What I Learned At Whisky Fest NYC

  
 "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius

I'm sure everyone expects, when I write up a post about an event, for me to do a blow by blow of the whole thing. If I followed the real journalism mentality, I'd definitely be doing that. But I'm not going to. As I read more and more Hunter S. Thompson, I realize that his style of journalism fits me much more comfortably. I love to tell stories. I love to hear stories, whether they pertain to the topic at hand or not. It's something I've always been keen on. When I'm on trains, or in airports, or anywhere with lots of people...I don't find myself worrying about crowds. I find myself wondering about everyone's life story. Where have they come from? Where are they going? What brought them there? I find that the truth of something is far better illustrated by not focusing on anything in particular. The crux of things comes to you as you experience it. And if that means blending fiction into it...all the better. A story is a story is a story, whether it's "just the facts, Jack" or a fairytale-esque analysis of the entire thing.With that said, let's begin.

1. New York City

Every time I visit NYC, my opinion of it fluxes. Sometimes I go down there and I think "there is no way I could ever live here". Other times I go down there and thing "there is no way I can't live here". The city reminds me greatly of Charles Bukowski's writing, actually. Bukowski is a beautiful, horrible man. If you've never read anything of his, I'd hesitantly encourage you to do so. It is graphic, I'll give it that. But it is frank. It's beauty lies in its simplicity, in its pureness of vision. He cuts no corners, he softens no blows. It is gritty and visceral. The same can be said of NYC as well. Its highs are euphoric and its lows are soul-crushing. I will explain.

After a hellishly gruelling session of heavy drinking on Saturday, I was finally free at 10:30pm to pursue my own thoughts and gather myself together. I was, oddly enough, very much sober which could not be said for some of the men walking out of the show. I went up to my room and changed out of my dress shoes. I took off the tie, popped the top two buttons on the shirt to vent some of the tropical heat that had been surrounding me in the ballroom. I slipped a Lucky Strike out of my pack and I went down to the smoking area. Lit it with my lighter...and I watched the city move. The melting pot of people that wandered about filled me with an indescribable feeling. A sense of frightening wonder: being miniscule. A tiny cog in a large machine. Living on Carl Sagan's "pale blue dot". All around me were people leading lives, striving for dreams. Stories waiting to be written but ever escaping the pen. Being the weekend before Halloween, costumes were abound. A troupe of Clockwork Orange droogs went up the escalator. A huge black guy dressed as Mario wandered about the lobby, talking on a cell phone before disappearing into a crowded elevator. A man dressed in a suit coated entirely in Nerds candy walked about with a cane outside, talking to some of the Whiskey Fest vendors who were breathing in the stale air outside. The ebb and flow of people funneling through that small covered alleyway almost overwhelmed me. Individual stories in the large book of the world constantly being written and erased. But as the heady euphoria peaked, then come the crash. A deaf man came by begging for money, of which I had none to give. I stood to go outside and complete my nightly ritual of two years: wishing upon a star. But when I stood between the theaters on Broadway...I couldn't see any. Instead was a murky sky filtered through the incandescent and LED lights representing the cheap and gaudy of Broadway. Highs and lows...highs and lows.

2. Reaffirmation

This shit...hasn't been easy. As I sit here typing this at 12AM on a Friday, I'm jobless, collecting unemployment, and generally feeling shitty. Having no job and having bills due is a terrible, terrible feeling. I've wondered, off and on, if going the direction I went was the right move. I COULD be sitting pretty with a steady $60k - $70k, health insurance, 401k optioned job. Chemical engineering could do that for me. But four years of studying it taught me that I hate it. I'd work at a job like that for about 5 years before hours spent grinding away at calculations in a cubicle would make me take a long walk off a short pier. But I've often thought "maybe I should just suck it up, get to the grindstone, and live life like that". Whisky Fest NYC made me say something far more simple:

"Fuck. That."

Beverage conferences, festivals, chats...they're always a huge boost for me in terms of morale. Wading through the bedecked booths as amber fountains of whisk(e)y pour from measured spouts makes me realize that, yeah, I'm doing the right thing. Chatting with industry legends, chatting with the up-and-comers, chatting with EVERYONE reaffirms the fact that distilling shit is in my blood and it will never go away. No amount of desktop calculations for fractionalization distillation columns for benzene or ammonia or natural gas could ever fulfill what I'm doing now. Seeing the smiles on people's faces as the glass rises to waiting lips, the liquid courses over taste buds, and the breath intakes...it's magic. Handmade magic. And I get to be what I've always wanted to be, a wizard. A wizard in a magical land of huge horizons and endless creativity. My engineering knowledge isn't going to waste. I'm actually thinking more like an engineer than I actually realize. My problem was what I wanted to do with my life and the engineer's way of looking at alternate routes to a common goal was what I did. I'm still engineering things. I'm engineering liquid joy. And that's beautiful to me.

