Whisky lost in 1909. Rediscovered in 2009. Replicated in 2011.  That’s the Coles Notes of the history behind Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland malt, one of the most talked about whisky releases of recent years.  Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt, originally produced at the Glen Mhor distillery, was the primary method Ernest Shackleton and his team used to keep warm on their 1907 expedition to the Antarctic.  Perhaps they  got a bit too warm as they ultimately failed to reach the south pole, returning home in March 1909 and leaving behind …

If you are looking to explore sherry-finished scotch whisky, and you have done some research looking for value, typicite, and renown, you will very likely end up at a cashier with a bottle of Glenfarclas 15 in your hands. This bottle is a darling of beverage critics, most likely due to its purity of expression and complexity. This is a dram for cold winter nights next to the fire. It features, deep dark colour and texture from the sherry wood finish. This dram is also remembered by many for the …

The Dalmore is not shy about Sherry, and we have waxed poetic on these pages about the pure orange citrus notes of Dalmore 12 and the savoury decadence of Dalmore Mackenzie. Bottled at 43%, and with a suggested retail of $150, the relatively new bottling of Dalmore 18 slots in nicely among the other offerings in their range. Which is to say, it feels like a product created from a desire to fill out slots in the range and not borne of a desire to exhibit a unique expression of …

It was a time when all the men wore suits, and you got stared at if you didn’t have a cigar in your mouth and a drink in your hand. There was but one rule in Las Vegas in the 1960’s, and that was to smoke and drink with reckless abandon while you spent your money.
Listening to Count Basie Live at the Sands, a rather obscure treasure of a CD, one is immediately carried away and transported to that seemingly swankier era.
This release is from the time when Count Basie …

The Luis Martinez factory in Esteli, Nicaragua holds its roots in Cuba.  According to the manufacturer’s website, Don Luis Martinez started making cigars in Cuba in the late 19th century before fleeing from the revolution in 1892.  Rather than regurgitate the company line on these cigars, let me reproduce it here: “The brand new Luis Martinez Nicaraguan Silver Selection is a cigar born from the jet black, mineral rich soil of Central America. It is the careful blending of tobaccos from this region that give this cigar its medium body …

Continuing along our  Cigars in History series (via images from the Life Archive), we now cover 1990-1999, the years of the cigar boom.  If you missed the earlier posts, you can find them