An Update on the Team, and a Message To Our Friends Affected by Hurricane Sandy in the City

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Well, Hurricane Sandy turned out to be a whopper of a storm. It goes without saying that anything pertaining to cigars has been basically blacked out since Hurricane Sandy hit a few nights ago. Now, I sit at a Starbucks, with my first internet access for 5 days.

Before the storm hit, I made the trek out to my girlfriend’s place in New Jersey where she lives alone to take care of her. I wasn’t prepared for all of the downed trees, the power outages that are still crippling crucial services, and the lack of any cellular or internet access since Monday.  Last night, we drove to Jersey City, and the darkness enveloping Hoboken, Jersey City, and the Financial District was truly eerie. See below:

photo courtesy of businessinsider.com

But quickly before my battery dies here at Starbucks, I want to say on behalf of Kelvin, David, Tim, James, and Ronnie, we hope all of you stay safe, get the supplies you need, and spend your time with your families. We also encourage all of those who have power, hot water, and internet access to do what they can to help others. Being without power and internet access for five days (and perhaps another 11 according to Con Ed) is, believe me, a terrible experience.

In any case, we’ll be posting via our Facebook page and updating you all. We’re also going to be putting together a cigar event celebrating the return of the city – but not until we have all done our part to secure the safety of our loved ones and those around us. Also, we send our regards to all cigar groups and cigar lounges in the city.

Feel free to tweet us @finetobacconyc, and drop a comment letting us know how you are doing if you are in the NY/NJ area.

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ITGA Leads First-Ever World Tobacco Growers’ Day to Unite Farmers, Protect 30 Million Jobs

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October 29, 2012 (London) — To mark the first-ever World Tobacco Growers’ Day (#WTGD) today, tobacco farmers across the globe are taking part in dozens of events to highlight the disastrous impact World Health Organisation proposals will have on their livelihoods if passed by parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in just two weeks’ time.

“We’re celebrating the benefits our farms bring to our communities and asking our leaders to stand with us, to hear our voices, and to give us the opportunity to work together to protect our way of life,” said Antonio Abrunhosa, chief executive officer of the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA).  Abrunhosa is leading the events worldwide and plans to carry the growers’ message to the FCTC’s Fifth Conference of the Parties (COP5) in Seoul, Korea next month.

WTGD begins an annual effort to bring together the world’s 30 million tobacco growers.  Events in dozens of countries across four continents today demonstrate the social and economic contribution farmers make to their communities, to remember the heritage of this sector and to educate the public about the issues impacting their livelihoods.

The 2012 WTGD events focus on the threat currently facing the world’s tobacco farmers from the FCTC.  At COP5 it will vote on recommendations to:

  • Artificially limit or reduce the land to cultivate and deny farmers the right to grow tobacco
  • Regulate the seasons of the year in which tobacco farming is allowed
  • Ban tobacco famers from working with their clients to improve crops yields, health and safety conditions and the crops environmental impacts to improve practices, health and safety conditions, prevent labor abuses, and minimize environmental impact
  • Dismantle the bodies relating tobacco farmers with their governments
  • Introduce mandatory “rehabilitation programs” that would force growers into other crops, regardless of the economic viability of that crop

“We are also asking governments to join us today and step back from the WHO abyss and protect, not penalise, poor tobacco farmers,” Abrunhosa said.  He pointed out that these recommendations run contrary to the original intent of the FCTC ’ s treaty, which was to provide “technical and financial assistance to aid the economic transition of tobacco growers and workers “ if and when a decline in tobacco consumption results in lower demand for the crop.

“These draconian proposals are putting tobacco farmers under unprecedented attack from bureaucrats who are looking to artificially reduce the supply of tobacco without providing growers any viable alternatives to support their families,” said Abrunhosa.  ”Contrary to FCTC’s claims, not a single smoker will stop smoking because of these proposals.  All they will do is spread misery among farmers and their families in some of the least developed countries in the world. We are asking the FCTC to respect its own principles and accept growers’ knowledge and opinion on issues that impact their livelihoods.”

