Indholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2024 i Cigar Aficionado

MacGyver’s multipurpose contraptions notwithstanding, the simplest pocketknife will hold you in good stead for a number of uses—like cutting a thread, opening a package, peeling fruit and sharpening a pencil. William Henry has a more gentlemanly pursuit in mind for some of its blades: cutting the cap off a cigar. They combine expert workmanship and rare components with a specialized opening in the knife frame that is purpose-built for cigars. “We offer our cigar cutters in a variety of materials like fossil woolly mammoth tooth, hand-forged mokume-gane, desert ironwood, aerospace-grade titanium and wood from barrels used for Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon,” says Christian Davis, the vice president of marketing and brand development at William Henry. “All of these are paired with a hand-forged Damascus steel blade and gemstone adornments on…

It used to be easy to think of Japanese whisky as a pale imitation of Scotch. After all, whisky making began in earnest in Japan a century ago when Masataka Taketsuru apprenticed as a distiller in Scotland. He returned with his Scots wife to open a distillery for Suntory and later one for Nikka. He copied Scotch still designs and found locations that mirrored those in Scotland. Stifle that dismissive impulse. Japan is not only turning out exquisite examples, but also spirits that defy what the Scots would describe as whisky. Because Japan has a fraction of the whisky plants in Scotland and its makers are not given to trading amongst themselves, each distillery is obliged to create several different spirit profiles. Furthermore, they have dealt with cask shortages by…

Are short courses a sign of the times in golf? Across the American landscape, a host of par-3 courses, nine-hole tracks and other nontraditional options are popping up, giving golfers a more timefriendly option than simply playing the regulation 18 holes. These courses are often fun and casual, with a less stodgy feel, making them suitable to golfers of all ages and abilities. For serious golfers, these short courses also offer a spot for a player to warm up before a serious round, or a cool-down facility that is mostly about fun and not about a score. Mike Keiser’s grand public facilities at Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Sand Valley in Wisconsin incorporate par-3 courses as part of the menu of appealing and memorable golf. Bill Coore, the design partner…

Abartender shakes a Brandy Alexander to foamy completion. The voice of Frank Sinatra, clear as gin, fills the background with “Moonlight Serenade.” At Gallaghers Steakhouse, photos spanning the restaurant’s 96 years fill the walls: that’s New York governor Franklin Roosevelt, smiling from a convertible in 1930; there’s Joe DiMaggio’s fluid swing; the writer Damon Runyon wears his trademark carnation. Among some 350 framed images, racehorses alone comprise a veritable equine hall of fame. The historic surroundings elicit questions: “Is that one Man O’ War or Citation?” a diner wonders. “Who’s that jockey who rode two Triple Crown winners?” another asks. “Eddie Arcaro, riding Whirlaway and Citation,” his pal answers. Dean Poll, the owner of Gallaghers Steakhouse on Manhattan’s West 52nd Street, has to think both like a restaurateur and the…

We once called Trinidad the Cuban cigar industry’s best-kept secret, and it was—until it wasn’t. The brand turned 55 this year, but before it became commercially available, even Fidel Castro denied Trinidad’s existence. While the cigar is now in regular production, albeit in small quantities, there’s still plenty of mystique around this prestigious brand. In celebration of the double nickel anniversary, Habanos has feted Trinidad with major parties and special cigars. By Habanos’ account, the Trinidad brand was created in 1969 and, like Cohiba, was only available as an exclusive gift to foreign diplomats. It was born as a single size: a long, thin smoke measuring 7 1/2 inches by 38 ring that became known as the Diplomatic Trinidad, as diplomats were among the few deemed eligible to receive these…

Cowboy boots were born as the simple and utilitarian footwear of the Wild West. By the 1930s, Hollywood promoted them to fancy dress among its Western stars. Nashville made them even fancier. So naturally, it took an Irishman schooled in the United Kingdom’s bespoke fashion industry to reclaim the Golden Age of cowboy boots. Jerry Ryan launched Austin’s Heritage Boots with the dream of making high-quality vintage boots. Inspired by many forgotten designs, he engaged a fifth-generation, family-owned boot factory in Mexico to make them the old way: entirely by hand, using curated, small-batch leathers. “Ours are all single-needle stitched, the tops are one piece, while most are two. And the real mark of a boot is true wooden pegs [in place of the hobnails that typically attach the sole].…

“Two kind of people in this world,” Ray Liotta’s character says in the 1997 movie Cop Land. “Pinball people and video game people.” If you’re 50 or older, you might fall into the former group of gamers who are enthralled by the ringing bells, snapping flippers and the captivating combination of mechanics and electronics that make pinball irresistible. While it’s the ultimate Sisyphean game—the eternal (and doomed) effort to keep an 80-gram, carbon-steel ball from going down the drain—for those who love it, it couldn’t be more fun. Descended from bagatelles, with such evolution as coin-op (1930s) and flippers (1947), pinball dominated arcades (remember arcades?) and created diversions in bars and candy stores. Its star began to fade in the 1970s with the rise of video games, the mechanics and…

