Brand evangelist, digital marketer, cigar and spirits expert specializing in consumer tasting and educational events. Matthias made the long trek from his hometown of Portland, Oregon to New York City in 2007, and in nine years has hosted more than 120 events and helped promote and launch dozens of cigar and whiskey brands in the U.S. In 2016, he joined the Cigar Journal Tasting Panel, blind-reviewing pre and new release cigars.
Who knew Hawaii could grow tobacco suitable for premium cigars? I didn’t before I read “A Growing Vision,” an article on CigarAficionado.com posted about a week ago. In it, Alejandro Benes, writing for Cigar Aficionado, writes of Les Drent of the Kauai Cigar Co.
Benes quotes Drent saying “We planted a few rows in 2006. I really started smoking cigars in 2005, 2006. My grandfather used to smoke cigars when I was growing up… I loved the smell of a good cigar.” As a child, Drent would visit his grandparents at the Jersey Shore. “Everybody smoked cigars and drove Cadillacs.” Drent recalls and laughs. “I loved smelling the cigars.”
Benes goes on to write,
“When I produce a cigar with tobacco grown here in Kauai that can be as good, if different, from what they’re producing for us in Nicaragua,” Drent explains, “that’s when I’ll be somewhat satisfied.” Even Drent smiles when he hears himself say that. “My next move is to spend a couple of months on the mainland and sell,” Drent promises. “I’m gonna pack the van with cigars and free stuff and put it on the website and let everyone know I’m coming.” You can just see it in his eyes. For Les Drent, it’s all about the journey.”
Pretty interesting stuff. I don’t suppose Drent will be dropping by New York City anytime soon, but if he is, I hope he gets in touch with industry leaders here to host a big event. Heck, if you read this Drent, send me an email or drop a comment and we’ll plan a big event somewhere nice in Manhattan.
Best of luck to Drent. I certainly hope to smoke some fine Hawaiian tobacco some day.
RAISE A DRAM WITH BOWMORE, ISLAY’S FIRST SINGLE MALT WHISKY, TO CELEBRATE THE ARRIVAL OF “THE BOWMORE ROOM” AT THE CALEDONIAN CLUB
DECEMBER 2012 – Sharing the same underlying values of quality, tradition and the desire to celebrate Scottish culture, Bowmore and the Caledonian Club make perfect partners.
The Caledonian Club was founded in 1891 and is a private members’ Club situated in the heart of Belgravia, London. The club occupies five floors and members enjoy a busy calendar of events including classical music evenings and club traditions such as the St Andrew’s Day Dinner.
In “The Bowmore Room”, guests can look forward to being taken on a sensory journey of discovery to Bowmore’s charming island home of Islay. From whisky pairing events to magical ‘A Taste of Islay’ evenings; from Burns Suppers to the innovative Caledonia Lectures; “The Bowmore Room” will play host to a range of exciting and unique events for members and guests alike.
Cara Laing, Bowmore Marketing Manager, said “We are very excited to bring a little taste of our special island of Islay to the Caledonian Club in London. Islay is a tough place to get to so we hope The Bowmore Room will truly bring to life the essence of Islay as well as our award winning Single Malt”.
David Coughtrie, Chairman of the Caledonian Club, commented “The new association between Morrison Bowmore Distillers and The Caledonian Club is a very welcome addition to the range of malts our home and overseas members enjoy. The depth and variety of expressions from this respected distiller will be available in the Bar and in the Dining Room where we will serve the Bowmore 15 years old Darkest as a perfect accompaniment to our haggis”.
Founded over two centuries ago in 1779, Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on the island of Islay and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland. Using time-honoured traditions little has changed in the way the exceptional Single Malts are produced; the malt is still carefully smoked in a peat-fired kiln just as it was over 200 years ago and the water is still drawn from the Laggan River. Bowmore whiskies then spend their long live resting in the legendary No. 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland.