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Best of the Best: Nat Sherman Cigars (Video)

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Every now and again as I’m surfing the web I come across some unique video content that deserves shared. I’ve shared a few other videos in the past, and this video, produced by The Street is certainly up to snuff. It’s a bit dated (January 2012), but it still gives a good idea of what Nat Sherman is like. In front of the camera is Nat Sherman figurehead Michael Herklots.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7oAiYwlCSg]

Address: 12 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017

Phone:  (800) 692-4427

Hours:
Mon-Fri 9am–7pm
Sat 10am–7pm
Sun Closed

Transit: W 42 St – 5 Av

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Bushmill Irish Whiskey Partners With Lowden to Create Handcrafted Whiskey Barrel Oak Guitars

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BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY® PARTNERS WITH LOWDEN® TO CREATE HANDCRAFTED WHISKEY BARREL OAK GUITARS

Bushmills Village: Bushmills Irish Whiskey, which has been handcrafted on the North Coast of Ireland for centuries, has partnered with world famous luthier, George Lowden, to create three special-edition guitars, handmade from barrel-oak used in the whiskey making process.

Bushmills Irish Whiskey and George Lowden Guitars are both known and loved around the world. Based in Northern Ireland, George and his team have handmade guitars for some of most famous names in the music, including Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and The Edge.

The handmade barrel oak guitars were presented to singer-songwriter Foy Vance and other artists as a thank-you for their participation in Bushmills Live, the handcrafted whiskey and music festival which took place at the Old Bushmills Distillery on 20th and 21st June 2012.

Created by George Lowden and his team of master craftsmen at his workshop in Downpatrick, County Down, the guitar-making process took more than three months and presented a series of unique technical challenges.

The oak that the guitars were made from was from former Oloroso sherry casks, used in the making of Bushmills Black Bush, Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey and Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

The nature and curve of the whiskey barrel oak meant that each stave of wood had to be carefully sanded by hand to the necessary thickness and required shape. Each stave was then painstakingly glued together to create panels that retained the contours of the original whiskey barrel.

Those panels rested in the workshop for several weeks as the wood bound together, before they were hand-cut by George Lowden to guitar templates he has been using for almost 40 years.

Then, using hand-tools such as Japanese chisels, planes and knives, the team at Lowden assembled the guitars, incorporating the whiskey barrel oak into traditional Lowden ‘F’ and ‘O’ body designs.

The result is three guitars unlike any others ever made. With a distinct sound and even more distinct look, they are as much works of art as they are instruments.

Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, Colum Egan, said: “To see barrels that have housed our whiskey being used in this way is remarkable. Their creation celebrates the handcrafted qualities at the heart of both Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Lowden Guitars and I want to thank George and his team for making them. Like our whiskey they weren’t made for the cupboard and it is great to see some world class musicians putting them to good use. The guitars were the perfect way to thank the musicians who performed at Bushmills Live.”

George Lowden said: “Making any guitar by hand is highly challenging but these guitars presented a few more issues than most. It was an enormous privilege to work with such special wood and it took me and my team a considerable amount of time to create them. However, what we have managed to do is to create something quite special. We enjoyed working in partnership with Bushmills on the project and were delighted that the musicians who received the guitars were so pleased with them.”

To find out more about Bushmills Irish Whiskey or to see a gallery of images from the making of the Lowden Guitars from Bushmills barrel oak, log on to facebook.com/bushmills1608

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Old Pulteney 40 Year Old Unveiled

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Old Pulteney is proud to unveil the oldest and most exclusive official expression of single malt to leave the warehouses of the northernmost distillery on Scottish mainland since its establishment in 1826. The spirit of Pulteney is influenced by its environment like no other. Windswept and rugged Caithness Coast and the remote fishing port of Wick provide the background for one of the most intriguing whiskies in the world. This new stunning Old Pulteney was shaped by the land and the sea for over four decades and is the ultimate expression of the Maritime Malt.

