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Beefeater Crown Jewel – Best. Martini. Ever.

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Beefeater Crown Jewel – The Greatest Martini Gin Ever Created (You’ll Need to Hunt For It!)

Balance & Power for the Hedonist and Adventurer as a Martini, With Food or After a Meal

Mark’s Note: I’m grateful to London master photographer Jason Bailey for granting me permission to share with you his amazing photograph of fragrant lemon oil gracing the surface of a martini made at the Dukes Bar. The best martini deserves the best picture. Visit his website: http://jasonbaileystudio.com

I’m also grateful to Pernod Ricard for allowing me access to a hi-res photo of Crown Jewel

Mark Garbin rates Beefeater Crown Jewel - The Greatest Gin

Whisky Reviewed: Beefeater Crown Jewel
Distiller: Beefeater London
Region: South Bank
Augustine Bar Rating: 5 Lions (Highest Honor)
Difford’s Guide Rating: 5 Stars (Top Rating)

Mark’s  Review

Seven hours before my plane back to the USA and I’m on a mission.

Failure? Inconceivable. The penalty? Heartbreak.

I had only one destination: Kennington.

Huh? South Bank? Near the cricket oval? Really? Yes.

The Beefeater distillery was the only spot left on the globe that stocked Crown Jewel. My trusted stores, Gerry’s and Milroy’s were no help. Even Soho Wine showed no stock.

So I trudged over with too much luggage in hand taking a tortuous half hour tube ride ending in a ten-minute walk. They told me only 150 of the £50 bottles existed in the world and I needed four. In reality, I wanted six but, with all the padding for travel protection, only a smaller number would fit in my roller bag.

You might think I lost my mind. If I could buy them at auction or online where some prices fetch >$300, I would. But that’s a pipe dream. It was Montford Place, SE11 or bust.

Introduced to this balanced flavor monster in the early 2000s at the Dukes Bar, London, I discovered wonder in a martini glass. Magazines say a person must go to there for a cocktail before they die. Once you do, like me, it will spoil you forever. First, they keep the glasses and gins/vodkas at -10ºF. Then classic butler service brings a small mobile station to you where long-serving bartenders pour the syrupy nine botanical spirit into your now frosted glass. Next, a precise peel separates a Sorrento lemon skin from its host as droplets of the most fragrant oils caress the surface of your drink. A bowl of olives and nuts grace your table as you invoke your inner hedonist to relish each glistening sip.

Duke's Hotel. Best. Martini. EverPhoto courtesy Jason Bailey Studios London

This gin is potent yet with no high ABV after burn. The smoothness allows all Crown Jewel’s spices to spread across your nasal and oral senses. The seductive and bracing evergreen grapefruit finish ends with a slight pepper tinge; perfect for a Padron 1964 cigar.

Watch your intake! It’s not for those a few years into their pro contract. Two of these, while easy to down, may impair your ability to function so don’t operate a car or heavy machines afterwards.

Start with some food. (Steak! Yummm!)

If you can find it, enjoy this rare gem any way and anytime you can. It’s the greatest.

Mark Garbin’s Evaluation

Aromas & Flavor Appeals to: Optimal Client Type Great For:
Subtlety Aficionado Apprentice Cocktails
Power Flavor Admirer Enthusiast Neat Before Dinner
Balanced Devotee Adventurer With Food
Chameleon Lover Hedonist Dessert or Afterwards

 

Augustine-bar.de review: Well, what can I say: This is neither the most juniper-heavy, nor the most complex gin. Neither the cheapest, nor the most expensive… Or maybe it is just the best-looking gin bottle ever! For an ABV of 50 % it is damn smooth. …Yet, if you throw a few splashes of tonic water on top and some you will have an excellent Gin & Tonic. It was so good in fact, that after finishing the first I was instantly craving another one. I cannot say this about a lot of other gin. So, I gave it the highest possible rating. – Why have a five lion scale if you don’t use it?

Difford’s Guide review: Tasting an old bottle of Crown Jewel against the resurrected incarnation, the aroma and flavour of the two are virtually identical. It is a brilliantly balanced gin with juniper, citrus and white pepper spice presented in harmony, but it is the floral parma violet notes from generous use of orris root that set this gin apart.

 

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Aberfeldy 12 Year

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Classic Balance and Fun for the Apprentice & Enthusiast

Aberfeldy 12 - Smooth Balanced Single Malt Inexpensive

Photo courtesy Bacardi Ltd.

