Gintastic! The Weird And Wonderful World Of Today’s Oddball Gins (Warning: Some Are Just Mad As A Hatter!) – Reprise

/0 Comments/in /by

What do truffles, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, trout, elephant dung, and green ants have in common? These items and countless more have all been used to make specialist craft gins. Sure, gin needs juniper. But after that it is open slather. Indeed, it is hard to think of a plant, herb, root, flower, leaf, and much more than has not been used to make gin. And some of them are just batsh*t crazy!

Read more

Cohiba Robusto: The Cuban Benchmark For All Cigars

/0 Comments/in , /by

Cohiba has that mythical aura about it, but is that always a good thing? For many, Cohiba Robustos are the ultimate robusto and among the very best from the Cohiba stable. As with every cigar, this is not necessarily a unanimous opinion, but they have been described as the benchmark against which all other cigars must be judged. Ken Gargett enlists some unexpected help in Cuba to track down a box of the best and shares the story and how they taste here.

Read more

Teeling Whiskey: The World’s Best Single Malt, That’s Official – Reprise

/5 Comments/in /by

At the 2016 World Whiskies Awards, Teeling Whiskey was awarded “World’s Best Irish Single Malt” and then in 2019 “World’s Best Single Malt.” Ken Gargett takes a look at (and a few drams of) a couple of the company’s wonderful whiskeys and explains what makes them so exceptional.

Read more

Penfolds Bin 60A 1962: Australia’s Greatest Wine Ever (Or Certainly A Serious Contender)

/0 Comments/in /by

Best Australian wine of all time? There are a few options, but for Ken Gargett there’s a clear winner: Penfolds Bin 60A 1962, a wine that was never commercially released. And whether the Bin 60A 1962 is indeed the GOAT of Australian wine hardly matters. He does suggest, though, that if the opportunity to try it ever comes up, cross oceans to do so. You’ll never regret it.

Read more
Krug Grande Cuvée #164

Krug Champagne: A Story Of Krugists Earning Five Cases Per Year Every Year For The Rest Of One’s Life And Wine Tasting Like “. . . Angels Have Descended From Heaven” – Reprise

/0 Comments/in /by

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. There are champagne lovers and then there are devotees of Krug: Krugists. Ken Gargett doubts that any other champagne, or wine, has a word to designate its adoring fans. Here he explains why.

Read more

Champagne Heaven! A Sublime Tasting Session With Pierre Peters Les Chétillons 2007, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2007, Henriot Cuve 38, And Salon 1988 And 1999

/2 Comments/in , /by

The week felt a little like going back to school for Ken Gargett – champagne school! Everywhere he went, up popped some of the great champagnes that he has tasted and written about in recent times, plus a few more. Including an ethereal, refined surprise magnum of Henriot Cuve 38.

Read more
Lagavulin 16-year-old Islay whisky

Lagavulin 16-Year-Old Whisky And Why Ron Swanson Was Right On The Money – Reprise

/0 Comments/in /by

Malt lovers immediately fall into one of two camps: one does not enjoy the peaty, smoky, seaweed notes that whisky from this island usually offers. The second group loves those characteristics. No prize for guessing where Ken Gargett falls. But what about Ron Swanson and Lagavulin from the Scottish island of Islay?

Read more

Anniversary Wines For A Big Celebration: What To Drink When The Year Is More Important More Than The Price

/0 Comments/in /by

Wine can be so much more than just an enjoyable drink. It can link us to times, people, and places. A traditional concept for so-called anniversary wines is to celebrate a milestone, perhaps a birthday or wedding or even anniversary, with a fine bottle from the vintage of the birthyear or anniversary year in question. With that in mind, Ken Gargett shares a few suggestions.

Read more

Chichibu Whisky: The Japanese Version Of Pappy Van Winkle – Reprise

/0 Comments/in /by

Fans of Japanese whisky will be all too aware that the better offerings are extremely hard to find. Once a curiosity, then mainstream, and more recently highly awarded and much sought after (okay, now subject to a feeding frenzy), the stuff is as rare as an honest politician. So grab whatever you can whenever you can!

Read more

Romeo Y Julieta Churchill: The Perfect Cigar For A Smoking Super Bowl

/3 Comments/in , /by

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the field on Monday morning (in Australia), February 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, Ken Gargett pulled out a Romeo y Julieta Churchill. The poor thing was a solo stick in a lonely humidor and the foot was very ratty, torn and tattered, but otherwise it appeared in good condition. And as it was a gift, who was he to complain. But it turned out to be a stellar cigar and the perfect accompaniment to a cracking game.

Read more