Located just off the West Coast of Scotland, Islay is famed for its peat, which is still used as fuel by many of the islanders, and together with salt from the Atlantic Ocean adds to the strong character and peaty smokiness of Islay malt whisky. Bowmore is no exception, however with its unique location on the shores of Loch Indaal, Bowmore Single Malt is widely acknowledged to be among the finest and most perfectly-balanced in the world.
And so we ask you to come on in to “The Bowmore Room”, experience the magical island of Islay and take in a dram of Bowmore, in the heart of London’s only Scottish private members club.
December 28, 2012 (Newark, DE) – Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars announced this morning that the first blend of the Los Regalos series, “Quetzal”, made in Esteli, Nicaragua will begin shipping immediately.
“These cigars are being produced in a new factory for Emilio Cigars, and we are excited to have formed this new partnership,” he said.
There will be a total of 4 blends in the series, as well as a limited edition cigar made entirely from 2006 harvest tobaccos.
“The Robusto, Toro, and Torpedo sizes are available at this time,” said Griffith, “and the Corona and Sixty will be released on January 11 at Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, IN. Those two sizes will ship to other retailers subsequent to that event.”
This will be Emilio Cigars final new release of 2012, capping off an extremely productive year in which several new Emilio blends became available, and in which numerous distribution agreements were negotiated.
Well here’s something you don’t see every day: a single bottle of 54 year old scotch sold for $160,000. Unfortunately, not in my price-range!
Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Announces The No. 1 Bottle
of BOWMORE 1957 – 54 YEARS OLD Has Sold For £100,000
Five Scottish Charities will each receive £11,000 for Christmas from this sale
Islay, Scotland (December 19, 2012) – Bowmore®, the first Islay Single Malt whisky, is delighted to announce that the No. 1 bottle of its oldest ever expression, the exceptionally rare Bowmore 1957, 54 Years Old has been sold for £100,000 (approximately $160,000) at the Bowmore Distillery on Islay. This bottle is not only the oldest whisky the distillery has ever released, it is also the oldest Islay Single Malt ever released. As promised by Morrison Bowmore Distillers, owners of Bowmore, all the net proceeds will be donated to five Scottish charities. The owner, a resident of the United States, would like to remain anonymous.
Distilled in 1957 and bottled in 2011, this 54-year-old marvel has been maturing in the finest oak in Bowmore’s legendary No. 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland. Only 12 bottles exist in the world, two of which are kept in the Morrison Bowmore archives and nine now remain for sale at the Bowmore Distillery.
Bottle No. 1’s profitwill be donated to five Scottish charities that encompass a variety of worthy causes: Alzheimer Scotland (care for people with dementia, their caregivers and families); The Beatson Oncology Centre (care for cancer patients receiving treatment in the west of Scotland); Chas (children’s hospice services); Erskine (medical care for Armed Forces); and Marie Curie Cancer Care (cancer care and research).
Says Mike Keiller, Morrison Bowmore Distillers Chief Executive Officer, “We are delighted to have sold bottle No. 1 of our Bowmore 1957 just before Christmas allowing us to keep our promise to donate all the net proceeds to charity as our gift to those in need in Scotland.”
A collection of 1957 casks were bottled in 1995 but one in particular was held back because it was more exceptional than the rest. Since 1995, the whisky in that cask has been examined every six months to check the quality, the taste, the developments and changes the spirit was taking on its aging voyage. In 2011 it was determined that the liquid had reached its potential and was bottled.
