Greetings from my very sunny herfing garden which has become my office during the Lockdown and thankfully we have been enjoying some incredible Summer weather in London which seems to be going on for a while longer.

My friendship with Ranald from Boisdale restaurants (and delightful cigar terraces) goes back over 20 years. I have enjoyed countless lunches and dinners at all of the lovely Boisdale locations as well as many that went on so late, I had to leave my car parked outside till the next day.

Our vintage cigar auctions were held on the terrace of Boisdale Belgravia since 2009 and moved to Boisdale Canary Wharf when we outgrew Belgravia. We threw one of the amazing opening parties at Canary Wharf and are co-sponsors of ‘The cigar smoker of the year’ awards event that has become the biggest event on the cigar aficionado calendar every year.

For over 30 years Boisdale has worked closely with small specialist suppliers to bring their customers the very best produce from the British Isles and most delicious wines from our favourite vineyards. Now for the first time ever these exceptional products that were destined for the restaurants can be delivered to your door. Order here. I can vouch for the smoked salmon as well as the cheese. Try out their service, I highly recommend it.

As the effects of Covid 19 continue to be felt in the cigar industry I’m afraid out of stocks are growing every week. At the last count over 30 lines of Havanas and 50 lines of New World cigars were unavailable. Of course, there are always plenty of alternatives from our vast range and we are always happy to advise on which cigars to switch to. We are hoping that the supply situation will ease up by August.

No more stocks of Montecristo Supremos at this time but we are ever hopeful that we will have some more in June and what of the UK regional La Gloria Cubana Britanicas Extra? Well they were almost released just before the Lockdown and then the release was delayed so we hope that they may be on our shelves in June. I can’t wait for this cigar to come out as it was one of the best regionals I have ever tasted at the pre-release cigar specialist sampling.

I’m going through a bit of a robustos phase at this time, herfing my way through copious amounts of the usual D4’s, Epicure 2’s and J. Lo 2’s but I have also rediscovered the Saint Luis Rey Regios . Not a robusto but a hermosos measuring in at 5” length and 48 ring gauge.  I used to smoke a lot of these many years ago in fact it was my favourite brand in the 1990’s. The blending on our current stocks is quite superior.

Booze sales seem to be going rather crazy this Summer and we are now doing a monthly subscription box . Check it out on this link.We are also doing some rather splendid offers on some of my favourite drams :

Tullibardine 15yo at just £39.99

Balvenie 14yo Caribbean Cask at just £41.99

…both perfect with a premium cigar

And of course my very own Gold medal award winning Orchant selection cigar single malt.

Join us for our weekly virtual herfs, great fun, educational and a chance to put faces to names. Details on this link.

Have a smokey week.

Peaceful puffing.

Mitchell

When discussing Irish whiskey, most casual drinkers will go straight to Jameson. While there is nothing wrong with Jameson, there are others I have greater fondness for. Like Teeling! I have many people here and across the pond that have no knowledge of Teeling, and I am always delighted when I can make the introduction.

In 1782 Walter Teeling set up a small craft distillery in the heart of Dublin, which started the love of distilling within the Teeling bloodline. In 2012 Jack and Stephen Teeling were working at the Cooley distillery, but after that was sold to Beam the brothers bought 16,000 casks of aged Cooley to launch their own distillery. It wasn’t until 2015 that the latest of the Teeling family whiskey makers opened the first new distillery in Dublin for over 125 years! Not only that, but it sits in the historic distilling district, just down the street from where the original distillery sat. The phoenix on the logo represents their rebirth well!

The brothers set out to put Teeling at a premium position instead of the mass-produced cheaper end of the market. They pride themselves on doing things in an unconventional way in both marketing and whiskey making. Using a variety style, number of barrels, and time spent in those barrels maturing gives Teeling a uniqueness that they are proud of.

“Our goal is to retain the drinkability of Irish Whiskey while introducing new and interesting flavours to complement the naturally smooth and sweet taste of Irish Whiskey. We aim to encapsulate our passion for quality, authenticity and craft in every bottle of Teeling Whiskey.”

Teeling produces an array of different bottlings, some that are part of their core range and others that are quite limited. The Small Batch is their flagship offering which marries both grain and malt whiskey that have been aged in ex-bourbon casks. After the marriage, the combined spirit sits in Central American rum casks for up to 12 months. Beyond that, they have the Trinity Collection which includes a Single Grain, Single Malt, and Single Pot Still whiskey. Each of which packs their own style and unique profile. Teeling’s Vintage Reserve Collection boasts a collection of hand-selected casks that showcases Ireland’s finest and rarest single malt whiskeys. Finally, you have the Limited Edition bottlings, which are some truly special bottlings. LE bottlings just display the distillery’s dedication to innovation with special cask maturations or collaborations with different partners!

Teeling is a distillery that should always be on your whisk(e)y radar for as long as they are producing!

Slainte,

Anthony

Sometimes you just want something just a little bit more! That is why this week I have been treating myself to the Flor de Caña 25 as my go to rum. I may not be sitting under a palm tree or in the mountains of Nicaragua, but sure can use my imagination! Take some vitamin D in the morning so I can trick my body to think I’ve gotten some tropical sun and relax in the evening with a glass of this fantastic rum.

