FINALLY!!! A #cigarSunday on an actual honest to goodness Sunday!! No Saturday substitutions this week. It was a great Sunday for it also, of course we got nailed again with a massive snow storm on Friday, which usually means the next day is full of sunshine and rainbows, well maybe not the rainbows, but it was a beautiful Nova Scotia Sunday. I even killed my first mosquito of the year. Not sure how there can be massive piles of snow around AND mosquitos but its the maritimes so really anything is possible.
This being the last #cigarSunday of March, and it being my indoor triathlon day, I thought i would treat myself to a new Scotch. 
At the liquor store on Saturday i did not have any time to really look or research like i typically do, i had to go on gut instinct. A quick search, a quick read and i was in for the Aberfeldy 12 year old single malt. It is made by the Dewars Company so i figured it was a safe bet, at about 50$ a bottle i also figured i couldnt get hurt to badly on it if I didnt like it as the price point was lower then most of the others taking up space on the shelf.
Now having been disappointed with the last pairing i tried with the Don Thomas Maduro Robusto ( paired with Kilbeggan) as the whiskey didnt really hold up flavour wise with the cigar, i thought i would try it with the Aberfeldy.
So a brief trip to the Aberfeldy website promises a "Medium Amber color with aromas of potpourri, raisin, honey and vanilla on the palate and that the flavours develop into hot apple, butterscotch, baking spice with a lingering not of sweet vanilla in the finish." Wondrering if they could have fit any more flavours into the description or did the author get paid extra per example. A little much guys.
Anywho, it did have a great flavour on its own, might have missed the potpourri ( i thought that was only a thing for bathrooms in the 80's or a category on Jeopardy) I did get the vanilla both on the nose and in the finish.
It also paired well with the stronger flavour of the Maduro Robusto. The Robusto has a deep leather flavour and that coupled with the vanilla notes from the Aberfeldy was really quite a nice combo.
The only down side was the cigar itself in terms of how it burned. It was really odd, as it did not happen with the other ones I have smoked but this one almost felt hollow in the middle and burned on an angle the entire time. I hate when that happens as you have to try and almost smoke around the cigar as to get the other side to burn back to evens. I am going to chalk it up to just a bad single cigar, and give it another go in the future, because the combination of this scotch and this cigar did go very nicely together.
I am really running out of cigar options for our local store so i may have to hit the internet to come up with some other options for cigars. There seems to be a couple of cigar shops in Halifax, so a trip there may be in order in the near future.
It being Easter Sunday next weekend, I am hoping to maybe have an Easter theme next week, maybe a scotch shot hunt around the yard. 
Sorry kids, not sure what happened to your father, he went looking for scotches in the woods an hour ago. Follow the ACDC songs and you may find him. Okay maybe that is not the best plan.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

I may have said this before, but my job is difficult to explain. The reason I love my job is first and foremost the people i get to work with each year, and the fact that it is never dull or the same. I always like to keep challenging myself as you may have guessed. I like the idea of being apart of something that is bigger then myself and is, at its core about making the experiences of others better.
Every year, with this job, we have a new team of leaders step to the plate and take on the good, bad and everything in between that the organization has to offer. Each year we work to pass on what the team, and teams before them have learned, successes and challenges they have faced, traps to avoid, and how to succeed as a team for the benefit of the organization and the members it supports. 
We typically do this over a period of a couple months starting in late March and going through the whole month of May. We affectionately call it transition weekend.
So having got my workouts in for this week and knowing that Sunday was going to be impacted again by work commitments, I decided to take #cigarSaturday on the road this week.
I also thought that it would be a good opportunity to let some others try some cigars that may have never had them before.
For the cigars i selected the Don Thomas Muduro Robusto and the Don Thomas Classico. I figured the light/medium flavour of the Classico would be good for those that hadnt had a cigar before and the I have not had the Robusto, but have been a fan of its big brother the Presidente.
To accompany my cigar I chose Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey. This is a whiskey that we started carrying in one of our operations and through it would good to try.
My first impression of the Robusto was that it had a really full flavour. It has a great slow burn, and an easy pull which i like.
It did not, however, go well with the Killbeggan. 
I liked the Killbeggan on its own, very easy drinking with mild notes and almost sweet tasting. This sweet mild quality though did not stand up or compliment the bold flavour of the Robusto. To be honest i think a Red Wine like a Shiraz or a Noir would have been the best compliment but in terms of brown liquors something with a medium flavour would have been best to engage the palate a little bit more.
As you can see from the pictures I did have some friends join in the #CigarSaturday fun this week. Most had had a cigar before with mixed experiences and mostly those of the 'white owl' or 'flavoured' variety. So it was really fun to see them experience more of a classic profile cigar. Again some mixed experiences, but at least half started what they finished and enjoyed the flavour. I tried not to bore them with cigar jargon but just enjoy the moment of having others try something new.
It was great to have some company for the second week in a row, have some great chats over a beverage and a cigar, welcome the new leaders and introduce them to the organization and start the process to say goodbye to the leaders that worked their collective butts off on behalf of the members that they represent. 
