar a great balance between full flavor and spice with a smoother finish. The cigar has some very obvious earthy and spicy notes. It is a tad strong but perfect for a seasoned smoker or for a colder day (hence this post). The flavor gets a little more amplified as it burns down, the earthy notes really start to come out, finished with a little brown sugar sweet. 


This cigar tackled my winter doldrums with ease! I have had mixed results with Olivia but this cigar has restored my faith in them. I give this subtlety awesome cigar a great 8 of 10. Seriously it's good.



Questions for YOU: What is your favorite wintery smoke?

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Conneticut

Ahhhh...smoking a cigar is all about sitting back and relaxing, am I right?!

That means sometimes you just want a nice mellow smoke. Nothing too strong or intense, just an easy going cigar. I also don't like skimping on taste though. That is where a cigar like this shines.

 Rocky Patel really does a nice job with the more mellow smokes, but I also enjoy his full bodied smokes as well. This cigar had very nice construction, very few veins in the leaf and a perfect draw. It had a very light and pleasant taste of nuts. It became more earthy as you smoked but still very mild in body. The smoke was rich and creamy, and even though it was a mellow smoke, it presented the smoker with a great taste experience. I would recommend this to a blossoming cigar smoker as his anytime cigar. Really nice work here Rocky, my only complaint is that I would like to see a little more complexity ( I know that is hard with a mellow cigar). That is not the cigar's fault, it was made to be light. Overall, I give this cigar an 7 of 10.

Questions for YOU: What is your favorite mellow cigar?

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Sungrown

Like visiting an old friend, I am going back to my Rocky Patel cigars... I have had them at the bottom of my humidor for almost a year now and they are ready for a good smoke. As I was rummaging around the humidor, I spotted the RP Sungrown. I was smoking at a friends house and we lit it up, once again Rocky didn't disappoint. The cigar was heavy and smelled strong. It had a slow burning draw. I started smoking it and noticed its bold flavor and a very small amount of creamy sweetness on the tongue. I handed it to my buddy and he gasped at its spiciness! I went back and tried another puff looking for that spicy pepper taste he claimed. It was there when I focused on that taste, it is very interesting to see how the mind and mouth play along. I have become used to that peppery finish from the Graycliffs and some of the Ghurka's. The RP Sungrown just wasn't up to par.


I liked the cigar but it just wasn't my thing, too simple and plain. Sweet and spicy that was about it. If I tried really really hard I could identify that sweet taste as some legume like flavor, but that would be a stretch! Overall though great quality cigar, just not what I wanted at the time. I give it a 7.5.


Questions for YOU: Did you have a different experience with this cigar? If so, do share!