Cohiba Robusto/Glenfarclas 21-Year-Old Highland Malt – Brokenwood Anniversaries Part 3.

Welcome to the third and final episode of the Brokenwood adventures. To be honest, this started as a small comment on a forthcoming wine visit – to Brokenwood for their 50th. That got me remembering the 40th and some of the fun. Parts 1 and 2 were stories we heard at the Fortieth. This is about arriving for the event, the trip from the airport to the winery. One would think that would be a fairly innocuous experience, but no…

I swear to you, I am not making this up…

Behike-lite/Penfold’s Vintage Port 2015 – Brokenwood Anniversaries Part 2.

We left off the Brokenwood adventures with people telling stories out of school. Why stop now. No doubt, there’ll be plenty more after the next anniversary event.

But before we go further, one of the other things I remember very well about the 40th Brokenwood event was the glorious 1986 Graveyard. For me, one of the best reds ever made in Australia. Top ten amongst some serious company. It is glorious. And going on and on. It sits with three famous Lindemans’ wines – the pair from 1965 and the 1959. It is that good. I can’t wait to see it again. Been in touch with Iain Riggs, the winemaker, and one of Australia’s best. Riggsy tells me he might have a magnum put aside. Whacko!

Back to stories out of school…

Hoyo de Monterrey ‘Epicure Especial’/Blanton’s Gold Edition Single Barrel Bourbon – Brokenwood Anniversaries Part 1

Time really does fly.

Just got an invite to the 50th anniversary of Brokenwood Graveyard’s Vineyard for early December. Anyone not familiar with that wine, or the winery – surely, the leading winery in the Hunter – is missing out badly, though these days the price of their Graveyard has followed other top wines, rocketing skyward. I would say it has had a meteoric rise but I don’t get that. Who has ever seen a meteor rise? Don’t they just plummet earthwards or zip past?

I say time flies as it seems no time at all since we were at the 40th. An event, I remember for a number of reasons, some of which will have to wait until the next episode of Kenfessions…

Romeo & Juliet Limited Edition Capuletos 2016/El Dorado 21-Year-Old Rum

A bottle of Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is in serious peril.

Some days, you just feel trapped. Today, literally. It is freezing in my house at the moment. I type in fishing gloves as they have the fingertips cut off. Four layers and blankets. If I walk outside, it is at least ten degrees warmer but inside…

I get in and out of my house through a small channel between wine boxes and bottles in the garage. The garage is also warmer than the house in winter (seriously, the fridge is warmer than the house in winter) and there was I, sitting typing away (and if you can believe it, it has happened again in the short time I have done these two paras) when crash and bang. Bottles banging about and falling over. Cases tumbling…

Partagas Lusitania/Montecristo No 2 – El Dorado 21-Year-Old Rum/Glenmorangie ‘The Quinta Ruban’ Port Cask Finish 12-Year-Old – general.

Today’s rant? Bloody Qantas. But in fairness to the stumbling wombat, it was only a dream. Apparently, I was supposed to be heading off to a tasting in the Mornington Peninsula, or New Zealand – it was never clear, but there were moments where I was literally dreaming of those amazing trout streams in the South Island. Instead, stuck in Newcastle. It was just like that Tom Hanks film about the bloke stuck for years in an airport. For reasons unknown, I could not get another flight to either place and nor could I get one home. No matter how much I tried, back and forth to every person I could find, and it was making me very angry…

Juan Lopez No 2/Delamain XO ‘Pale and Dry’

We all know that Greg has had it tough. Working for Whipcrack cannot be easy. But we are a forgiving lot. And anyway, the good news, for me, is that Greg missed a Kenfessions (slipped through the Kenfessional?) focusing on last year’s Origin, but, as all we good Queenslanders know, Origin comes around every year. so with a touch of tinkering, I already have a column all done! Well done, Greg…

Montecristo No.2/Navazos en Rama & Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2/Navazos P.X. Gran Solera

Yes, sherry again. A couple of completely different sherries today with two No 2’s.

I have already detailed the background of Equipo Navazos, such an exciting producer from Jerez, one of my favourite places (actually, I really prefer nearby Sanlucar, but everyone thinks in terms of Jerez).

