Splice the Mainbrace! Pusser’s Rum: July 31st is Black Tot Day, and the End of a Royal Navy Tradition – Reprise

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The first Black Tot Day was in 1970, the last day on which sailors in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy were issued their daily rum rations (“tots”). Pusser’s has taken the exact recipe used by the Royal Navy when it discontinued the daily ration on July 31, 1970 and used it to make its rums, the only producer in the world to do so. Here, Ken Gargett fills us in on everything tot – he luckily doesn’t go “sipping the admiral,” though.

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The World’s Best Wine? No Contest: Romanée-Conti by Domaine De La Romanée-Conti

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There is one wine producer that has taken on almost mythical status in recent years: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. And one of its wines, Romanée-Conti, stands out above all others. Many wine lovers, perhaps most, consider it to be the very best wine in the world. Ken Gargett is one of them.

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Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2015 Champagne: “My tastes are Simple, I am Easily Satisfied with the Best”

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Pol was the first champagne Ken Gargett ever tried – a sneak swig under the kitchen table from a bottle at one of my parents’ dinner parties. And he particularly loves the Sir Winston Churchill.

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Louis Roederer’s Collection Series is the Future of Champagne; However, Today Belongs to the Sensational 2015 Cristal

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Ken Gargett thinks that the 2015 Cristal is a wine of purity. Wonderfully fresh, we have notes of white florals, citrus, honey and chalk. Gentle notes of stonefruit emerge, with a walnut backing, all held together by that line of salinity. This is layered and complex, a beautiful Cristal with serious intensity. Great focus and such length. Impeccably balanced and with a lingering finish. It should drink beautifully for the next 10 to 20 years.

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Punch ManTua: Cuban Cigars with Serious Oomph

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The Punch ManTua cigar has serious oomph throughout. Some find a slight sweetness, but Ken Gargett’s had no evidence of it. This cigar has considerable complexity and there is no hint of anything out of place or any of the awkwardness that sometimes afflicts younger cigars.

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Hunter Valley Semillon: “Australia’s Gift to the World” Highlighting Brokenwood Wines

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Hunter Valley Semillon is one of the more curious styles of wine likely to be encountered. Most wine lovers from outside Australia (indeed outside of the eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland) treat it with a little disdain, have never tried it or perhaps even heard of it. Ken Gargett explains why it should be on any wine lover’s radar.

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Palo Cortado Sherry: An Accidental but Glorious Wine

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There are many styles of sherry, but there is one which is perhaps the most perplexing and confusing of all – Palo Cortado. An accidental wine if ever there was one, but a glorious one. Ken Gargett explains.

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Bollinger RD 2008 Champagne: One of the Greatest Wines from a Sensational Vintage

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Ken Gargett reports that the sensational Bollinger RD 2008 is a deep golden bronze colour. The immediate impression was two things. First, an impressive array of nutty notes. Hazelnuts certainly, but also walnuts and a touch of almond. Fuller than many, as one expects from Bolly, but the balance never wavers. It shows just how much time on lees can bring about changes in a wine.

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Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon Gin: The Fastest Growing Premium Gin And One Of The Most Popular – Reprise

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Bombay Sapphire is one of the most widely used gins and the fastest growing premium gin in the world. These days, with the gincredible popularity of the spirit, that means it is one of the most loved and drunk spirits on the planet. Ken Gargett takes a deep dive.

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Singleton 40-Year-Old Malt Whisky: a Truely Majestic Malt

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Singleton 40-Year-Old Malt Whisky in Ken Gargett’s opinion is alluringly mellow but with undoubted power, there is amazing length. If a hedonistic malt is your thing, then you will find this a majestic malt.

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