3. The Industry

I talked to a lot of people at Whisky Fest. Harlan Wheatley of Buffalo Trace. John Glaser of Compass Box. Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie/Ardbeg. I hung out with some people I had met previously (Lew Bryson, Dave Broom, Tim Welly of Hillrock, Nicole Austin of King's County) and some familiar but first meetings with others (John Hansell, Carmen Operetta, Dominic Roskrow, Robin Robinson, TRUMAN COX). And as I shook hands in the stifling heat of that ballroom, something occurred to me. I've never met a terrible person in this industry. Each has been kind, thoughtful, and happy. Those that knew I was looking for a job offered to help me find one, those that couldn't help offered a stiff dram and a hearty laugh. I don't know if it's my ability to pick out awesome people (HIGHLY doubtful) or if it's just the industry, on the whole, being amazing...but if I were a betting man, I'd have all my savings on the latter. It's an incredible field to be working in and the fact that ANYONE was interested in what I've done or what I had to say was huge. I won't lie. Quiet, happy tears were shed in a Marriott hotel room.

4. My Voice and My Break

As I've written these past few years, my writing style has changed. I go back and look at how I wrote and I realize that I've, frankly, cleaned myself up a bit. I swear a lot less often. My jokes are less frequent; I'm more serious, I guess. I enjoy my earlier writing but I suppose I've been hedging myself in to make my site more...user friendly. I should, really, be writing in an unfiltered fashion, viewers be damned. I am still trying to find my voice. I seem to be stuck between wanting to be recognized as someone versed in something and worth listening to...and not wanting to take things TOO seriously. I, in real life, curse like (borrowing from Peter Capaldi on this one) "a hairy-arsed docker after 12 pints". I filter myself because, frankly, I'd love for people to take me seriously and swearing like said aforementioned longshoreman won't get me far in that department. So, bear with folks. When I do post off and on (as of late, emphasis on 'off'), I may try new things. Might as well mix it up.

This brings me to my next point: the break. I feel like, at this point, I'm getting ready to crest the peak of a rollercoaster. Not in any way that means it's all downhill from here but in the sense that I can almost feel like something...something big...is closing in. Something good...I hope. I'll post more on this in another post, probably, because it deserves one and it doesn't really have much to do with Whisky Live. But after attending the festival, I feel as if I've got a million options that are either just waiting to be explored or waiting for the right moment. Either way, I can feel it. I DONE SEENT IT.

5. The Gold Bowmore is AWESOME

-Bacchus out.

"Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

In With Bacchus Guide To Picking A Bar

It is important for everyone to find their own special watering hole. I'm sure many of you immediately think of yours when I mention this. Maybe it's somewhere with great cocktails and a soothing atmosphere. Maybe its your favorite wine bar or tap house. Or maybe its dive-y as all hell. But no matter what it is...its yours. You go in and they know your name, what you want to drink, what songs you like to listen to. And for many, its a daunting task to pick out your place. For me, its taken many years to eke out my booze fueled haunts and I am picky as all hell. Being of Scottish blood, I like good deals. Being born with an expensive taste, I like good spirits. And being a man of good friends, I like a place where I can commiserate about the weeks occurrences over a pint. So it's taken me up until now (almost 4 years) to find the bars that I like to habit. But what about you, dear reader? Do you have a favorite bar? No? Oh dear.

It's daunting, I'll give it that. Finding the perfect bar for your tastes is no easy task. So, as an ambassador to fine drink (or not so fine drink, depending on your mood), I've decided to help you come up with a list of ways to analyze bars to see if they fit you. I'll be breaking them down into three categories: cocktail bars, dive bars, and normal bars. So, stick with me here.

Presenting...The In With Bacchus Guide to Picking YOUR Bar!

Cocktail Bars

Cocktail bars are, to me, the easiest to define. Where I am...there aren't many so it's not hard to choose from but the advice I'll give stands for any good cocktail bar.

