Drew Estate Undercrown Belicoso - Sunday, June 10th

It is officially the opening of cigar season here at In With Bacchus HQ. Do you need some proof? Here's some proof:

Look at that. Beautiful. Sun shining, fair humidity, mild temperatures, and nice breezes. The rain comes in spurts but when it's nice out...it's NIIIIICE out. Today was a touch humid but I needed a cigar. Let me explain.

The past month and a half of surgical recovery have been...arduous. Trying. Okay...shitty. I was planning on doing a whole bunch of cigar reviews while I was down but I was miserable for the entire time. I was constantly in pain and it was pretty hard to enjoy anything. Sparking up a cigar would have been a waste. The best analogy I can come up with would be eating your favorite pizza...smeared in dog crap. I mean, it's your favorite pizza...and you COULD do it...but it would be a waste of pizza and it would just be horrible. So I refrained. And I'm glad I did.

Today I sparked up the much lauded Drew Estate Undercrown, in the Belicoso size. Normally, a belicoso really isn't my cup of tea. Weighing in at 6 inches by 52 RG...it's a little out of my comfort zone. My speed is more of a corona size. But when I went to Habana Premium in Albany...it was either the Belicoso, the Gran Toro...or the Gordito. So...the least of three evils, I guess. Like I said, not my favorite size...but it was an admirable smoke. Here she is in all of her glory:

Mmmmmm, delicious lookin. But enough chit chat, let's get down to the nitty gritty here.

Prelight draw: Cedar, barnyard, and clean, sweet tobaccy. Beautiful, really.

First quarter:

This is the ONLY cigar that has the flavor of its aroma. You can pick up a cigar and smell it. It's sweet, delicious tobacco but generally...that's not what it tastes like when you smoke it. For the Undercrown...it did. It had that mature, sweet tobacco taste come through in the first quarter. Couple this with a hefty dose of mole: chocolate, cinnamon, and pepper. Layered with rich leather like a new car interior. Gods above...what a smoke. The tobacco sweetness, the chocolate and spice rack...delicious.

Half way: 

Half way point sees it taming down. Leather is still there, along with some of the chocolate. A barnyard-y, earthiness comes in as well. The sweet tobacco taste is gone, however; gently fading out as the cigar ticked downward. A shame...but it lingers on the palate pretty well so it may be gone but it's not forgotten. The complexity has ramped down quite a bit but it's still quite pleasant.

Third quarter:

Bit of palate fatigue at this point so my notes are a bit skewed. Still rocking the bodacious leather. Some of that tobacco sweetness comes back but it's more of a fermented, cured tobacco sweetness. I dunno, it's hard to describe the difference between the aroma of tobacco and the taste of tobacco. Sorry.Complexity has left but it's still a solid smoke. Started getting a bit bitter but I was chugging away on it towards the end because...well...

I was relaxed.

For the first time in a month and a half, despite lashings of painkillers and anti-anxiety meds...I relaxed. I had planned to do some reading while I smoked this (not unusual when I do cigar reviews; catching up on booze news while burning one down is a treat) but...I read a few pages and put the magazine down. I just sat there, either staring at the cigar or watching the wildlife. At peace.

I paid $11.90 for this cigar. And I regret NOTHING. It was worth sending my hard earned money to NY in the form of it's ridiculous tax just for this cigar. And I bought two. Regret. Nothing. It's a fine cigar. Not in my usual bracket of intensity (I'd put it at a solid medium body) but honestly...I think I like this better than the Liga line. Don't get me wrong...I love the Liga line. It's a haymaker of a blend but, much like a well-landed haymaker...it's a one and done kind of thing. If I could afford to buy these at $11.90...I could easily do a few of these a day, much like, I'm sure, the rollers that created the blend do (lucky bastards). So yes, worth the money, worth the smoke...and almost worth the month and a half long wait.

ALMOST.

C'mon...it was a shitty month and a half. Gimme a break.

Three Year Retrospective

As of yesterday, this blog is three years old. Three years. That's a long time. Do I think it ironic that I find myself in the exact same medical situation that I was in when I started this blog? Not really. I went through the same surgery that I referenced here about a month ago and I'm still recovering. I actually found out / decided today to prolong my convalescence an extra 3 to 5 weeks to avoid some nasty...technicalities. A decision I make with a heavy heart but with the best of intentions. It seems that it's the summer of '09 all over again.

But then again...it's not. From the short quips and constant swearing of my first posts, this blog has blossomed into something far bigger than I ever imagined it ever would be. I covered Whisky Lives and the IPCPR. I've gone from being a budding Chemical Engineer to holding a Masters in Brewing and Distilling Science. Things have certainly changed, even though my predicament (once again) is the same. If you will allow me, dear readers, I'd like to wax nostalgic and philosophical on you. This is what I've learned in the three years of running this slapdash blog.

