James Bollen

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Bourbon Review: Four Roses Single Barrel

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Four Roses Bourbon

Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon comes in an elegant glass bottle with an engraved four roses. The bottle has a simple yellow label with four red roses. Each bottle has a warehouse and barrel number. My bottle’s warehouse number is NS and barrel number is 12-5N. The dram of Four Roses Single Barrel is tawny in my Glencairm glass. When swirling the tawny liquid in my glass the bourbon lightly coats the glass.

Product Specifics

Maker: Four Roses,
Bottled By: Four Roses Distillery LLC, Lawrenceburg, KY
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Website: http://www.fourrosesbourbon.com/
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Bottle: (750 ml)

Notes

Nose: I pick up spice, dried fruit, vanilla, floral, maple, and wood.

Palate: Four Roses Single Barrel has a thick velvety texture and is full-bodied. There are kitchen spices: pepper, nutmeg, and clove. Dried fruit, specifically pear is evident as well as sweeter notes of vanilla and toffee. Additionally, there are subtle floral notes that soften the initial spice.

Finish: The Single Barrel finishes clean and smooth.

Cigar pairing:

I would recommend a medium-full to full body cigar to complement the spicier notes in the Four Roses Single Barrel. Here are a few recommendations: Murcielago Hispaniola Cristobal Colon 1492, or Joya De Nicaragua Antonio 1970.
Where to Try: On The Rocks and Brandy Library.

Awards:
2008 Gold Medal, 2009 Silver Award, 2009 Number 1 Bourbon, 2010 & 2009 Double Gold Medal, 2010 Strongly Recommended, 2010 Wine Enthusiasts Best Buy, 2012 Gold Medal, 2012 Ultimate Recommendation.

Conclusion

Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon is excellent. The bottle can be found between $40-$45 in the New York area. I recommend finding this delectable bourbon at a liquor store or sip it at a bar.

Grade: A

Where to Buy
Manhattan (Chambers Street Wines, California Wine Merchant, Winfield Flynn Wine & Spirits, Sherry-Lehmann); Brooklyn (Heights Chateau).

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Cigar Review: Tatuaje Havana VI

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Tatuaje Havana VI Robusto

I visited a recently opened cigar room, Papa Juan Cigar Room, in Harlem, New York. I have the Tatuaje Havana VI, which has Jose Pepin Garcia behind the blend. Currently relaxing on a leather couch, glass of water and cigar in hand, looking forward to reviewing this stick.

Blend Specifics
Size: Robusto 5×50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Corojo ’99)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Appearance & Construction

Off of the foot, I can smell spice and chocolate. The cigar utilizes the traditional Cuban-style with a well-constructed triple cap. After I straight cut the head of the cigar, there is a cold firm draw with spice, bittersweet chocolate, and cedar.

Construction is firm with no soft spots. The wrapper is dark and oily with a vein running down the side. A simple band with “Tatuaje” in white with two lines complement the wrapper.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

1/3: The cigar opens with spice, wood, and bittersweet chocolate. Black coffee emerges blending with the other flavors. Berry becomes prominent as spice and wood move to the background. Chocolate and spice are on the retrohale. The salt and pepper ash falls at a quarter-inch.
2/3: The burn starts becoming uneven. Vanilla is behind the berry flavor. Nutmeg and black pepper are now the focus.
3/3: Now at the last third; flavors depart leaving only a triad of flavors: coffee, vanilla, and spice. There continues to be an abundant amount of smoke with each puff.

Conclusion

The Tatuaje Havana VI has a variation in flavors with primary flavors of spice, wood, and chocolate. This is a very nice cigar despite the burn issue I experienced with this cigar. I highly recommend this cigar, especially if you are Tatuaje fan.

Grade: B+

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Event Recap: Cut & Light/Sip & Smoke @ Refugio Cigar House

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David Alicea hosts “Cut & Light”

On Friday, June 22 2012, Fine Tobacco NYC sponsored “Cut and Light & Sip and Smoke” at the lounge where it began – Refugio Cigar House. At the Cut & Light event, a good gathering of about 30 brothers and sisters of the leaf enjoyed premium cigars at Refugio Cigar House paired with scotch. The evening filled with conversation about life, spirits, and cigars.

