April 24, 2013 — Goldie Drell Paley, the namesake of La Palina cigars, was the wife of Samuel Paley, who founded the company in 1896. Bill Paley, Sam’s grandson and current owner,created The La Palina Collection Goldie to celebrate the history, contributions and accomplishments of women in the cigar industry. Bill is proud to present the initial release of the new Goldie in late May, with a second release in August of 2013. The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 will be limited to 2500 numbered boxes.
Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, the Goldie is made under the supervision of owner Sandra Cobas. The La Palina Goldie Laguito No.5 will be a 5 5/8 x 54 cigar and presented in boxes of 10.
Master roller Maria Sierra, who will have signed each numbered box, rolled the entire La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 release. Maria was one of the first women trained to roll cigars in Cuba. Her historic 32 year career at Villa El Laguito began July 22, 1967. Maria is a 95 rated, category 9 roller trained by Fidel Castro’s personal roller Eduardo Rivera Irizarri, as well as Avelino Lara, the creator of the legendary Cohiba blend.
Each cigar is finished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants.
The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 embodies the tradition, expertise and passion of women in the cigar industry.
Bill Paley and La Palina will debut the La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 at Nat Sherman International in NYC on May 9, 2013. Maria Sierra will be rolling the Goldie Laguito No.5 at the event. Please contact Nat Sherman 1-800-MY-CIGAR regarding attendance. The May release will be limited to 1000 boxes, and distributed to select accounts across the country. The rest of the release will become available sometime in August.
Our friends over at LongFillersLounge cigar blog announced just last week that Cigar Inn took home the 1st place prize in New York City’s (or probably anywhere) first ever house blend tasting tournament. The contest featured house blends from cigar shops like Velvet Cigar Lounge (Manhattan), Refugio Cigar House (Brooklyn), Ash Cigars (Hoboken), Cigar Inn (Manhattan), and Excalibur Lounge.
Here’s how the guys at LongFillersLounge concluded:
“In what was the toughest decision of the tournament by far, Cigar Inn’s great bold flavors just edged out the Exlcusivo enough to take the win, but man was it close. In each of the match-ups previous to this, Longfillers was unanimous in our decision of what deserved to win. In this match-up we were not able to come to a unanimous decision, and Cigar Inn won by a 2-1 vote, it was literally that close all the way to the end. These are both great cigars, not only in terms of house blends, but against all cigars. If you walked into either of these shops, and did not pick up at least one house blend, you would be doing yourself a disservice.”
So here’s a shout out from one NYC blog to another: great job on this contest. What a great way to encourage local business at B&Ms and have a kickass time doing it. And next time, hopefully you won’t have to pay for the cigars!
Guests can welcome summer in New York and enjoy the hotel’s luxurious terraces and outdoor space.
New York, NY (April 16, 2013) – Hyatt 48 Lex hotel launches its, “Nat Sherman Terraces Cut and Cork,” package today. While Hyatt 48 Lex is a 100 percent smoke-free hotel, the property offers eight specialty suites and studios with well appointed outdoor terraces, a perfect perch for cigar aficionados to enjoy long summer evenings in New York. The Nat Sherman Terraces Cut and Cork package includes two cigars: Romeo by Romeo y Julieta and Nat Sherman Timeless Collection No. 2; a Nat Sherman cutter and matches; a bottle of hand-selected red wine; and a Boveda humidification pack that allows cigars to maintain their freshness for up to three months. The package is available at Hyatt 48 Lex starting Memorial Day, May 27 through Labor Day, September 2, and rates start at $499 + tax/ night. For more information and reservations visit: www.hyatt48lex.com or call 1- 800-223-1234. Please use promo code: CIGAR when booking.
Terrace Studios at Hyatt 48 Lex:
Located on the 4th floor, the hotel’s six Terrace Studios offer a king or queen bed accommodations, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Lexington Avenue or 48th Street. All Terrace Studio guestrooms offer a fully stocked pantry with gourmet snacks, and a selection of wine and liquors. The Landscaped Terrace Suite offers 115 sq. ft. of outdoor lounge space. Guests can relax on designer outdoor chaise lounge seating, complete with a side table to hold wine glasses and cigars.
