MiamiCubano
El Martillo (My Boxing Name)
Ok. Here's the first review of, what I hope will be, many. To wit:
I did things sort of bass-ackwards this evening. After playing a wonderful round of 18 at Doral (no, this time not the Blue Monster but The Great White), I headed back to my South Beach penthouse to take a quick steam, get cleaned up and relax to watch the sunset. Ocean side balcony or city side balcony is always a tough call, but this evening I opted for a view of downtown Miami, Brickell Key, and the port of Miami dotted by cruise ships. So, the bass-ackwards part - I selected a wonderful single-malt and an equally wonderful cigar (discussed below), and prepared for a slice of heaven BEFORE departing for dinner with my wife (which we are about to do...she is getting ready as I type this). I usually always, without fail, save such festivities for after-dinner. But, what the hell.
What's in name? In this case, everything. Oban accompanied by the numbers "32" says enough. This bombshell was distilled in 1969, and is featured as a "natural cask strength" which translates to 55.1% (give or take). The color is a beautiful gold, with a slight, ever so slight, tint of green. Nosing it...very, very sweet and fruity. Honestly, I detected a slight bit of anise, along with lavendar and a heather-esque scent. Now, after trying to dive into the dram I had poured, I was ready for a taste. Heaven. Absolutely. Sweetness, floral and oh-so creamy. Then, the slight smack of tart saltiness that is always the Oban experience. A total and complete Godsend. If you can, look for this and get what's left. There is not a huge amount left, but when you can find them, expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of anywhere from $425 - $550.
The cigar? The cigar was a 1940 Ghurka pre-embargo Cuban churchill. Ghurka has released in these in limited quantites, with the variations being those offering 1940 Cuban tobaccos, with the other offering 1950. As stated, this was the elder. I snapped up many of these several months of ago, and sadly, now only have about 6 churchills and 8 robustos. They are incredible. Smooth, but powerful, with the traditional shaggy-foot common to vintage Cuban cigars. These are still attainable, with most going for around $25-$29 per stick...though you can get them for a great price at some on-line "auction" houses.
Finally...the sunset. There developed some over-cast in Miami that was visible from South Beach right around sunset. It made for a hell of a view, with the entire sky lit up as if it were in flames...with the reflection of that bouncing off Biscayne Bay. I like to think that as that luscious cigar smoke wafted up to the heavens...this was its way of saying thanks.
I did things sort of bass-ackwards this evening. After playing a wonderful round of 18 at Doral (no, this time not the Blue Monster but The Great White), I headed back to my South Beach penthouse to take a quick steam, get cleaned up and relax to watch the sunset. Ocean side balcony or city side balcony is always a tough call, but this evening I opted for a view of downtown Miami, Brickell Key, and the port of Miami dotted by cruise ships. So, the bass-ackwards part - I selected a wonderful single-malt and an equally wonderful cigar (discussed below), and prepared for a slice of heaven BEFORE departing for dinner with my wife (which we are about to do...she is getting ready as I type this). I usually always, without fail, save such festivities for after-dinner. But, what the hell.
What's in name? In this case, everything. Oban accompanied by the numbers "32" says enough. This bombshell was distilled in 1969, and is featured as a "natural cask strength" which translates to 55.1% (give or take). The color is a beautiful gold, with a slight, ever so slight, tint of green. Nosing it...very, very sweet and fruity. Honestly, I detected a slight bit of anise, along with lavendar and a heather-esque scent. Now, after trying to dive into the dram I had poured, I was ready for a taste. Heaven. Absolutely. Sweetness, floral and oh-so creamy. Then, the slight smack of tart saltiness that is always the Oban experience. A total and complete Godsend. If you can, look for this and get what's left. There is not a huge amount left, but when you can find them, expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of anywhere from $425 - $550.
The cigar? The cigar was a 1940 Ghurka pre-embargo Cuban churchill. Ghurka has released in these in limited quantites, with the variations being those offering 1940 Cuban tobaccos, with the other offering 1950. As stated, this was the elder. I snapped up many of these several months of ago, and sadly, now only have about 6 churchills and 8 robustos. They are incredible. Smooth, but powerful, with the traditional shaggy-foot common to vintage Cuban cigars. These are still attainable, with most going for around $25-$29 per stick...though you can get them for a great price at some on-line "auction" houses.
Finally...the sunset. There developed some over-cast in Miami that was visible from South Beach right around sunset. It made for a hell of a view, with the entire sky lit up as if it were in flames...with the reflection of that bouncing off Biscayne Bay. I like to think that as that luscious cigar smoke wafted up to the heavens...this was its way of saying thanks.