At the event, FTNYC event coordinator and cigar broker David Alicea gave a brief talk about cigars. Alicea discussed the cigar process, the anatomy of a cigar, and the importance of Spanish cedar in aging cigars. David Bailey, spirits connoisseur and member of New York G&S, spoke in depth about scotch and how to pair it with cigars.

Attendees began the tasting with the Macallan 10 Year Fine Oak and ended with Ledaig 10 Year.

To receive exclusive invitations to all of our events, submit your name and email to our event mailing list and come enjoy exclusive cigars and meet like minded cigar smokers from all over New York City.

You can view photos from the event on our Facebook page.

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Cigar Review: Man O’ War

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This Man O’ War cigar was given to me as a gift a few months ago. A.J Ferdenez is the blender behind the Man O’ War. I am relaxing on my favorite couch with a cup of coffee while I inspect the cigar.

Blend Specifics

Size: Toro 6.5” x 52”
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Appearance and Construction

The Man O’ War is well constructed with a toothy wrapper. The cigar is firm to the touch with no soft spots signaling that the Man O’ War should burn well. A modern label complements the thick oily habano wrapper with a gold Spartan helmet, black background with red and white, and “Man O’ War” in bold white below the helmet. Sweet spice and wood were dominant on the cigar’s foot. I used a straight cut and the cold draw was firm with flavors of pepper, earth, and wood. After lighting the foot, the aroma produced nuts and spice.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

Upon lighting the cigar, the opening flavors were peanuts and spice followed by large plumes of smoke. Vanilla, anise, and cinnamon appear in the flavor profile balancing the cigar’s focus on spice.

The Man O’ War begins to calm down some as the spice retreats to the background. Flavors of bread and honey complement the other kitchen spices that are taking the forefront. On the retrohale spice dominates. There is a white ash that hold to 2” with an even burn.
The cigar is creamy marinating with distinctive spices. Cardamom and nutmeg emerge among the other baking spices with maple concluding a smooth finish on the palate. These additional flavors compliment and further the complexity of the Man O’ War.

Conclusion

I was very impressed with the Man O’ War’s complexity. The bouquet of cooking spices balance the sweet flavors in this medium-full bodied cigar. The Man O’ War reminds me of perusing my spice cabinet with the array of spices in this gustatory cigar. Overall, I highly recommend finding your inner Spartan warrior with a Man O’ War.

Final Grade: A-

Cigar Review: Oliva Serie G Maduro Presidente

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Oliva Serie G Maduro Presidente

It was the end of a long semester and relaxation was in order. I decided on the Oliva Series G
Maduro Presidente allowing for a long relaxing break. I paired water with the Oliva Series G
during this review.

Specifics

Size: Presidente 8×52

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan Habano

Appearance & Construction

The cigar was solid to the touch with no soft spots or imperfections on the cigar. The oval white
and gold band contrasted nicely with the maduro wrapper. As I inspected the cigar, the foot
smelled of coffee and tobacco. I made a v-cut, I tested the cold draw that had spice added to the
earlier flavors as well as a nice draw.

Taste & Smoking Characteristics

The Oliva Series G initial puffs were black coffee and tobacco. The opening flavors remained
consistent throughout the smoke with dark chocolate. These flavors remained through the
duration of the cigar. Half way through the Series G Maduro, a berry flavor appeared in the
background that went with the darker flavors. Towards the end of the cigar, vanilla and maple
added to the overall flavor profile. The smoke of the Oliva Series G Maduro is creamy.

During my 2 hours smoking the Series G Maduro I had to ash the cigar a few times. The salt
and pepper ash held to half an inch. The burn remained straight with no trouble during the Oliva
Series G.

Summary

Overall, the Oliva Series G Maduro Presidente is a well-constructed long smoke with an even
burn and flavor. The Series G Maduro would pair well with a nice cup of coffee.

Final Grade: B-

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