An online speakeasy of potent potables and other pabulam.

Just wanted to pass on to our readers that Ceiba Restaurant is hosting a rum tasting on Saturday, July 20, 2013. The event is hosted by Ceiba’s Wine & Beverage director Scott Clime. From the announcement:

Sample 10+ rums from the Caribbean and Latin America, including aged rum and the exotic cachaca. A full lunch will be served as well, the perfect accompaniment to your trip to the tropics.

The event is from 1:00 – 3:00 pm and is $85/person.

To register, email Christina@passionfoodhospitality.com or click here.

My First Encounter

I can remember clearly the first time I had an Ardbeg scotch.? I was with a few friends at Jack Rose Dining Saloon-which happens to be the largest whiskey selection in the country offering over 1,600 different bottles.? I asked the bartender, ?Could you pour me a few different scotches for the boys and one for me that will definitely blow my mind??? Little did I know what was about to ensue. Guess which scotch blew my mind?? Ardbeg 10 year.? And this is when the love affair began.

Ardbeg is a scotch you will taste and never forget.? Whether you like the heavily peated scotches is one question, but I guarantee you will not forget the experience.? Ardbeg is a great scotch to teach beginners what the term ?peaty? is all about.? If you don?t know what peaty means, just smell a dram of Ardbeg 10 year and then from that point forward you will grasp the concept.

I often describe Ardbeg 10 year?s peat flavor as a rich cigar smoke mixed with an open-door bon fire.? As you swallow, the burn is fierce, but the best part comes as the flavors linger for minutes afterwards.? Even the nose on an Ardbeg scotch is unforgettable.? Some patrons swear it burns your nose hairs, but I always tell patrons to breathe in slower!

Ardbeg Committee=Ardbeg Day

Another great thing to know about Ardbeg scotch is how loyal they are to fans.? They have an Ardbeg Committee with worldwide membership of over 50,000.? You can sign-up online and it?s free!? Once you have joined, the Committee will send you a welcome package all the way from Scotland.? However, the best part of the Committee is Ardbeg Day.

Ardbeg Day happens once a year and is on the final Saturday of the Islay (pronounced ?eye-laah?) Whisky Festival (end of May or start of June).? Islay is the island on which Ardbeg is made and many other peaty varieties of scotch.? On Ardbeg Day, Ardbeg launches a special committee bottling of Ardbeg worldwide.? Every year is something different and committee members around the world can join in on the festivities.? Ardbeg hosts parties in cities around the world offering members tastings of the new release. ?This year Ardbog Day happened and I attended at A&D bar in Washington DC.

Ardbog Day

So what did I think of this year?s release?? It was delicious and I was a big fan!? Ardbog is matured for ten years in traditional American oak ex-bourbon barrels and then aged further in rare ex-Spanish Manzanilla sherry butts. ?It is non chill-filtered and bottled at 52.1% ABV. ?I approve of the proof but the best part for me was the sherry aging in combination with the heavily peated flavor.

My personal favorite scotch is Ardbeg Uigeadail and Ardbog was reminiscent of this. I really enjoyed the subtle sweetness in flavor of Ardbog.? It is a wonderful edition for the summer months when scotch lovers may be looking for something peaty, sweet and a little on the lighter side.? Is Ardbog going to replace Arbeg Uigeadail as my favorite scotch?? Not a chance, but this special release gets two thumbs up for sherry aging maturation and is a must try for all Ardbeg lovers.

**Picture Credits and Details: Picture 1 ;??Ardbog dram, photo courtesy of Anthony Rivera. Picture 2; Ardbog Welcome Banner outside of A&D June 2013. ?Picture 3; Arleigh, bartender and Harvey Frey, Scotch Consultant both representing Jack Rose Dining Saloon at Ardbog Day. Picture 4; ?Ardbog Tasting Table at the event.

Folks, I’d like to warn you up front: this will be a long post, and there will be lots of pictures plus some videos. I’ll put it after the jump, but just a head’s up if you’re reading this on a mobile device.

Some of the land on the Woodford Reserve Estate.

Have you ever had a road trip where everything just went right? The timing was impeccable, the weather perfect, no drama at all?

Over Memorial Day weekend my old friend Roy, his brother Matt, and I did the nine hour road trip from Washington, DC, to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, basing ourselves out of Louisville. For reasons I couldn’t really specify other than perhaps laziness, I’d been reticent to go, but it ended up being an absolutely fantastic experience.

I’m guessing not here since we’ve been a bit remiss on posting as often as we’d like. We’re working on it, honest!

But things I’ve done lately:

• Cigar Advisor revamped as an online magazine. You’ll see something from me in their July issue. But they’re doing tasting competitions with a great deal on the cigars involved, and I did my first round last night. It was a J Fuego Origen Original versus a Schizo 60 versus a Trocadero Honore. The Original was good, though quite a tight draw, and unlabeled which made it hard to figure out which one it was at first. I liked the Honore at first, but it had an interesting spice taste that got a bit old after a while. The Schizo 60 was just a solid cigar, and so I voted for it.
• And it looks my “raccoon traps” – bowls with rags soaked in ammonia – are working to keep the bugger away from me!
• Plum Deluxe posted an article I wrote about upgrading your bar. Read it and comment about it on Facebook should you desire!
• If you know me, you know I like beer. That being said, I am now boycotting Rogue. It started with them suing some NOLA bartenders after they dared name their book “Rogue Cocktails” and now they’re suing a local restaurant, Rogue 24. That’s Not Cool, Rogue.
• Next Friday DC Toasts salutes African-American bartenders. You should go. I will be there. It will be fun.
• Just an FYI: Looks like neither Marshall nor I will be attending Tales this year. It’s sad, but it will be good for my wallet. I will probably write more at length on the biggest reason I’ve decided against going later, but if you’ve read my coverage from previous years (especially 2011) you can probably guess the gist of it.

Well, that’s about it for now. If you’re looking for a good brunch spot, go bug our fellow scofflaw Anthony at Beuchert’s Saloon. Order many Ramos Gin Fizzes and mimosas. Try the oxtail gravy and biscuits, because I haven’t yet but they look fantastic!