Whisky Reviewed: Aberfeldy 12 Year
Distiller: Bacardi
Region: Speyside
Suggested Retail Price: $45
Distiller Rating: 90
USC Rating: 94

Mark’s Review

Aberfeldy 12, a key part of the Dewar’s blend, is a great example of aromas matching the flavors. Enjoy strong, classic caramel, pastry and honey scents.

As you savor the whisky, note how its tastes evolve and soften as you’ll relish your glass unveiling more autumn spices and fruits. An easy, balanced mouth feel gives way to the gentle finish without over-the-top sherry cask notes.

Similar to other brands in the Bacardi line, this spirit is an enabler. If your usual tipple is blended scotch but you’ve wondered how to tempt the mysteries of single malts, launch your voyage with Aberfeldy 12. It’s perfect for the Apprentice.

But the twelve-year is also refined enough to lure the Enthusiast into a new world of sweet sensation. Let yourself explore all this offers at your own pace.

At 40% ABV, you won’t need water to adjust the profile. Therefore a cocktail would kill it. With a smooth vigor to support the luscious poise, begin your evening with Aberfeldy 12 neat as a palate opener.

Later, you might treat yourself to a dram with bread pudding or vanilla custard. Magic!

Mark Garbin’s Evaluation

Aromas & Flavor Appeals to: Optimal Client Type Great For:
Subtlety Aficionado Apprentice Cocktails
Power Flavor Admirer Enthusiast Neat Before Dinner
Balanced Devotee Adventurer With Food
Chameleon Lover Hedonist Dessert or Afterwards

 

Distiller.com review: Sweet aromas of caramel, toffee and beeswax are presented with the tasting profile of more of the same. Additionally, there’s a slight nutty and wood spice finish which winds up on the dry side. –Stephanie Moreno

USC review: Hearty grain, honey pollen and buttery pastry cut though on the nose. High-toned and playful, the balanced palate delivers crisp autumn fruits, like crunchy red apples, muted clove and honeycomb, all of which follow through in a measured finish.

Josh Peters at the Whiskeyjug.com: Aberfeldy 12 is tasty stuff. The deep fruity nose compliments the oak and fruit palate that continues nicely through the finish. I’m really enjoying sitting in my recliner with my dog on my legs, laptop on my lap and this in my mouth. One moment it’s light and fruity, the next some darker notes appear and then back to the lighter sweeter notes. It seems to shift in the glass, but there’s always a nice balance to the Aberfeldy 12 – a fun and flavorful dram I’m enjoying more and more with every sip!

 

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro Review

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Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro 

Reviewing cigars is a great hobby for a number of reasons, not least of which is that as a reviewer, I get to smoke a lot of the newest product on the market, discover new brands, and develop my palate. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t good reasons to turn to regularly return to the classic brands that have defined the industry since the mid twentieth century. In the case of today’s post, that’s Arturo Fuente, more specifically the Hemingway Signature Maduro which is rightly understood as a classic among industry veterans.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
  • Binder: Dominican Republic
  • Filler: Dominican Republic
  • Size: 7 x 47 perfecto

Appearance & Construction

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro features a classic Fuente band (I’ve always found the similarities of the bands confusing), with a slightly sandy textured maduro wrapper that has plenty of oil and some pronounced veins. 

The outer wrapper smells of barnyard, vegetal, and savory spices. Par for the course for Fuente. The draw is very tight, an 8.5/10 in terms of restrictiveness, but that’s mostly due to the tapered format, so we’ll see how the construction changes as the cigar burns. 

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro ignites and immediately produces wonderfully mild but thin flavors of creamy chocolate. But as soon as the tapered end burns, the draw suddenly opens up and smoke production kicks in full blast. Notes of floral, barbecue, espresso and cocoa powder come together to make a unique, dessert-like initial impression. Each time I puff, I’m greeted with white and red pepper, but the finish is creamy and lightly sweet, making for an excellently balanced experience. The retrohale is chock full of red and white pepper, along with some wood and vegetal notes. 

Overall, the kick off of the Hemingway Signature Maduro strikes the balance between sweet, savory, and spicy quite nicely, though the wood note at times is a little bit abrasive. 