Penthouse Suites at Hyatt 48 Lex:
Located on the 23rd floor of the hotel, the two Penthouse Suites at Hyatt 48 Lex are true Manhattan jewels. Each Penthouse Suite offers 750 sq. ft of living space and includes a king bedroom. The floor to ceiling windows offer generous views of the mid-town Manhattan skyline and the suites also include a kitchen with cooktop and a fully stocked minibar.
Hyatt 48 Lex offers for guests to luxuriate en suite with its Suite Spa menu of services. Guests may also dine in room or at the hotel’s signature, Lexington Brass brasserie, that is beloved by locals and visitors alike and is most popular for its weekend brunch and nightly dinner menus, featuring items such as Duck Au Poivre with fingerling potato and spinach; Chili Glazed Bass with asparagus and pea greens; and Apple Crusted Salmon with beets, spinach and walnuts.
Hyatt 48 Lex emphasizes warmth, a focus on the local neighborhood and extraordinary service standards to fulfill the needs of modern travelers. Located in Midtown East in Manhattan within walking distance of many iconic New York City destinations, Hyatt 48 Lex has 116 spacious studios and suites. Smart details include a butler’s pantry stocked with local snacks from the likes of Dean & Deluca and Dylan’s Candy Bar and beds positioned with floor-to-ceiling views of Lexington Avenue. Lexicon Lounge, open to all guests, stands in for a typical “lobby,” with complimentary homemade snacks throughout the day, comfortable furniture for relaxing, a fireplace, evening wine tastings with selections hand-picked by the General Manager, and a library of Assouline coffee table books. The New American bistro, Lexington Brass, offers creative twists on classics and also caters the food for in room dining and meetings. The dog-friendly Hyatt 48 Lex is a AAA Four Diamond hotel and offers 24-hour access fitness studio, in-room spa treatments and four Boardrooms. www.hyatt48lex.com
About Nat Sherman
Founded by Nat Sherman in 1930 and family-guided for three generations, Nat Sherman continues to define the authentic tobacco experience. Through a tradition of innovation and expertly crafted products, Nat Sherman’s timeless appeal, while quintessentially New York, is embraced and enjoyed worldwide. Learn more at www.natsherman.com.
Espinoza Premium Cigars recently announced the release of an Espinoza Maduro, which will feature a dark Mexican Maduro wrapper. Espinoza’s other blend, the Espinoza Habano (released last year), is highly acclaimed. This is a cigar to watch for at your local tobacconist.
April 9, 2013 (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.) — Espinosa Premium Cigars is proud to announce the release of the long anticipated Espinosa Maduro. Coming off last year’s successful debut of the medium bodied Espinosa Habano, the Espinosa Maduro will be wrapped in a beautiful, smoothly textured, dark chocolate Mexican Maduro wrapper. Within this triple capped cigar lies a premium blend of tobaccos that have been combined to form a rich cocoa, cedar, pepper and spice base. This medium-full bodied cigar is the perfect combination of Erik Espinosa’s signature strength notes and the La Zona factory’s reputation for flavor.
The Espinosa Maduro is made in Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and will come in 4 different vitolas: Robusto Box-Pressed (5×52), Belicoso Box-Pressed (5-1/2×52), Corona Gorda (5-5/8 x46), and Toro Box-Pressed (6-x52). All four sizes will be offered in boxes of 20. The Espinosa Maduro is set to be released at the end of April 2013.
Ballantine’s, the No.2 ultra-premium and Prestige Scotch whisky range in Asia-Pacific, has unveiled the 2013 Ballantine’s Championship Blend after exclusively bringing together Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and winner of the 2012 Ballantine’s Championship, Bernd Wiesberger, to create the sixth unique expression of the prestigious blend.