1. Find your "ratio" cocktail - To judge a cocktail bar, I first order what I prefer to call my "ratio" cocktail. For me, it's a Negroni. A three ingredient cocktail that seems simple on its surface but can easily be screwed up. Why? Because it's all about balance. Some cocktail bars measure for specific cocktails. GOOD cocktail bars measure for ALL cocktails. Bear in mind, making a cocktail is part art...and part science. The human taste buds can perceive chemical reactions within a drink that only occur at proper ratios. For some, their cornerstone drink is a martini. Deceptively simple...but without the correct ratio of gin to vermouth...it can be a disaster. For me, the Negroni is my cornerstone cocktail. At every new cocktail bar I go to, I order a Negroni. It's a 1:1:1 ratio of gin, vermouth, and Campari, with an orange peel garnish (flamed or not, their choice). It NEEDS to be measured; eyeballing it makes the cocktail undrinkable. If there's too much gin, the piney notes come through too much and the alcohol is overwhelming. Too much Campari leaves the drink too bitter. Too much vermouth makes it too sweet and waters down the gin to mask its botanicals. If measured with a jigger/pony, its a good cocktail. Without it...its not. The attention to detail is important. And don't think that you need to order a fancy cocktail to get this job done. A simple gin and tonic is equally fitting. Poor ratios of gin to tonic lead to either a weak drink or a drink akin to Pine-Sol. So find a "ratio" cocktail you like and order it.
2. Sit at the bar, if you can - Its important to WATCH them make cocktails. For many in the shaker slingin' part of the booze business...they ENJOY making cocktails. Watch them make cocktails and check out their technique. Check out how they shake cocktails. Vim and vigor is good; it aerates the cocktail and partially dilutes it for a smoother, rounder taste. A lackluster shake makes for a lackluster cocktail. Yet again, pay attention to the measurements. Also...see if they're tasting your cocktail. The common move is to take one of those tiny cocktail straws, dip it into the cocktail, and put a finger on the end. This locks some of the cocktail into the straw by vacuum and allows the maker to taste the drink without actually having to drink it. This is important too. No bartender can get a drink perfect every time during the night. The process of checking cocktails to ascertain balance, flavor, and viscosity means you're dealing with a serious cocktail bar worthy of attention.
3. Go during an off time and order a drink - And by "order a drink" I don't mean "I'll have an X." I mean custom build a drink. Chat with the bartenders, ask them about stuff. Ask them to make you a cocktail. Start with a base spirit and then give descriptors of what you're hankerin' for: sweet, tart, bitter, herbal, minty...whatever. Let the bartender stretch his imagination and come up with a drink for you. It'll give you a feel for the creativity of the staff and their knowledge of the back bar. But ONLY do this when it's not busy. Not even remotely busy. Because if you do it when its busy...I will punch you because my drinks come out slow.

Dive Bars

Dive bars are difficult, depending on your definition of a dive bar. For some, a dive bar is a relatively sedate little run-down bar that serves cheap drinks. The atmosphere is relaxed, its filled with haggard locals that occupy the same barstool every night, and the decor is usually neon beer signs, Christmas lights, and pin-up girls. For me...it's an all-out shitshow bar. Potential fights are always a plus. Scurvy bathroom an added bonus. Obvious joints being rolled on the bar and no one cares. THAT'S a dive bar to me. So here's some tips to pick out your Port Royale of a dive bar.