As the ember burns past the first inch, the ash continues holding on with a perfectly shaped point. The strength and body of the cigar are now past medium and getting close to full. There’s plenty of sweet cream up front, with some bitter wood, but most of all lots of finely ground white and red pepper. The aroma is excellent, with more sweetness than the palate. 

The ash continues to hold all the way up to the end of the first third. The flavor shifts away from bitter / savory and toward sweet, with a distinct dark chocolate note peeking through the more aggressive spice and pepper notes. It’s quite nice, and especially so because just a few puffs layer, the chocolate is joined by sweet cinnamon, adding nice complexity. 

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro 

Remarkably, the ash holds almost to halfway. Smoke production never let’s up, and the cigar continues providing cool, flavorful smoke. At halfway, the pepper of the cigar finally subsides, though strong spice remains on the tip of the tongue with each puff. At the same time, soft mushroom emerges. 

At this point what I find so interesting about the Hemingway Signature Maduro is that, though there is plenty by way of flavor complexity, there’s nearly as much complexity in the different textures I’ve experienced up to this point. This really enhances the experience and is a testament to the craftsmanship at work on this cigar.

The final third of the Hemingway Signature Maduro brings it all together. Nearly perfect construction, great smoke production, and a very complex flavor profile. Lots of spices on the tip of the tongue, cream coating the palate, and supporting flavors of mushroom, espresso, cedar, and hints of dark chocolate. Strength at this point is full, providing one hell of an ending to the experience. 

Conclusion 

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro is a classic cigar for a reason. Impeccable construction, rich and complex flavors, and a real journey of strength and texture. It’s the kind of cigar that has so much going on that it isn’t the best beginner cigar, but veterans of all preferences will find much to love. 

Final Rating: 92

Moore & Bode American Riot Review

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Moore & Bode American Riot

Moore & Bode is one of my favorite American boutique cigar manufacturers. I love recommending the brand to my cigar enthusiast friends for a few reasons. First, they have a track record of thirty years in the business (more than most companies). Second, they go out of their way to experiment with new techniques, blends, and regional tobaccos, often with spectacular results. They produce some incredible product, like the 91-rated Candela, 92-rated American Fire,  and the 93-rated Adelante.

That said, the company does also make a few blends that for the life of me I just do not get, like the Flamboyan Full Brass, a 7 /14 x 82 piramid size cigar that scored a far below average score of 82.

Given all of that, I’m always excited to smoke Moore & Bode product and review it for your information.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Moore & Bode “American Riot”
  • Wrapper: Asia Sun Grown
  • Binder: USA Dark Fire Cured
  • Filler: Caribbean, South America, India
  • Size: 5 x 46 “Townie”

Appearance & Construction

The American Riot is not what I’d consider an attractive cigar. The main band is… fine. But the coloring on the foot band is an odd mix of warm colors that don’t particularly suit the dominant dark blue. The outer Asian wrapper is rugged but mostly smooth, and has an off brown color. 

Off of the foot are aromas of smoked meat, dry grass, hay, and something I can only describe as “old barn.” It’s a charming combination of aromas, and gets me excited to light the cigar.  The pre light draw features light flavors of some faint spice and maltiness very much akin to smelling a whiff of speyside single malt scotch. 

Moore & Bode American Riot

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics 

The first few puffs of the Moore & Bode American Riot summon a strong, generally bitter character. Specifically, wood pulp, dry cedar, salt, vegetal, and hot spices. There’s a healthy dose of red pepper on the retrohale as well that’s honestly a bit intimidating. The only sweetness to be found in the flavor profile is in the aroma, mirroring the sweet natural tobacco aroma that was present off of the foot. As the ember burns a ways in, smoke production is decent, though the cigar doesn’t seem to want to stay lit for long, causing some waviness to the burn just a few short minutes into the smoke. At this point I’d put body at medium and strength at medium full. Overall, an interesting start, but the cigar feels lopsided toward bitterness which is not my preferred dominant note. 

Thankfully, as the first inch comes to a close, a bit of cream on the palate rounds out an otherwise drying experience. At the same time, smoke production increases markedly, pushing it to above average. On the palate, the initial bitterness gives way to much more balanced cedar, hot spiciness, vegetal, and Graham cracker. It’s quite similar (to me) to the Arturo Fuente Reserva Xtra Viejo, which also features a spicy, vegetal core. 

