A Night with THE Macallan

A night of FREE Scotch and good company, I can’t think of anything better (seriously).

The Macallan is doing a marketing campaign at local venues all over the country. They allow you to sign up and invite guests to a one night Scotch tasting event. I was lucky enough to grab a seat at the Cleveland, Ohio event. The whole night cost me nothing and I was able to taste most of Macallan’s expressions. They served snacks as we milled around waiting for our seats. It was a nice little crab ball appetizer. As we got in line for the event they served us our first glass of Macallan 10yr Fine Oak. I have a bottle of this at home but I still like the sharp, young whisky.

Upon seating they started the event and the ambassador covered what makes the Scotch so unique. Our ambassador was a decent host but if you really listened to what he had to say, he was very entertaining. We were then served another 10 yr Fine Oak, 12 yr Sherry, 15 yr Fine Oak, THE 18yr Sherry cask, and the 10yr Cask Strength. WOW. I consider my Macallan 12yr Sherry my go to whisky, but the 18yr was absolutely amazing. I wish I never tasted it to be honest! Ignorance is bliss and now after tasting the 18, I just don't know if I can go back to the 12. I am just not ready to fork over the extra 70 dollars for the 18yr. A 12yr Sherry is around $50 while the 18yr is over $100. Bummer. The night carried on and we had the opportunity to talk the ambassador afterward. He was very friendly and super personable! I loved listening to him talk about his whisky adventures. He has the greatest job in the world… I am a tad jealous. The group I went with hung around and smoked a cigar in the parking lot as our blood alcohol level dropped a little, we had over 5 glasses of Scotch remember. My buddies and I just loved this event and I love Macallan for doing something so cool. Thanks guys, you will always be my favorite whisky. Well I am now off to sell some stuff on Ebay so I can afford an 18yr bottle of happiness!

Question for YOU: Has anyone else been to these events yet? If so, how did your night compare?!

Cigar Essentials: Dr. RH Cigar Care

Struggling with keeping those humidors just the right humidity? Is the winter and colder temperatures wrecking havoc on their consistency? Well guess what?! I have just what the Doctor ordered. They are called Dr RH Cigar Care products.

I was getting really frustrated with my current humidifiers and the consistency they delivered. I live in Ohio and we try not to over-use the furnace to keep the bills low. So that means colder temperatures in the home. This in turn affects my precious little leafy friends (my cigars). I was reading my latest Cigar Aficionado and they had an ad for ultra-grade cigar care. I was sold and immediately went online to do some research. I learned they use a standard jelly humidifier but their solution is ultra pure and medical grade. Would that translate to better humidification? Maybe. But I was willing to try after I was literally tending to my old humidifiers weekly. So I ordered the Dr RH Cigar Care products; two humidifiers and the Cigar Care solution. I immediately noticed a jump in humidity (a good thing, I was running too low). They have also been very easy to maintain and they offer much better consistency as far as highs and lows in the humidity. I am impressed and I know that I will be getting more of their products. Plus, they are not that much more expensive than similar humidification products. I will keep you all updated as to their long term performance, but overall I would highly recommend.

Question for YOU: How do you humidify your humidor?

Whisky Review: Talisker 10 Year

Drink and be merry! One of the best parts of the holiday season is all the great food and drink that is provided during parties and family outings. My family knows that I love Scotch so they did their research and got me this delicious bottle from the island of Skye. The Talisker 10 year Old was one of my better gifts for sure! So after pouring the family a few glasses this is what we decided on for the tasting notes:

Color: old gold or yellow gold
Nose: smoky citrus, and salty feints
Body: full and thick, warming and mouthwatering
Palate:  dried fruit is present then engulfed in a salty peaty taste, a little spice at the end?
Finish: long and sweet then fades to smoky peat



WOW. This whisky rocks. It is a great blend of flavors and a really fun tasting experience. It was smoky like an Isle malt but had all the sweetness of a traditional Speyside like a Macallan. It is similar to Ardbeg in its smoky sweet characteristics but the Talisker is a notch ahead on the sweet flavors and much smoother.The sweet taste of fruit and the peaty smoke was a refreshing change of pace for me. I have been on a long bender of sweet Scotches and this was just what I needed to break out!  I saw that Jim Murray gave this tasty dram a 94 and I definitely agree. I gave this great Scotch an excellent 9.5 of 10.