1. What's Their Cheap Beer? - What you're looking for here is a cheap, American style light adjunct lager. And you want it as blue collar as it comes. The eponymous blue collar beer is PBR which, while highly maligned by many as a "hipster" beer, is an awesome beer when its cold. PBR in cans is a must but regional blue collar beers are always a plus. Iron City, Lone Star, Genessee Cream Ale, Narragansett. Be wary of bars whose cheap adjunct beers are Keystone or Budweiser. Keystone is a sign that you may be facing a significant "bro" crowd at any given point and Budweiser means you may face a sports rush during the year. These are all good in cans (tallboys preferable) with tap being a bonus.
2. What's the Music Like? - Check out the jukebox. Does it jive with your tastes? How many pages does it have? And how much is it per play? All important things to monitor and note. See if the bar rotates the selection as well. If there's no jukebox, see if they do live music. Check to see how much the cover is for bands and if they're in your genre(s) of choice. If there's no live music and its just someone with an iPod and speakers...ask for a request for a song you like. If they don't have it...not a great sign but no one has everything. If they've never HEARD of it...might be time to move on.
3. Room to Breathe...And Smoke - Smoker or non, check out the people standing outside smoking. It gives a good idea of the clientele at the bar. My bar's patrons generally have chain wallets, lots of tattoos barely hidden under white Ts or jean jackets, and slicked back hair. I frequent a rockabilly bar. And it's awesome. But the people outside will give you a decent overview on who to expect inside. Not all-encompassing...but a fair glimpse into the bar's lifestyle.
4. The Head - Check out the bathroom. It should be skeevy...but moderately clean. Skeevy in this situation refers to the amount of shit on the walls. Not LITERAL shit...but figurative shit. Band stickers, graffiti, witty bathroom stall banter...all important. 
5. Drink Specials - You want to find out how much a beer and a shot will run you. The acceptable way to get drunk at all bars, a cheap can/mug of cold beer and a shot of well whiskey is what you should price out. See what the well whiskey is. If they serve Old Granddad, opt for that instead of well if you're feeling spendy. Also check for happy hour or post happy-hour deals. Here's one from my local: 

      Check that out. It's important.

Normal Bars

 Normal bars is a broad stroke but this will help to narrow it down. Stick with these and you'll be able to find one lickety split.

1. Order A Draft Beer - But not one of the popular ones. If they've got standard beers with a couple craft beers, get a craft beer. The purpose of this isn't just to buck the trend...it's to check out their beer lines. A good bar (and by that I mean a legal bar) has to clean their beer lines often and thoroughly. By getting a beer that might not sell as fast, you can tell how well they keep their lines. If the beer tastes off (sour, extremely bitter, funky), that means that the lines haven't been cleaned. If it tastes kinda like soap or has a very slick mouthfeel, this means that they probably cleaned the lines but didn't flush it well enough with water, then beer. Poor tap management is a sign of a bad bar. It doesn't take much to clean beer lines.
2. Order A Glass of Wine - Much like the beer, order a glass of wine in your preference. Taste it. Does it taste slightly raisiny or heavily of dark fruit for a red wine? Does a white wine taste flat and bland? This probably means that they're keeping the wine around long enough to let it oxidize. Yet another sign of a bad bar.
3. Face Time - Yet again, sit at the bar and chat with the bartenders. Get to know them. Are they personable? Friendly? Helpful? As long as you don't make your demands outlandish, are they accommodating? Its important to find staff that you're comfortable with and are comfortable with you. 

There you have it. Not exactly exhaustive, nor even remotely complete in my eyes. I'll probably add to it as I go. If you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns, let me know by contacting me. I'd love to hear your opinions.

Bacchus out.

Small Barrel Maturation (RE: Buffalo Trace)

Today, after making a cup of coffee, I decided to check my email. And OH WHAT SURPRISES IT HELD. Normally, I get a metric shit-ton of press releases that I generally don't post on here. If it's interesting enough, I'll inquire about it a bit more to get information to keep me up to date with beverage portfolios...but usually you don't see press releases in In With Bacchus. But today...I got a gem of a press release that I can't help but share with you fine folks. Fresh from Buffalo Trace's mouth:

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY ANNOUNCES

SMALL BARREL EXPERIMENTS ARE FAILURES

Apparently, Size Does Matter!

 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Aug. 22, 2012) Sometimes, not all experiments are successful. Buffalo Trace Distillery learned this the hard way with its small barrel experiments started in 2006. 

                Using 5, 10, and 15 gallon barrels, the company filled each small barrel with the same mash bill (Buffalo Trace Rye Bourbon Mash #1) around the same time, and aged them side by side in a  warehouse for six years.

                The results were less than stellar.  Even though the barrels did age quickly, and picked up the deep color and smokiness from the char and wood, each bourbon yielded less wood sugars than typical from a 53 gallon barrel, resulting in no depth of flavor.

                While Buffalo Trace is NOT releasing these experiments, the Distillery did feel it was important to release their findings. The company hopes others can learn from such an experiment, just as they have. 

                “As expected, the smaller 5 gallon barrel aged bourbon faster than the 15 gallon version. However, it’s as if they all bypassed a step in the aging process and just never gained that depth of flavor that we expect from our bourbons.  Even though these small barrels did not meet our expectations, we feel it’s important to explore and understand the differences between the use of various barrel sizes,” said Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley.