The American Riot continues in a similar fashion until the final third, though it again struggles to stay fully lit, requiring another relight. Flavor wise, the spice really ramps up, mainly activating the tip of the tongue. Other flavors include charred wood, cured meat, grass, and a light, sweet cream. Individually, they are enjoyable notes, but the balance just isn’t there, with the smoke being too drying on the palate and dominated by bitterness.

Thankfully, the smoke stays relatively cool up until the end, allowing me to smoke down past the last inch. 

Conclusion 

The American Riot is an enjoyable cigar, and certainly smokes like an experimental blend. It puts forth some really interesting smoky flavors, but by and large struggles with both flavor balance and construction issues that worked against the experience. If you’re interested in their use of Fire Cured tobacco, I’d suggest starting with the American Fire. 

Final Rating: 85

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Compass Box – This is Not a Luxury Whisky

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For Adventurous Chameleon Flavor Lovers Neat Before and After Dinner

photo courtesy Compass Box Whisky Company

Whisky Reviewed: This is Not a Luxury Whisky
Distiller: Compass Box
Region: Mixed Islay & Highland Malts, Glasgow & Lowland Grain Whiskies
ABV: 53.1%
Suggested Retail Price: $250+
Distiller Rating: 92
The Whisky Shelf Rating: Top Shelf

Mark’s Review

I get it. Ok? Rene Magritte and Surrealism; a play on words from an L.A. County Museum painting. So many metaphors of this Compass Box edition exist. Yeah, they’re interesting but it tells you nothing of what’s in the bottle.

So after work one bright Friday eve, I ambled over to Tommy Tardie’s Fine & Rare, sat down, and ordered a pour. Whatever my notions of master distiller John Glaser’s art, I didn’t expect what soared from the crystal. The malt whisky mix of sherried 19-year-old Glen Ord and earthy 30-year-old Caol Ila freed themselves and rose in an instant. Floral and sweet with a gentle smoke, I savored their presence. Then all of a sudden, 40-year-old Strathclyde and Girvan grain spirits swirled into my senses with deep, rich scents of butter, vanilla and coconut.

I wanted my nose to stay in the glass for hours but my taste buds screamed out. As I sipped this gem, each of these striking aromas emerged as flavors. Of course, you’d predict the Ila peat to roar. I’m happy to say there’s no let down in that regard. But in the twinkling of an eye, a maze of complexity dashed in to surround me in a swirl of glory. The finish only continued those unreal tastes and went on forever.

I had to catch my breath.

Sure, it was the end of the week and I hoped for a few surprises, but this surpassed all. I stepped off my bar stool and walked around the place to clear my head. When I returned, a repeat of the process unleashed more endless splendor. Adding a drop or two of water (only) put a further fine point on the event.

The Adventurer will find in this dram a perfect foil for an idyllic sensual journey. Please don’t ruin this trance like beauty in a cocktail and no single meal can match the neural wealth.

Joy awaits you in this bottled Magritte after supper. But if your partner is a romantic soul, share a neat sample before a delicate dinner. Then linger, gaze and talk in hushed tones. That’s called dining NOT eating. It unites the realms of dreams and reality. Our friend Rene would be proud. Isn’t that what makes life worth living?

Mark Garbin’s Evaluation

Aromas & Flavor Appeals to: Optimal Client Type Great For:
Subtlety Aficionado Apprentice Cocktails
Power Flavor Admirer Enthusiast Neat Before Dinner
Balanced Devotee Adventurer With Food
Chameleon Lover Hedonist Dessert or Afterwards

 

Distller.com review: The idea of luxury is about wealth, which also means richness, of which this whisky shows off like a socialite on a Beverly Hills shopping spree. A lush, extra creamy balance of vanilla, coconut, spice and a puff of sweet smoke play on the palate. All of this takes a break to stop for a cheeky hit of nutty sherry before returning to the mix, which ends in a long, distinguished wave.

The Whisky Shelf review: Compass Box’s “This is Not a Luxury Whisky” is a wonderfully delicious Scotch. It’s not nearly as loud and intense as other “Top Shelf” rated cask strength sherry-influenced Scotches such as Craigellachie 21 or Ben Nevis 21 Old Malt Cask, but it’s still great in its own way. It’s a more mature, calm, and composed Scotch that gently bathes you in dense and deep fruit, peat, wood, spice, and just a little smoke instead of trying to overwhelm you all at once, likely heavily influenced by so much of the blend being at least 30 years old, and 17% being 40 years old whiskey.

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