Question for YOU: What is your favorite 10 year Scotch? 

Cigar Review: Graycliff Crystal

Another masterpiece!

This limited production blend is an excellent smoke for those who enjoy a fuller, more complex cigar. I did my best to ignore my Graycliff bias when judging this cigar. I even had friends try it and tell me their thoughts. Everyone loved this cigar! Hands down a great smoke, no objections.

The Crystal is wrapped in an Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper and is blended with Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Brazilian tobaccos and a Grecian leaf adds the spice toward the finish. Its construction and burn were flawless as usual. The taste was very similar to a moderately spicy maduro. The smoke was creamy and airy. Its finish with that little spice from the Grecian leafs, really balanced the cigar. The fuller body and earthy tastes might turn away mild fans, but for those who like a little kick, this is your cigar. Cigar.com says "This cigar is often compared to the finest Cubans being made today." Not to shabby! This cigar earned a 9.5 of 10.

Cigar Review: 5 Vegas "A"

Another earthy classic from 5 Vegas (pronounced Cinco Vegas by the way).


The 5 Vegas “A” is a great full bodied maduro cigar. It was very smooth and had some pleasant flavors, especially for being a little more on the bold side. It was very similar to many premium maduro’s with its espresso sweet taste and earthy finish. What made it different from the rest of the pack was how agreeable the flavors played together. It was a great balanced cigar and I smoked it to the very nub. I actually almost forgot to take a picture and write this review because I was a little busy! I have noticed myself smoking the 5 Vegas more and more…

One of the great features of the 5 Vegas brand is also that price tag. You just can’t beat their lower priced premium cigars. They might not blow you away with flavor but they definitely deliver a great cigar for a stellar price. There are also some great sampler packs that come with all sorts of goodies at cigarbid.com. Bottom-line, if you want a good smoke without breaking the bank, try the darker 5 Vegas cigars. I give this “A“ cigar 8.5 of 10.

Cigar Review: The 5 Vegas Cask Strength

I have only smoked two 5 Vegas cigars my whole life, and well that just isn't enough!

This cigar was what I expected a "Cask Strength" to be. It was bold and refined, yet easy to smoke and surprisingly complex. It lit great and kept its burn fairly well, just a little work needed. It billowed a thick almost pungent smoke, not pleasant for non cigar smokers (I guess, I personally loved it). It had an excellent draw, really easy to get puffing. It was the taste that really made this 6 year old a joy. It was rich and earthy with some chocolatey sweet on the finish. It had a little spice and the strength of the Costa Rican Maduro really came out. Not much changed as you smoked it but its little flavors here and there really added to the cigars complexity. It would go great with a sweeter liquor, maybe gin or rum?! I will definitely try to get some more of these. I give this bold little cigar a hefty 8 of 10. Definitely a must try, especially at a very affordable price.

Cigar Essentials: The Xikar MultiTool

I was hesitant at first when ordering this tool. I already had a cutter and why would I need another?! Well I will tell you why, it's sweet!


First off, it is a Xikar so you know its good and it is backed by a great warranty. Second, it is really thin, this pictures doesn't do it justice. Third, it has some neat little tools built in like a screwdriver, lighter pressure spike, and the always needed bottle opener. The thing also has a VERY sharp cutter built in like pliers. It allows you a little more control on how you cut your cigar, unlike a traditional guillotine cutter. Plus it fits right on your key chain! I got the matte finish on mine, and it looks great and hides scratches. So there you have it, I would recommend this to any cigar connoisseur!