                Each of the three small barrel bourbons were tasted annually to check on their maturation progress, then left alone to continue aging, hoping the taste would get better with time.  Finally, after six years, the team at Buffalo Trace concluded the barrels were not going to taste any better and decided to chalk up the experiment to a lesson learned. 

                “These barrels were just so smoky and dark, we just confirmed the taste was not going to improve.  The largest of the three barrels, the 15 gallon, tasted the best, but it still wasn’t what we would deem as meeting our quality standards.  But instead of just sweeping this experiment under the rug and not talking about it, we felt it was important to share what we learned, especially in light of the debate about usage of small barrels.  It’s one experiment we are not likely to repeat,” said Wheatley.      

These small barrel experiments are part of the more than 1,500 experimental barrels of whiskey aging in the warehouses of Buffalo Trace Distillery. Each of these barrels has unique characteristics that differentiate it from all others. Some examples of these include unique mash bills, type of wood and barrel toasts. In order to further increase the scope, flexibility and range of the experimental program, an entire micro distillery, named The Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. “OFC” Micro Distillery, complete with cookers, fermenting tanks and a state-of-the-art micro still has been constructed within Buffalo Trace Distillery. 

Jesus, where to begin on this one. I think this is the first time I've had to make a list to accurately and orderly summarize my complaints. So here we go.

"aged them side by side in a warehouse for six years" 

It is a relatively easy exercise to calculate the volume of a barrel. In fact, the great Johannes Kepler managed to extract a formula to accurately measure the volume of a barrel. The Kepler Formula for the Volume of a Barrel (in "Nova Stereometria doliorum vinariorum", written in 1615) states that the formula of a barrel is as such:

Courtesy of Wolfram Mathematica

with r2 being the larger, outer radius (the apex of the barrel) and r1 being the minima radius of the barrel. This, in essence, is a summation of thin cylindrical shells bounded by certain restraints (see solid of revolution). Since it would be difficult to measure the radius of a barrel without taking half of it apart (and potentially skewing the results), the easiest way to do this would be to take the circumference at the top of the barrel, as well as the middle, and then divide by 2*pi. Why? Because the circumference of a circle is 2*pi*r. So:

C = 2 * pi * r

C / (2*pi) = r

Why am I going through this lengthy mathematical explanation? To prove a simple point. Anyone that's not an idiot should be able to tell that the surface area to volume ratio of those barrels, barring ANY internal tampering (such as woodpeckering, honeycombing, grooving, what have you) is higher than your standard barrel. And...as such...LEAVING IT FOR SIX YEARS IS A DUMB IDEA. This is the equivalent of cracking eggs into different size glasses and then leaving them on a hot window sill to see if they'll be fine to eat in six weeks. Of course they won't. That's dumb. I find this incredibly ironic that the study of over-oaking whiskies is coming from the company that makes probably the most polarizing, oldest commercially available bourbon in the US, Pappy Van Winkle 23 year old.

Ideally, if following the same "egg in glass" parallel, you'd want to see when the egg turns bad during the course of the experiment. Not just reporting what happened at the end. Which brings me to my next point...

"..Announces Small Barrel Experiments Are Failures."

Okay...let's chat about science. For a company that used to have one of my idols behind its analytical chemistry labs, Truman Cox...this is kind of a slap in the face. If it's ANYTHING like the "Small Barrels Make Bad Whiskey" piece done in collaboration with Chuck Cowdery...then there's nothing scientific at all. When I worked at Tuthilltown, I did stuff like testing barrels every day. Yet you don't see me sending out PR things about it claiming that it's science. Where's the data? Where's your scientific method? What methods did you use to reduce / eliminate inconsistencies. Seriously, where is your CONCRETE data. If you presented the world with sheet after sheet of GC / MS chemical make-ups of the whiskies as they aged and compared to older products...I'd be curious. If you followed that up with double blind tasting studies with a 10,000+ tasting panel for consistency...I'd be more intrigued. If you could chemically prove WHY its bad using all of this data in a nice, neat, summarized paper...I'd take you seriously. But when you blast out emails saying "Yeah, we tasted it every once and awhile until we hit 6 years and it was so foul we couldn't drink it. So small barrels are bad."...I cannot take you seriously nor respect you. At all. AT. ALL. If I may borrow from Patton Oswalt here...

"You have to acknowledge everyone's beliefs and then you have to reserve the right to go "that's fucking stupid."...I have an uncle that believes he saw Sasquatch. We do not believe him NOR do we respect him."