The Spirit

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old came from four casks. They included three Spanish ex-sherry hogsheads and one American oak ex-bourbon barrel. The casks yielded 493 bottles of whisky at a natural strength of 51.3% ABV. This unique single malt has been bottled at cask strength, has not been chill-filtered or coloured. Despite the age the spirit shows remarkable freshness and intensity and boasts an unmistakable Pulteney character. Pulteney Distillery Manager, Malcolm Waring, explains:

“Old Pulteney begins its life as spirit already full of character. Then we mature it on site, here in Wick, we think its hugely important. With each passing year the whisky takes on a little bit of Caithness, the initial charisma is there but it develops more and more complexity. To see that so clearly in a whisky matured for over four decades is extraordinary; we are overwhelmed by the quality of this liquid and by how firmly it’s anchored here. The people, the process, the land and the sea are all in there.”

The commentators who sampled the spirit prior to bottling remarked:

A complex whisky which is surprisingly vibrant for its age.
– Joel Harrison, www.caskstrength.net
Just brilliant! So much going on, and incredibly youthful in terms of sweetness and pep. We loved it!
– Ben Ellefsen, Master of Malt

Epic inside and out
Old Pulteney 40 Year Old is not only an extraordinary whisky crafted to perfection but also an important chapter in the history of Pulteney Distillery. As such it calls for bespoke presentation; a real show of fierce pride, strength of the community and stunning craftsmanship.
The whisky is presented in unusual deep-blue bottles crafted by The Tudor Crystal Design company and its sister company Plowden and Thompson’s Undertaking. Hand blown from melting silica, soda ash and special additions each bottle is then finished with solid silver melted blown across the glass to form a wave pattern. This gives the familiar ‘Smuggler’s Kettle’ Old Pulteney bottle elegance and flair that pay respect to the liquid inside.
Each bottle of Old Pulteney 40 Year Old is topped with a stone closure whittled, polished, fine-pressure jetted, milled and polished again by the famous local Caithness Stone Industries. The bottles are finished with a Scottish hallmarked silver medallion stating the age of the whisky. The high-gloss lacquered wooden box that encases the bottle has the iconic Old Pulteney herring drifter silver-etched into it to complete the stunning presentation.
In addition every bottle of Old Pulteney 40 Year Old comes with a hand-signed book by whisky expert Charles MacLean.

A long journey

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old boasts one of the most beautiful bottles ever to be used for single malt whisky. This extraordinary feat of design and craftsmanship comes as a result of intense, painstaking work by many people in Caithness and beyond. Old Pulteney Senior Brand Manager, Margaret Mary Clarke explains that the 40 Year Old has been a labour of love for all at Pulteney Distillery:

“The release of this wonderful 40 Year Old is a fitting way to conclude 2012, which has been an exceptional year for Old Pulteney around the world. Malcolm Waring, Distillery Manager, and his team have shown real dedication in bottling a whisky of the highest calibre which embodies the finest elements of Old Pulteney with even deeper complexity and character in every bottle.”

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old will be available from specialist whisky retailers globally from 1st November 2012 at a RRP of £1490.

Notes
· Old Pulteney’s core range includes Old Pulteney 12 Year Old, Old Pulteney 17 Year Old and Old Pulteney 21 Year Old. Old Pulteney 30 Year Old is also available.
· Old Pulteney 21 Year Old was named by Jim Murray as the World Whisky of the Year in the 2012 edition of his popular Whisky Bible
· Pulteney Distillery was established by James Henderson in 1826, at the peak of the local herring fishing boom
· Pulteney remains the most northerly whisky distillery on the Scottish mainland
· The distillery uses one pair of stills, the wash still featuring a very large boil bulb, and condenses spirit with the use of traditional worm tubs

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