AFC EAST DIVISION WINNER > Buffalo Bills The ghost of Scott Norwood came back to haunt Tyler Bass last season—he missed a field goal wide right in the playoffs, ending Buffalo’s Super Bowl dreams. More magic is needed from the mighty arm and legs of Josh Allen, who will be without temperamental Stefon Diggs (off to Houston) and deep threat Gabe Davis, who signed with Jacksonville. Look for more two-tight end sets. The secondary also lost three starters, all salary cap victims, but the Bills have stud running back James Cook returning after a 1,122-yard season. The Bills Mafia are eager for more. 2. New York Jets The Jets scored a mere 18 offensive TDs last season, the fewest for any team since 2012, and extended their playoff drought to…

In the front, there are hair cutters; in the back, cigar cutters. If you’re vacationing in Paris, love cigars and are looking for something different, then an establishment with the unusual name of Gentlemen 1919 is a place you might visit. It’s definitely for gentlemen. And 1919? Read on. From the outside, on a street in Paris’ central Eighth Arrondissement, not far from the Champs-Élysées, Gentlemen 1919 simply looks like a barber shop From the outside, on a street in Paris’ central Eighth Arrondissement, not far from the Champs-Élysées, Gentlemen 1919 simply looks like a barber shop behind a golden storefront door, with three barber chairs and even the opportunity for a shoeshine. And it is, in part, a barber shop, offering cuts for men the old-fashioned way, comb and…

95 ROMEO Y JULIETA CHURCHILL (1991) Iconic is not a word we use lightly, but it’s appropriate in this case. The Romeo y Julieta Churchill is one of Cuba’s most iconic cigars, and it’s named in honor of perhaps the most iconic cigar smoker in history—Winston Churchill. These Churchills have spent more than three decades in a dress box, giving them a lot of time to mellow. The first inch stays toasty and cedary before layers of fruit and graham cracker start to unfold. Spicy bursts of cinnamon and ground clove hint at this cigar’s previous power, but the pecan finish assures us that this old Romeo Churchill is as sophisticated and dignified as the person it’s named after. —Gregory Mottola 97 PUNCH DOUBLE CORONA (2019) This is a great…

It rained the day we picked up our 2024 Aston Martin DB12 Volante test car, a relentless drizzle that made the hills north of New York City into a misty approximation of the English countryside. A shame. “Volante” means “convertible” in Aston Martin’s vocabulary. The folding canvas roof was never uncinched, but that hardly felt like a sacrifice. The DB12 is an elegant, pulsepounding delight no matter the weather. The DB12 is all-new, but like a well-tailored suit, its style is timeless: long, pouncing hood, low roof, short trunk—the proportions that made James Bond’s mid-century DB5 an icon. Aston Martin calls the DB12 a “super-tourer,” one-upping the idea of a grand-touring car. In the old days, sports cars were best enjoyed in short spurts of driving bravado; grand-tourers gave up…

Newport, Rhode Island, has been a picturesque playground for the fabulously wealthy since the Gilded Age brought a string of magnificent seaside mansions. But while the historic New England enclave boasts its fair share of charming boutique hotels and romantic inns, only one property comes close to the status of resort: the recently renovated and reconstituted Newport Harbor Island Resort (formerly Gurney’s). Set apart from the town on Goat Island, about a mile from the colonial center, the property occupies 10 acres surrounded by water with spectacular views of the Newport Bridge spanning Narragansett Bay. The resort offers 258 guestrooms including 18 suites, multiple dining options, a spa, fitness center, meeting and event spaces, indoor and outdoor pools and a 22-slip marina. And there are plenty of spaces for a…

Cole Hauser looks like he can kick your ass. And kicking ass is the specialty of his most famous character, Rip Wheeler from the hit series “Yellowstone.” He’s the show’s man in black, his dark cowboy hat often coated in trail dust, shades hiding his intense eyes, black beard covering a mouth that seldom smiles. The absolute opposite of a pretty boy, he’s never chatty—and when he does talk it’s often with a bit of menace in his voice. He’s not the kind of guy to take a back seat to anything. “Yellowstone” is a modern-day Western and the most popular scripted series on television. It debuted in 2018 on Paramount, an unlikely network to spawn a hit, but quickly garnered an audience that now enjoys a viewership just shy…

From a hustling, boom-time cigar sales rep of the 1990s to a respected brand owner, Erik Espinosa’s rise to prominence has been slow, steady and far from easy. Born in Havana, the 57-year-old came to the United States when he was only three months old. His entry to the cigar industry was rocky, fraught with false starts and unsuccessful partnerships, but he never gave up. Today, he produces more than four million cigars a year in Nicaragua, many of which have appeared on our Top 25 lists. And now that he’s linked to celebrity chef Guy Fieri, Espinosa’s cigars enjoy a level of fame he’d never imagined. Cigar afiCionado managing editor Greg Mottola met with Espinosa at the magazine’s New York City offices to discuss his long journey in the…

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