Look, you can't call something like than an experiment and have it carry weight. When I was young, I thought that I could make something that would protect screws from rusting by mixing talcum powder with soap. I'd experiment by spreading that on the screws of my bathroom door and, son of a bitch, they'd rust every time. So if I state that it was impossible to make screws rust proof using that as my data...I'd be an idiot. Which is kind of what you're doing right now.

"...Distillery did feel it was important to release their findings"

Why?

Why did they feel it was important to send this out? What motivated them to send out a press release that contains no scientific back-up to everyone on their PR list? What are they hoping to achieve? Are they seriously thinking that, by sending that out, every small distiller out there will go "WHOOP, BETTER SWITCH TO BIG BARRELS." And "release their findings" is very strong wording, frankly. More like "tell you what we think in a very vague and non-clinical way." If it's because of this:

"...we feel it’s important to explore and understand the differences between the use of various barrel sizes"

I don't believe you. I mean, if they want to take pot-shots at small distillers that are using smaller barrels to make product quicker...fine. Go for it. You've got the right, frankly. You've been doing the distilling thing forever and you make fantastic product. I would climb a mountain of slaughtered foes for a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15 year old. I might even throw my own mother in front of a train for a bottle of the 20. I'd literally have to sit down and discuss it with her. But this press release will not just do nothing...it will make you look bad. I'm already seeing it make its way through the craft distilling community. They're not particularly happy.

Look Buffalo Trace. I love you. Hell, if you offered me a job working on small barrel maturation...I'd totally do it. Maybe inject some REAL science into this. I love your products and I love you. But please...don't do this. It just infuriates me.

FOCO Thai Tea Drink - Wednesday, Aug. 1st

Lately (as you may have noticed), I haven't been doing a whole lot of drinking. I've been keeping it pretty low-key as a lot of the post-surgical meds I'm on say "DO NOT DRINK." This generally means, to me, something along the lines of "proceed with caution" but one of the new ones I'm on is actually a blood pressure medicine so I've been super cautious. And by super cautious, I mean I haven't touched the sauce.

What I HAVE been touching is pretty much every pre-made, bottled tea drink known to mankind. The Arnold Palmer line has come out with some interesting ones. Like the distinctly non-Arnold Palmer drink called "The Honey Bear", which is lemonade with honey. Rather tasty (review soon if I can find some Barenjager to put in it). What I've been drinking a lot of due to my fierce addiction to it...is Thai Tea.

Thai tea, according to Wikipedia is: "a drink made from strongly-brewed black tea. Other ingredients may include added orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind seed or red and yellow food coloring, and sometimes other spices as well. This tea is sweetened with sugar and condensed milk and served chilled." Much to Hermes' delight, this is technically correct; the best kind of correct. What they forget to mention is the liberal inclusion of what I can only assume to be extreme habit forming drugs into said concoction. Because I can't stop drinking it.

FOCO Thai Tea Drink is one of the many available pre-made Thai tea drinks available at your finest Asian grocery. It is, in my opinion, one of the best as it only requires a healthy shake and some fridge chillage to be the perfect beverage. Some of the other available beverages need to be damn near centrifuged before the milky lumps decide to go back into emulsion. It's simple can tells you everything you need to know about the beverage:

This is A) it's Thai tea. And B) it is delicious (as noted by the sweaty glass full of it). Real men drink it out of the can, however. We then crush the ungodly strong can with our bear-trap like hands and then light it on fire with our laser vision. Or recycle it, depending on "love of the earth" status. Okay, enough yammering on. I'll tell you how it tastes.

The FOCO brand lacks what is traditionally a quality sign in Thai tea: BRIGHT ORANGE COLOR. It's more of a slightly orange coffee. But it makes up for it in taste. It is VERY sweet and creamy. The tea itself is muted, if not non-existant thanks to the inclusion of a plethora of spices. Definitely cardamom, a faint touch of star anise, cloves and vanilla? Not sure. It's tough to pin them down because the cardamom and clove is so strong. It's like a slightly different version of chai. But there's something about it that makes me love it more than chai. Perhaps its the fact that its so damn sweet (I have a sweet tooth). Maybe it's the generous helpings of milk and/or cream that make it almost silky. Maybe its the massive amounts of crack they add to it and don't tell you. Either way, it's delicious. And you should try it.

I know a good dealer, man. He's got the good shit. You can find him here.

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.