Cigars anyone?

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You might find it odd that I’m writing about cigars instead of my co-worker Dave, but I thought it would be appropriate given the time of year.  This is the time of year that people look to get the best gift possible for that special someone.  Even if it’s not for a special someone, a nice gift still wouldn’t hurt.  Why not a buy a cigar with your next bottle of port, sherry, Madeira or red wine?  Getting a friend, co-worker or boss a nice bottle of wine is great, but if you happen to know they also smoke a cigar every once in a while, why not make the gift better?  It doesn’t cost much, and it makes the gift that much nicer.

Pairing a cigar with the right wine is like pairing food with wine, you have to know the characteristics of the cigar (as you must with a dish of food), so that you can complement those characteristics with the appropriate wine.  There are bold, rich cigars that necessitate a rich wine, while on the contrary there are mild, soft cigars that require a delicate wine.  There are even aged cigars that should be paired with older wines.  Ever had a nice Cuban cigar while sipping on a glass of 30yr old port?  If not, you are missing out… at least that is what I hear.  It’s true that a good scotch or cognac goes well with cigars, but why do the same old thing when you could try something new.  Isn’t that what life is about? Continue reading Cigars anyone?

Holiday Spirits

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Christmas is almost here, and I thought I would spend some time writing about a few spirits I think would either make great holiday gifts or beverages worth enjoying with family and friends during this holiday season.  Personally, I love brown spirits during the cold winter months.  Scotch, bourbon and cognac make wonderful gifts or are simply great as after dinner drinks.

One of my favorite new scotches is Kilchoman.  It is made in an Islay distillery that was established in 2005.  In fact, it was the first distillery built on Islay in 124 years.  Even though their whisky is young, it is of exceptional quality and impeccably balanced.  This whisky is so skillfully distilled and blended you would never know that the whisky in the malt is only 4 to 6 years old.  I am generally not an Islay fan because most are so smoke and peat driven they become too overbearing for my pallet. However, Kilchoman is so well balanced that the smoke or peat doesn’t dominate the flavor profile.  If you are seeking a more traditional Islay, I recommend Bruichladdich 12 year or Arbeg 10 year; they offer excellent cost to quality ratio. Continue reading Holiday Spirits

Wine Ratings… part Deux!

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Nicolay and I had a lovely…conversation… about his post over a glass of wine last Friday, so, here I am with my opinion, click the “back” button if you dislike people waxing poetic.

I’d like to start by saying that everything Nicolay stated is valid, and I think he makes some very strong points.  Of course we know the value of comparison shopping, and I can certainly see the effect that criticism has on the value, and resale value, of goods.

There is nothing wrong with listening to the opinions of informed experts–if that was such a terrible thing I wouldn’t have a job.  The issue that I take with the 90-point scale and the mainstream wine press is that by simplifying what should be a very complex analysis down to a point value ends up encouraging laziness, both at the consumer level and, much worse, at the professional level. Continue reading Wine Ratings… part Deux!

12 ounces of Christmas… A special email offer.

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This time of year always seems so busy.  I’d like to get back to that anticipation of Christmas Day and all of the excitement that comes with the holiday season. Wouldn’t we all?

The answer is yes, and I am here to declare that we are going to do just that – using beer!

For everyone here, who enjoy beer as much as I do, I have created a beer advent calendar.  Like many advent calendars, this one will start on December 1st and go through the 24th.  Each day you will get to wake up to an email offering a very special beer. Continue reading 12 ounces of Christmas… A special email offer.

Critic’s Island

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Hand selected wines from the wine team at Colonial Spirits, showcase high ratings, intriguing variety and great prices (all under $20!).

These aren’t just any old value wines…  These are exciting and interesting selections from around the world.  The wines were specifically chosen for their quality and are not generally available at other stores.  In our unending search for new and intriguing wines we have turned up some great buys.  The selection changes as small production wines go out of stock, so there is always something new to try.  It’s fun, it’s easy and it’s great wine!

A fundamental style turned elitist?

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The other day I was approached in the beer aisle by a customer looking for Stout.  I was immediately fired up to get into the wonderful world of stout beer with an eager drinker.

Stout has really come into a style of its own, but was originally the term for the strongest (or stoutest) porters.  Today stout is of the darkest of the ales, made with dark roasted malt and often lots of hops.  Stout generally has a rich flavor, a full body, is quite hearty but is not necessarily that high in abv, anywhere from 4-10+% (originally the ‘stout’ porters were ~8%).

I began to think more about stout today when the guy I was speaking with began to explain that he was well aware of many of the options but, as a person who likes to drink stout, wanted a 6 pack of something worth his time and money.  As a few top-tier 4 packs came to mind: Old Rasputin, Ten Fiddy, Dark Truth, Brooklyn Black Chocolate, I realized that I was only 2/3s of the way to answering his question. Continue reading A fundamental style turned elitist?