In addition to the stunning liquid inside, the new owner will also own the artwork that contains it. The bottles that hold Bowmore 1957 have been hand-blown and sculpted by two of the world’s foremost glass artists Brodie Nairn and Nichola Burns into the shape of waves reminiscent of those that constantly crash against the No. 1 Vaults’ sea-facing walls and the glass is inlaid with shimmering flecks of platinum. Adorning each bottle is a platinum neck collar, hand-engraved with the bottle number and spirit strength, and platinum stopper hand-crafted by Hamilton & Inches, Warrant Holder to the Queen. The bottle and accompanying glasses and water pitcher, also hand-blown by Nairn and Burns, are nestled in a presentation box created by acclaimed woodworker Peter Toaig, using hand-selected pieces of Scottish Oak. View artisans’ videos here: http://www.bowmore.com/news/something-magical/
Cask Maturation and Tasting Notes
This 54-year-old Bowmore 1957 (42.1% ABV) is a symphony of aromas and flavors never before experienced. After distillation in 1957, the new spirit was placed into a second fill sherry cask (where it spent 43 years) and then in 2000 was moved into a second fill bourbon cask. At first breath, an elixir of blueberries and wild figs with mellow almonds, tropical fruit and rich oaky overtones hits the nose. The palate reveals layer upon layer of sweet and refined ocean tastes with soft blueberries, cassis and figs, sea salt and fresh eucalyptus. Next, a wisp of teasing smoke and traces of dark chocolate fuse with notes of grapefruit and juicy oak, carried along by a warming marine breeze. This sensory journey ends with a long and whispering finish of cassis, bergamot and star anise.
THE BOWMORE DISTILLERY
Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest Distillery on Islay. Islay malts are famous for their characteristic smokiness and Bowmore is no exception. Bowmore carefully smokes its malt and uses skills handed down from generation to generation to craft a perfectly balanced single malt. Bowmore’s adherence to traditional production methods helps to shape the character of its single malts – they are one of only a few distilleries anywhere which still produces its own floor malted barley, hand-turned by traditional wooden malt shovels. It draws water from the Laggan River, with its rich peaty overtones, and it’s the same Islay peat that fires the malt drying kiln.Bowmore Distillery’s close proximity to the sea is also vital in determining the final character of the spirit. The famous Bowmore No. 1 Vaults is where most of the whiskies spend their time resting quietly in the cool, dark, damp cellars below sea level, oblivious to the waves thrashing the Vault’s sea-facing wall. They mature in oak casks, previously used for bourbon, sherry or claret, gradually developing rich and mellow flavors. It’s this combination of peat, barley, sea breeze, water, wood, people and tradition that together create the perfectly balanced warm and smoky character of Bowmore single malt whiskies.
The award-winning Bowmore portfolio includes Bowmore Legend, 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old Darkest, 18 Year Old and 25 Year Old in addition to special limited-edition bottlings such as Bowmore Black, White, Gold and Bowmore 40 Year Old. Bowmore is available nationwide in the U.S. and in more than 45 countries worldwide. The Bowmore portfolio is imported to the U.S. by Campari America.
December 7, 2012 (El Dorado Hills, CA) — Art of Cigars LLC is proud to partner with former Marine Gunny Sergeant Nick “The Cigar Marine” Popaditch, author of the bestselling Once a Marine, and his publisher, Savas Beatie LLC, to create a line of hand-rolled cigars that not only taste great, but also support injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families through the Semper Fi Fund.
The “The Cigar Marine” line of cigars was released on November 10, 2012 in honor of the Marine Corps Birthday. The first two premium hand-rolled cigars released under “The Cigar Marine” line are “The Gunny” (a double-wrapped Torpedo) and “The Tanker” (a mild spiced rum Corona). Included in the line is a Cigar Caddy camo humidor signed by Gunny. The cigar line and accessories may be purchased through the Art of Cigars online store at www.ArtofCigars.com. “Art of Cigars is pleased to partner with Gunny Pop and the Savas Beatie team to develop ‘The Cigar Marine’ line of fine, hand-rolled cigars. Gunny is the definition of an American hero, and we are truly honored to participate in a project that will raise significant funds to support the amazing mission of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund,” said Eric Stanion, CEO of Art of Cigars.
Popaditch, who was partially blinded in combat during the First Battle of Fallujah in 2004 when he was struck in the head by an RPG, has been a strong supporter of the Semper Fi Fund. Nick’s goal is to raise a significant amount of money for the Semper Fi Fund. “I am excited to stand behind a product that allows cigar smokers to celebrate in true Marine Corps style, and even more so to support a great organization that helps so many injured Marines and their families,” said Nick “Gunny Pop” Popaditch.