Embrace Honesty

If there's one thing that I've learned it's that honesty is best. I could be trite and say "honesty is the best policy" but hearing "policy" makes me think of something pinned to a cork board in the employee lounge of Sam's Club and frankly, that's depressing. So let's just stick with "Honesty is best." You may note that I've caused my fair share of controversy that continues to this day. I won't mention names, or quotes, or even links but I'm sure that if you search hard enough, you'll find what I'm talking about. I'm not afraid to post bad reviews, nor call out injustices I see going on. I try to be as frank with you as I can because, well, that's who I am. And I'd like to think that my website reflects that. Sure, it's cost me. I can measure that in dollars and cents. But I don't really care. The fact that I can speak my mind and potentially help people make informed choices about what they consume totally makes the $100 I spend a year on this website worth it. That and the search terms people use to find it. TOTALLY worth it. Seriously though, if I have ever influenced your purchases, I'd like to know. And thank you for listening to me. I try to be honest and constructive with my feedback and I'm always trying to better reach my readers and fine-tune things. So if you have any criticisms...let me know. I like honesty whether I'm spittin' it or you are. So lay it on me.

Take Risks

I suppose its easy (and honestly, a bit cavalier) for me to say this because I'm only 24 and I've got time to iron out my screw-ups. This, this is true. But from 7 to 75, I'd still tell you to take risks. When I first started this blog, I was a junior in Chemical Engineering. Three years later finds me a MSc in Brewing and Distilling Science. Was it a huge risk? You bet. Giving up an engineer's salary for one half that. Taking out a $32,000 loan and traveling half-way across the world. Dedicating myself to a calling that would earn me several inquiries as to whether I need AA. Do I regret it?

Not one bit.

It not only taught me a lot about my field but a lot about myself. It taught me my strengths (few) and my weaknesses (many). It showed me what I was capable of doing and what I wasn't capable of doing. And, sure, it cost money. But I came out all the better for it. I had my ups and downs throughout but I worked through it. I had my times of doubt and "what am I doing with my life" but I persevered. And as I stand now, I'm pretty happy with what I've done. So I urge you...take risks. Stretch yourself. Test yourself. Best yourself and learn from your defeat. It makes you stronger, quicker, and more secure. Remember: what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Unless you're already super strong. Like, Hulk strong. Then I got nothin' for ya. It didn't kill ya, I guess? Silver lining?

Love What You Do

Yes, there's the cliche saying of "if you love your work, it isn't work" or something along those lines. Sappy but true. I suppose this section ties in with the "take risks" part as well. Always be constantly defining what you want to do. Not what's expected of you, not what you're trained to do. What YOU want to do. Training can be acquired and people that expect you do something can politely (but firmly) be told to fuck off. You are never too young or too old to start. If I can include a wee touch of T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" here:

Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
                                For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
                                Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
                                For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Death is ever present, ever watching, ever waiting. The countdown of our lives is ever ticking down to zero. And there is no beautiful, grand finale waiting for us all. There is no orchestra to play us off; no choir to sing our worldly deeds. The times of heralds and bards are dead. When we go, we go; as a whisper on the wind. So it's up to you, dear reader, to make the time you're given "the bang". Because you won't get it at the end.

Broaden Your Horizons

For the longest time, I was all malt. No, I'm not talking about homebrewing. I'm talking about what I was drinking. Whatever passed my lips for the longest time was only made of the grain. Barley, wheat, rye, corn. Beer, bourbon, whiskey, whisky; I was naively focused. But then I tried something here that wasn't grain based. Then I tried something else that wasn't grain based. I delved deeper into vodkas. I started into rums. I hit the absinthe pretty hard. Gin, liqueurs, amaros. And not only did I find a whole bunch of awesome, tasty beverages that I wouldn't have found otherwise...but it helped me to sharply define my palate. Drinking the same flavors over and over wasn't helping me define them; they needed context. So always keep an open eye to everything. Frank Zappa, bless his Muffin Man soul, gave us the quote "The mind is like a parachute: it works best when open." And damn it, he's right. My ignorance and self-limitations did me no favors. And don't let it limit you like it did to me.

Admit Your Flaws and Try to Fix Them

Here they are:

1. I don't post regularly enough

2. I don't post about cigars as much as I'd like

3. I don't post about tea as much as I'd like

4. I take terrible photos.

There. I said it. It's out in the open. It KILLS me that I don't write more. For some reason, I just can't find the motivation. Not sure where it went; maybe it went into my career? Maybe it evaporated? I dunno. All I know is that I just never post, even though I have something like 50 posts saved in Draft that, with a bit of writing to round it out and adding the pictures, I could post. But I don't. And I have no clue why.