The 2013 Championship Blend has been created with a selection of exceptional whiskies, aged for at least 41 years, and is being released to commemorate this year’s tournament which is taking place in Icheon, South Korea from 25 – 28 April 2013.
Just ten individually numbered bottles of this rare limited edition will be produced, with one being gifted to Wiesberger as reigning Ballantine’s Championship winner and collaborator in the creation of this year’s blend. A bottle will also be reserved for the 2013 champion and another will be auctioned during the tournament for charitable causes.
This exclusive and exceptional blend is presented in a prestigious bottle with a handcrafted and gold finished metal band which bears the individual bottle number alongside the signatures of its two creators, Sandy Hyslop and Bernd Wiesberger. The bottle also features Ballantine’s unique crest carefully etched onto the glass, enhancing the brand’s proud heritage and excellence. The bottle sits in a solid wooden cabinet with a premium leather cover featuring the iconic Ballantine’s ‘B’ and gold coloured metal band. Interior leather panels on each of the cabinet doors, bearing a quote from Hyslop and Wiesberger, and a leather bound booklet complete the luxurious presentation of the 2013 Championship Blend, highlighting Ballantine’s association with golf and the uniqueness of the blend.
Since the inaugural event in 2008, Ballantine’s has established the unique tradition of creating an exclusive Championship Blend each year, created by Master Blender Sandy Hyslop with the reigning Championship winner. Wiesberger becomes only the fourth person in history outside of Ballantine’s expert blending team to be invited to work with a Master Blender in creating a Ballantine’s blend, with previous winners, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell MBE and Marcus Fraser having been granted the same privilege over the past five years. This year, Sandy Hyslop personally guided Wiesberger through a tasting of extremely rare and high quality grain and malt whiskies to assess which flavours he preferred before carefully blending the golfer’s selection.
Sandy Hyslop comments: “It was a pleasure to introduce Bernd Wiesberger to the art of blending while creating the 2013 Ballantine’s Championship Blend. We’ve created a truly unique blend that reflects Bernd’s own taste and character but is still true to Ballantine’s signature style – soft, sweet, elegant and balanced. I’m delighted with the results and I believe this Championship Blend is a fitting tribute to the shared flair, craftsmanship and excellence of Ballantine’s and professional golf.”
Bernd Wiesberger added: “It has been a privilege and an honour to join Ballantine’s Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop, in creating this special whisky. It will have a place of honour in my home, sitting alongside the Ballantine’s Championship trophy until an occasion so special that I am willing to drink it.”
Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, says: “The Ballantine’s Championship Blend is a unique tradition that celebrates the shared values and heritage of Ballantine’s and golf, so we are thrilled to release this year’s unique expression, one of the rarest and most exclusive whiskies ever produced by our Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop. The synergy between Ballantine’s and golf has never been stronger and we are extremely proud to be associated with one of the most prestigious golf events in Asia, where our sponsorship investment, both at the top of the game and at grass roots level, marks our deepening commitment to world-class golf.”
Ballantine’s association with golf can be traced back to 1960 when the first Ballantine’s Tournament took place at Wentworth Golf Course in the UK. Since Ballantine’s became the title sponsor of the Championship in 2008, many professional golfers have demonstrated their world-class talents at the Ballantine’s Championship and the event has fast become one of Asia’s most prestigious golfing events, with over 45,000 spectators in 2012 and coverage broadcast to 300 million homes worldwide.
Notes
Tasting Notes of Ballantine’s Championship Blend 2013:
Nose: Wonderful flavours of sweet candy apples, soft fruity pears, rich fruitcake and a hint of dark chocolate and treacle.
Taste: Silky smooth with fruit flavours in abundance. This 2013 edition also has fantastic creamy toffee / fudge flavours complemented perfectly by a delicate nutty, oaky background.
Finish: Perfectly balanced, long and lush
About Ballantine’s:
Ballantine’sis the No 2 ultra-premium Scotch whisky in Asia, No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 120 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827.
About Chivas Brothers:
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch.
In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.