So, their en Rama with a Montecristo No 2 and a glorious PX with the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No 2…

H. Upmann No 2/Holgate Mt Macedon Australian Pale Ale/Holgate Temptress Choc Porter

Thank you, the Australian government. What a bunch of loathsome, jelly-backed, contemptible, feeble-minded, desperate, dishonest, faint-hearted, doolally, floundering, cowardly, craven, snivelling, wannabee, lice-ridden buffoons. Both sides. They’d kill their first born if it meant a vote, or that someone would not frown at them. Truly extraordinary. Sadly, as this is a family site, I cannot tell you what I really think…

Ramon Allones Specially Selected/Sanchez Ayala ‘20 Anos’ ‘Galeon’ Oloroso Sherry

Been working my way through Greg’s selection for Kenfessions and will confess (kenfess?) that the first couple have not been stellar. The other evening, pulled out the Ramon Allones Specially Selected. I used to enjoy these but to be honest, I had not had one for ages. No idea why that happened – not deliberately. One of those things. Also, no idea why Greg chose this one, but way to go, Greg. Made me wonder why on earth this fell out of the rotation. It was a really terrific smoke.

Hoyo de Monterrey ‘Le Hoyo de San Juan’/Blanton’s Gold Edition Single Barrel Bourbon

Do cigars induce weird dreams?

Not sure I have noticed this before but after a big cigar, I had a night full of them. I can’t remember any, except the tail-end of the last one – so often the way.

A group of us were in Havana, Cuba, but it was unlike I’ve ever seen Havana. More like, but different to, Mooloolaba. Anyway, three of us – someone I can’t recall, a mate we’ll call Merls (because that is what we call him – a friend of both Rob and mine, though I knew Merls, the coffee king of Australia, about 20 years before I even met Rob – his was the store where Rob set up his first humidor) and myself. Merls came with us on our 2nd trip, many years ago, but why we were there this time, no idea.

Cohiba Medio Siglo/Laphroaig “The 1815 Legacy Edition”

The Kenfessions idea largely evolved from wanting to take a serious look at the matching of cigars and various drinks (and as a place Rob could quarantine my occasion rants about the world). Now, that is fine, but it has limitations. Namely, like the vast majority of us, I have a limited variation of cigars on hand to do these matches (I do have enough variants of drinks in all manner and form, though). So, unless we want a situation of a series of different drinks with a Mag 50, for example, something needed to be done.

Montecristo No 2/Talisker Dark Storm/Hanssens Oudbeitje Lambic

Now, I know I am an inch from being forever branded a pretentious tosspot for this, but I would like to go on record as saying that I truly do love Shakespeare. I think he is utterly brilliant. Yes, I know that any number of you are looking the other way and quietly whispering, ‘wanker’. And fair enough. But I really do think he is beyond extraordinary (I’d even go so far to say that he was the Springsteen of his day).

I’m sure I was like every schoolkid when first introduced – if memory serves, we did ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Julius Caesar’ – in equal parts, suitably bored and mortified we had this ancient rubbish fostered on us.

Hoyo de Monterrey ‘La Hoyo du Roi’/Ardbeg Islay Ten-Year-Old Malt/Domaine de L’Arlot Vosne-Romanee ‘Les Suchots’ 1999

Cigars and movies. Not cigars in movies.

I know that quite a few of our members do not smoke indoors, for all manner of reasons which I would do best to avoid discussing, but others are not so limited. I have no such issues and probably enjoy a cigar in front of the telly more often than anywhere else.

Sporting events are a must, though I am wondering about the Superbowl (which is to be played tomorrow, time of writing). Sometimes yes; sometimes, a bit early. Currently undecided. But settling back for a rugby test (nice way to get something from the evening, given the way we play) or a good league game, with a top cigar, is always a fine evening.

Cohiba Piramide LE 2006/25-Year-Old Edmund Dantès Rum

It had been one of those days when there had been enough crap to justify a great cigar. Plus, I’d taped (do we still say that?) the wonderful movie, ‘Buena Vista Social Club’, and had been keen to watch it again as it had been a while. I’d promised myself a cracking cigar to do so. It had been a long while since I had seen it, but I was seriously stunned to learn the film came twenty years ago – 1998. Can’t help thinking of Basil Fawlty. “What was that? That was your life, mate! That was quick. Do I get another? Sorry mate. Back to the world of dreams”.