As for cigars, they're a more seasonal thing for me. It's just starting to become cigar weather which is good, and hopefully I'll be able to do a lot of reviews over the summer to catch up. Also, now I have a designated smoking spot where I won't be interrupted or stared at like some sort of caged animal. That's good. You'd think for how much Scotland smokes, they wouldn't give the stink eye to a guy trying to smoke a cigar. But I digress. I do try to keep as involved in the community as possible through Twitter but, truth be told, I'm all talk until summer rolls around. So forgive me for that. But that's just the way it's gonna have to be until I get an apartment I can smoke in.

As for tea...it's complicated. Without going into to much detail, I'm drinking a lot of tea at work these days but I can't discuss it. When I do drink tea outside of work, it's generally nothing special. An iced chai from Starbucks. Sweet tea from McDonalds. Not special stuff, really. I do have some lingering pu erh and a bunch of samples from Harney that I have to go through (I ran a train on the last of their 2010 Darjeelings awhile back before the 2011 crop came in). And now that I have the Zojirushi back from work, perhaps I'll fire it up.

But mainly here, I'll try to work on motivation. I'm not sure how yet...but if you have any ideas, PLEASE email me. Actually, even if you don't have any ideas, email me. I LIKE emails. I don't get them frequently. Email me. I like chatting with my readers. And maybe I can share what little knowledge I have. Actually, the more you email me to post, the more likely I would be to do it. So let's go with that. Feel free to spam me with emails to get me to post. Please.

Write Your Retrospective BEFORE the Date of Your Anniversary, Not Way After

Yeah......about that....

Bacchus, out.

Snapple Snap Tea Green Tea - Tuesday, May 16th

As my convalescence comes to a close, I've decided to catalog the tea that has sustained me throughout the ordeal. The British are right, really. A cup (or several gallons) of tea will fix things. Normally, I'm a sweet tea man when the chips are down. Strong brewed cheap black tea, plastic cup with ice, and enough sugar to kill an army of Wilfred Brimleys. But since green tea is all sorts of good for you, and I AM on medical leave, I figured I'd try to work a bit of that in there as well.

Okay.

Fine.

You caught me.

It was on sale.

Snapple decided to release gallon jugs of its "Snap Tea". Information on it is sparse. Well, nonexistent, actually. It's not even on their website. I remember seeing it in green and black tea flavors and, if I remember correctly, a GALLON was a buck and change. Maybe $1.59? Under $2, I'm sure.  Obviously trying to test it out on a market. When grocery time came around and I requested "MORE TEA", this showed up in all of it's mass quantity glory. Don't believe me. Fine. Here. Prepare to eat humble pie:

Made with HFCS, sadly, but it was CHEAP. And served ice cold, it's not too bad. But it's no green tea. Not at all.

See that wee little sentence that says "Flavored with other natural flavors"? The flavor, I guess, they were going for...was melon. It tastes pretty much like either cantaloupe or the rind of a watermelon. The only thing that hints that there's tea (concentrate) in it is the fact that after about a half of a glass your mouth, lips, and throat are coated in a tannin pucker that you could crush marbles with. Drink enough and it's difficult to swallow; the tannins just catch in the back of your throat and form a phalanx against anything that dares try to pass.

That being said...it hasn't really slowed me down. That jug up top is almost empty. Thrown on ice you barely notice the tannic nature and, frankly, I kinda enjoyed the surprise melon flavor. But don't buy it expecting a light green tea experience. Would I buy it again? No, not what I want. It was a (surprising) change of pace that broke things up for me (I've been drinking sweet tea and a gallon of water every day for three weeks) so that was nice...but it's not really tea. I'll probably try and find the black to try that out and see how it goes. Maybe...hopefully...better.

What I Learned At ADI 2012

As with a lot of my coverage, I could give you a play by play of exactly what went down at ADI. I could...but I won't. First off, it's kinda boring (to me at least). Lew Bryson did a far better job of it for John Hansell's "What Does John Know" blog than I could so I'll give him that credit. He deserves it. Instead, I think I'll do what I did for my IPCPR Coverage back in 2010. This is simply "What I Learned At ADI".

Lesson #1:

 The craft distilling community is a unique one and it is at an interesting position. For the longest time, it seems as if the craft distilling movement was a "shoot from the hip" kind of thing. You tried things; they worked or they didn't. You tried again and again until you got something right: easily produced, aged, and the customer wanted it. But what I'm seeing now is a turning point. As you may know from reading my last post, I did a presentation on Small Barrel Realities, which is the chemical changes behind maturation in small barrels. If you want to check it out, the link to the slides is here. The sheer amount of interest in the article (I mean, LEW BRYSON covered it) means that we've hit a point in which many craft distillers are turning away from trial and error but rather towards a systematic, scientific approach. Based on the amount of people that mobbed me at the stage after the talk, while walking around the conference for the few hours after, and those that approached me even while I was out at the bars (I'm talking about you, bearded dude at the Seelbach), it seems like the craft guys are really hungry to get their hands dirty with the nitty gritty molecular stuff of what they're doing. And I think that's fabulous. I feel that, in order to expand and grow, you need to take a fresh look at what you're doing from a different angle. And if that angle is science, then I'm glad to help.

