Foursquare from Barbados offers a fine range of different rums, including some vintage bottlings that do not hit the shelves until they have had at least a solid decade of aging in barrel. Ken Gargett describes what else this interesting producer with a long history in the Caribbean has to offer.
Anyone who expresses even so much as a fleeting interest in great wine will soon come across Krug, for many the greatest champagne of all. And there are champagne lovers and then there are devotees of Krug: Krugists. Ken Gargett doubts that any other champagne, any wine, has a word to designate their adoring fans. Here he explains why.
When it comes to Partagás Lusitania cigars, Ken Gargett stresses that size matters. As does checking the box before buying. One caveat, however: he warns that if you are not prepared to devote two to two and a half hours to the cigar, read no further. This is a very fine cigar – a double corona – to enjoy over time.
The idea of Last Drop is to source rare and first-class spirits, usually with considerable age. Some of these products – and in the company’s decade of operations, there have only been 13 releases – are extremely limited and seriously expensive. But is it worth it? Ken Gargett reverently sips a dram and shares the results with us here.
Tenuta San Guido’s 2015 Sassicaia was a warm vintage but an exceptional one, and that is reflected in the wine. It is considered to have similarities with the sensational vintage conditions of 1985, which Ken Gargett has tasted twice and has rated 100 points standing on its head both times. Sassicaia is one of the most famous of all wines of Italy, and often one of the country’s very best.
Flor de Caña is not the only rum producer from Nicaragua but it dominates in a massive way. Ken Gargett rates its 25-year-old, single-estate rum 98/100 and explains why, while providing some interesting history.
The price of $500 for a bottle of Cullen’s Vanya sets a new level for Australia’s Margaret River, but in international terms it is more than reasonable. But is it worth this money? Ken Gargett investigates.
Ken Gargett believes that the recently released La Trova is challenging the superb Fundadores cigar as the benchmark for Trinidad.
For wine lovers, there is not much more exciting than being in on the ground floor for the release of a new label, especially one that aspires to the highest quality. Being of severely limited quantities adds a tiny bit of a thrill as well. With all that in mind, Ken Gargett predicts that the new Roam Napa Sleeping Lady Cabernet Sauvignon and its first vintage, 2015, will be a welcome addition to the ranks of cracking Cabernet.
Individual champagnes rarely seem to attract the pre-release anticipation that we sometimes see with other wines. Ken Gargett thinks that perhaps the 1996 Krug was the last release that really generated serious excitement before it hit the market and he doubts that any champagne has created such interest since then – until we come to the 2008 Louis Roederer Cristal.