There are a vast array of great rums out there, but Flor de Caña will always be a favourite. Not only do they put out some delicious liquid, but they are a fantastic company. While they definitely focus on putting out a tremendous product, the company does a great job at investing in the community around them. Still a family run business after 5 generations, they make sure to treat their employees as part of that family. Since 1913 they have provided free schooling for their employee’s children, as well as offering free healthcare at the company hospital since 1958. On top of that they are also a true sustainable distillery using renewable energy for over 10 years and planting tens of thousands of trees each year.

When I hear about a company like that, that goes above and beyond just crafting a great product, I am happy to support them. Also, it’s aged at the base of a Volcano, which makes it that much more interesting!

This 25-year-old is the distillery’s premium offering and the taste easily reflects that! This bottle is a great reminder of how good a rum can be when it comes from a company that really cares about what they put on the shelves!! Super rich in colour and super rich in flavour. Wonderful notes of molasses, caramelised citrus fruit, toasted nuts and vanilla.

With all this madness we all are experiencing together, it is good to find things worthy of appreciation. We at C.Gars, like most, are EXTREMELY grateful for all the healthcare workers and first responders out there putting all their energy into taking care of us! We appreciate everybody that is doing their part, whatever that may be, in creating a safer community around us!

I much prefer to find some kind normalcy in all of this, even if I am staying inside! Sharing a good dram with someone is one of those normal things that brings some enjoyment to a crazy world. While we all may not be residing with someone to share a glass with, do like most are doing these days, find a virtual partner! Find a friend or even someone new to share a drink with through video chat. While I know self quarantine and staying inside is an introvert’s dream, there are plenty of people out there open to a friendly chat about spirits.

I have a decent rotation of bottles to help soothe the soul. As far as whisky, a few of our Stalla Dhu bottlings have been taking a good hit. Our Saorsa and Speyside single malt have been doing it for me lately. Both taking multiple awards for a reason, they are both so incredibly smooth! For rum I have been treating myself to the occasional glasses of Flor de Caña 18 and Dictador 20! Both of those companies I am big fans of. I’ve not yet gotten back into the swing of gin yet, but always have a bottle of either Botanist or Rock Rose on hand. Both great for those refreshing G&T’s.

Lastly, we are so extremely proud of winning an Icon of Whiskies award for Multiple Outlets Retailer of the Year!! C.Gars is a family that does our best to bring you the best products to put a smile on all your faces, especially in times like these! Normally we’d get to celebrate with other industry folks at an awards ceremony, but this year we’ll settle for a solo dance party at home! And no promo photos of that will surface!!! 🙂

Anyway, stay safe, stay healthy, and let us know how we can help!

Slainte,

Anthony

A lot of people look to enter the world of whisky but just don’t know where to start or they just stick to the bog standard. Not that there’s anything wrong with the bog standard if you have looked around and that makes you happy. There are just so many bottles out there that you will be missing out on if you don’t have the knowledge of where to start.

I have recently gone through this with a friend who pretty much sticks with standard Jameson on the rocks or a Kentucky mule. Now again, absolutely nothing wrong with standard Jameson, but he was really interested about what else was out there, he just did not know enough to venture out. As with anything, people stick with what they are comfortable with because they know they won’t be disappointed if their venturing out yields bad results. To me that is the fun in it, especially with good food and drink! Will every new dram of something be a winner? Absolutely not, but you will know more of what you don’t like.

So, what my friend told me was every time we were out and he was going to have a drink, that he wanted me to choose it. I was very happy to do that because I love helping people experience new things. Was bound and determined to find him a new favourite. Which I may realise might not happen, because people are creatures of habit.

While our experiment is still ongoing, I have definitely made some progress. With the knowledge of Jameson and Kentucky mules, I knew I wanted to start with the sweeter softer whiskies. I have not been going by any rules of you have to try THIS because you like THAT. Nah! Some people want to over complicate the process of whisky introductions, and with some people that will put them off! You don’t need to tell them that they’re going to taste the leather of a newly crafted Italian shoe in the summer time. You know, THOSE tasting notes. Nope, just keep it simple.

So, for him, it was just trial and error depending on what the bar or restaurant has on the shelf. Some have a boring selection, others quite eclectic! So far, he has tried, Oban DE, Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve, Balvenie 12 Doublewood, Teeling Single Malt, Knob Creek, Readbreast 12, Basil Hayden, and Ardbeg 10. Something I’m not too surprised about is his favourite so far has been the Balvenie Doublewood. He said it was so incredibly smooth and easy to drink. Least favourite unsurprisingly was the Ardbeg, cause pretty sure he has never had peat before! With the addition of a fair amount of water he started to appreciate it…kind of. Having tried all those, he is now excited to try new ones and looks behind the bar to see what else they have.

So, if you know anybody that are looking at opening up their palate to new drams, have fun with it! Don’t make it a serious endeavour. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on what people should try, just go with what sounds good to you! Don’t let anyone tell you what YOU like isn’t good.

Slainte,

Anthony