Lesson #2:

The craft distilling community is a unique one for a different reason. First off, the diversity of backgrounds of distillers, malsters, mashers, and every position under the sun is incredible. People that gave up solid jobs to heed the calling of a higher (more booze sodden) power. People that fell into the job with no prior experience. Homebrewers, economics graduates; they run the gamut. But the really cool thing?

They're all pretty damn nice.

They are encouraging, helpful, and insightful. Some of the questions asked of me were borderline dumbfounding in the best of ways. The bearded guy at the Seelbach asked a question that I could base my PhD on (not telling you). They're willing to share: knowledge, expertise, and new products. They are warm, friendly, and, remarkably, pretty sober for people that work in this industry. It triggers an awe-inspiring feeling, actually. While walking into the Brown Hotel bar for the first time, being mobbed by others in my profession...I found an odd sense of peace and acceptance. They were my people, and I theirs. A fascinating feeling to have that left me pretty giddy. If I had any doubt I was in the wrong profession, four days at the ADI conference erased that.

Lesson #3:

The gods above gave us two ears and one mouth. Some say that they want us to listen twice as much as you talk. Even though I gave a 25 minute, continuous talk...I'm pretty sure I listened six times as much as I talked. At a convention like this, you keep your ears and mind open. You learn things. You're given experiences. Don't take that for granted. Shut up and listen, you WILL learn something. Usually many somethings if you're in the right place at the right time.

Lesson #4:

I don't honestly think I say this enough: have I ever mentioned how lucky I am to work at Tuthilltown? I'm really lucky to work at Tuthilltown. REALLY. LUCKY. The fact that they flew me out there, paid for me to stay there, paid me to talk, and then flew me back astounds me. The fact that they put so much faith in my minute knowledge astounds me even more. After being an engineering student where, pretty much, you're taught you're not worth much until you've got 10 years experience in the field...it's a crazy feeling to have someone trust and value your input and output from the get-go. How I fell into a job at Tuthilltown I'll never known...but I'm pretty stunned I did.

Lesson #5:

Be ever ready to drink. Ever. Ready. And don't forget water.

ADI

Let's face it: I'm no expert.

I'm not a "guru" or a "master". Hell, I'm barely "proficient" in wood maturation. I know, for the most part, what science has found out and I've got enough working chemistry to kinda guess at the rest. Like I said, I'm nothing even remotely close to an expert.

So being asked to speak at the American Distillers Institute Conference in Kentucky on "Small Barrel Realities" is kind of amazing for me. Being ground under the heels of unrelenting engineering professors who instill in us, pretty much, that we don't know anything and never will...it's odd to have someone WANT my opinion. Let alone pay for it. Strange things. Strange times.

What this is a piss-poor, self-defacing lead in to is that yes, Virginia, I am presenting (in less than a week, mind you) at the ADI conference in Louisville, Kentucky on small barrel maturation. If you are registered to go to the conference, I strongly urge you to attend. I'd love feedback and to meet some of the very few, very proud (very crazy) people that continue to read my insane ramblings from time to time. I'd be more than willing to sit down for a drink somewhere and discuss what I do, where I do it, and with whom I do it with.

...Get your mind out of the gutter.

For those of you who won't be attending, fear not. I'm hoping to make the slides available in some form or another. I will probably even do a voice over recording of the actual talk and make that available in some form as well. Since it's technically Tuthilltown property...you may have to pay for it. But you'll be supporting me and showing me how much you love me, which is EVER so important to my ego. So, in short...

1. I will be gone from the 1st of April until the 4th of April. I am praying that I get to the airport and my boss doesn't go "GOTCHA!"

2. I will be presenting, along with another colleague named John David Jeffery of Death's Door Distillery on a topic entitled "Small Barrel Realities", which will discuss the impact that small barrels have on wood maturation.

3. I will be making the slides, and a voice-over for them, available in some format. It might be on the website, it might be through the Tuthilltown online store. Not sure.

4. I will be up for drinks. As long as you're paying. I AM Scottish, after all.

5. I will be bringing an extra large suitcase and packing as few clothes as I can get away with. Daddy wants a bottle of that Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. That and tobacco tax in Kentucky is stupid low. LUCKY STRIKES FOR EVERYBODY!