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The Balvenie Whisky Tasting

The Balvenie Whisky Tasting – A Gentleman’s Evening

A real gentleman starts his evening with a good Single Malt Whisky. Or, as Humphrey Bogart ones said:

The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind

Lately, I had the pleasure to taste a few beautiful Whiskies from the Balvenie distillery. It was much of an evening full of joy and wonderful flavours. My private collection of empty Balvenie’s bottles is growing, a good or a bad sign in many ways. At the end of the day, I’m living life and I truly enjoy a good Whisky.

The evening was hosted by Markus Heinze, a real expert in the Whisky world. A lot to learn on a cosy evening with good food and phenomenal drinks. So let me tell you about my favorites…

Pictures and rights by Christian Schmid – Fotowerk132

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The Balvenie Tun 1509

To create the first batch of Tun 1509, the brand carefully hand selected 42 of the finest casks – 35 traditional American oak barrels and seven European oak sherry butts – from the distillery’s precious aged stocks. All were transferred to Tun 1509, which sits in Warehouse 24, for several months before bottling. This is a rare interpretation of the marrying process and allows all 42 casks to come together to create a unique expression of The Balvenie that’s greater than the sum of its constituent parts.

TASTING NOTES

Deep and rich on the nose, with floral notes, sweet vanilla and orange peel. Velvety smooth to taste with tangy citrus, mellow cinnamon spice and blossom honey.

 

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The Balvenie PortWood – Aged 21 Years

To create The Balvenie PortWood Aged 21 Years, a marriage of rare Balvenie is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines. Here it is sampled regularly by The Balvenie Malt Master to ensure that just the right amount of character is imparted by the port casks, enhancing and developing the single malt whilst preserving its original characteristics.

NOSE

A perfume of fruity and ripe raisin notes, backed by a nutty dryness

TASTE

Refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes.

FINISH

Long, gentle, nutty.

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The Balvenie Thirty – Aged 30 years

The Balvenie Thirty is a rare and especially fine single malt for which David Stewart selects only exceptional casks that were laid down over thirty years ago. By marrying The Balvenie slowly aged in traditional oak whisky casks with that aged in European oak sherry casks,  we’re facing a rich, mellow Scotch whisky with unusual depth and complexity.

NOSE

Silky smooth and honeyed on the nose with mellow oaky tones and hints of candied orange peel.

TASTE

Great depth with rich dark chocolate, hints of plum, marzipan and caramelised pear.

FINISH

Exceptionally smooth and warming with gentle spice and lingering sweetness.

markus-heinze

The Balvenie Forty – Aged 40 years

Definitely the most expensive Whisky I’ve tasted so far. To create The Balvenie Forty, Malt Master David Stewart has skilfully married together small amounts of The Balvenie matured in 4 refill hogsheads and 3 sherry butts that have lain in our warehouses for at least forty years.

NOSE

Rich oak notes overlaid with baked apple, stewed fruits and soft leather. The addition of a little water releases sweet fruit notes and hints of vanilla.

TASTE

Silky texture delivers a beautifully mouth-coating sweetness and a spicy sensation of cloves, cinnamon and ginger. The flavour develops into a gentle oakiness with hints of dark chocolate, roasted almonds and sherried fruitiness.

FINISH

Rich, warming and slightly dry.

It was a great evening with the finest Whiskys. I’m looking very much forward to my next adventure!

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Review Of The New Camacho Barrel Aged

About The Camacho Brand

Camacho‘s brand slogan says it all. ‘Live Loud’ is what sort of feeling you get with those cigars. Suddenly you see yourself driving in a convertible Mustang amongst the coast with a Camacho Cigar in your hand.

camacho logoIt’s pretty much all about the rock n’ roll feeling in life. And honestly which man doesn’t love the rock n’ roll feeling? Driving big muscle cars, motorbiking across the USA, living life as it comes? Absolutely my life has been much about adventure and that’s one of the reasons I love this brand so much. It’s a boundless feeling and an experience of freedom.

Camacho American Barrel Aged

Camacho Cigars was founded in 1961 by Simon Camacho and acquired by the Eiroa family in 1995.
They brand based in Danlí, Honduras and specializes in authentic handmade Cuban seed cigars.

The Camacho Barrel Aged

A couple of months ago, the Camacho Barrel Aged has been announced and I’ve been desperately waiting for it to arrive in Switzerland. Meanwhile, the Cigar is available in pretty much every lounge and cigar shop.

But what makes the Barrel Aged so special? 

The Camacho Barrel Aged is almost entirely made from American tobacco

The cigar consists three sort of tobaccos, two of them are American – the ‘Connecticut Broadleaf’ and a ‘Pennsylvania Broadleaf’ are combined with a tobacco from Honduras.

The main magic though, is the Honduras leaf has been aged for 6 years plus 5 months in a Bourbon Barrel. That’s unique on the market and defintely worth trying.

Of course, I was pretty excited to see if you can actually feel the Bourbon Barrel -massive yes, you can! The Barrel Aged meanwhile belongs to my favourite cigars – always a big pleasure to smoke it.

The following formats are available: Robusto (50×5), Toro (50×6) and Gordo (60×6).

camacho barrel aged

Camacho Barrel Aged Taste

Super fiery and passionate experience. Nothing for sissies! A full-body cigar with an intense and roast flavour. The barrel definitely shows it’s character and turns the whole smoking event into a totally exciting experience.

Else, the cigar comes up with an impressive array of flavours…
The construction and draw are excellent, and I was immediately amazed with notes of charred wood,
vanilla, leather, and some spice. As the cigar progresses, I was struck by flavours of fruit and sweetness
entering the mix with some notes of caramel. The Barrel Aged burned beautifully with an effortless draw

Camacho American Barrel Aged Cigars

Pairing with The Balvenie TUN 1509

Absolutely no question – the best pairing from my perspective is a good, old and solid whisky. The Balvenie TUN 1509 belongs to the most extraordinary and tasteful whiskeys I have tasted so far.

Camacho Pairing

To create the first batch of Tun 1509, Balvenie has carefully hand selected 42 of the finest casks – 35 traditional American oak barrels and seven European oak sherry butts – from the distillery’s precious aged stocks. All were transferred to Tun 1509, which sits in Warehouse 24, for several months before bottling. This is a rare interpretation of the marrying process and allows all 42 casks to come together to create a unique expression of The Balvenie that’s greater than the sum of its constituent parts.

Balvenie TUN 1509 Flavours

Deep and rich on the nose, with floral notes, sweet vanilla and orange peel. Velvety smooth to taste with tangy citrus, mellow cinnamon spice and blossom honey.

A Gentleman’s Closing Words

Camacho is a great and crazy brand, I love the adventurous brand strategy. The new Camacho Barrel Aged is a unique and intense experience – an absolute must for every gentleman!

(shot taken at the McLaren event)

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