To every season.....
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Slainte! And a happy pre-St.Patricks Day to all youse fellow Irish descendent peeps out there in the world. I was going to provide a history lesson today on St. Patricks Day, but as most people could care less and, really just want to enjoy a day to have the excuse to booze it up, dress in green, and listen to 'Barrets Privateers' on repeat, I will let the history lesson go. 
Having been in the bar industry for many years, I can tell you that St.Patricks Day is both a blessing and a curse. It usually provides a boost in sales, but can make for a very long day of repetitive music, dealing with those that do not know how to pace themselves with the drink, and most likely ending their shift looking like they have been rubbing the Incredible Hulk in an inappropriate way as their hands are completely green from cleaning up food colouring spills.
I absolutely do not miss these days.
I am extremely happy to have gotten all my workouts in this week before today ( Sunday) so that a #cigarSaturday could be had. As I write this, again i am staring out our kitchen window as mother nature dumps another massive amount of snow on Nova Scotia. I can not see our road and can barely see our front deck anymore. After getting an unexpected 20-25cm only a couple of days ago, this is really just adding insult to injury now. Isnt it supposed to be spring?
To all those out there saying, see global warming isnt a thing because we are still getting an 'old fashioned winter' think again, these weather patterns are not normal and are a direct cause of how messed up the eco balance of the world currently is. Okay that is about as hippy moment as you will get from me. Sorry about that.
Now on to the good stuff.
So last week I through it out there that i was looking for some suggestions for an Irish Whiskey to try in honour of St. Patricks Day coming up this week. My friend Rob suggested I give Tullamore DEW a try. His selling point to me was that it had a faint Baileys quality and had a great smooth flavour, well how could i not give that a go?
So this week I tried Tullamore DEW for the first time and i paired that with the Don Thomas Maduro Presidente ( yes again).
I promise to give another cigar a chance next week, but i am seriously loving the Presidente. So Tullamore DEW ( DEW stands for Daniel E. Williams) Daniel started at the Tullamore distillery in the lower ranks, worked his way up to be the General Manager and eventually owner, and proudly marked every bottle D.E.W. There is a nice quote on the website from him:
"Success does not come to those who desire it most, but to those that care deeply about what they do, and feel compelled to create."
In terms of the whiskey, it really did have a nose similar to the smell Baileys, it has a great flavour on the tongue, very smooth in the finish with a little citrus and a little peppery bite. I am now a fan.
It paired extremely well with the cigar and was the perfect compliment to the awesome day to which we experienced when enjoying both. I say we because I had some visitors on this #cigarSatruday. My friend Rob and his brother in law Robert came by for a beverage and to enjoy sitting out in the sun on the deck. Now neither had a cigar but I was unprepared with no extras in the house so that was my fault. Bad host, bad host. But nonetheless, we had a great time sitting out on a beautiful day, and had some great chats. Rob brought over a Scotch that i hadnt had before, and I cant remember the name for the life of me right now, but i did have a little sniff ( about an ounce) of it and it had a great medium flavour and gave that great warmth that scotch can give to the cockles of your heart.
I should mention that my wife and former sweetheart did come out and join us for a beverage and she really enjoyed the Tullamore DEW as well, so i know this will be another staple in our ever growing liquor menagerie.
Also our dog Rob escaped the confines of the house for a brief period so we were up to 3 Robs at one point. That is the most Robs we have ever had at the house at any one time, so a new Rob record was established yesterday. These are the Robs I know I know, these are the Robs I know. 
Next week #cigarSunday will again be on a Saturday and from a secret location. I would tell you where, but i would have to Men in Black flashy thing you and that wouldnt be good. 
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Have you ever gone through the drive threw (thru) somewhere and the person you are with makes you laugh. Not a giggle or chuckle, but a fun on fit of laughter? My wife and I actively try and do this to one an other from time to time. Usually based on past experiences and when the other is not suspecting it. Well I got got.
Earlier in the week we were picking up dinner from a local fast food place. We are discussing all that happened in our day and all that we still had left to do before head hit pillow. As my wife is completing the debit transaction she mentions that she plans on taking a bath later as she hands the terminal back to the drive thru staff, to which i say, I dont think she really cares if you need a bath or not. We start to laugh quite hard, leaving this poor staffer with a strange look on her face, and we pretty much laugh all the way home. This was Wednesday.
So a couple days later we are at another drive thru to obtain our morning starter of tea for me and coffee for her. I am in the drivers seat on this morning and as i am beginning to rhyme off our order i get out a large tea with 3 milk and a whisper from the other side of the car says ' and a bath' . Well thats it. I loose it. I laugh my way through her coffee requirements and the staff person on the intercom asks me to repeat my order again. I am in tears because all i can think of is a tea with three milk and a bath.
Having pity on me the staff person tells me to pull ahead. 
I cant stop laughing, to the point i am crying now. We pull up to the window both laughing hysterically.
I sure this isnt the first time this has happened and we are not greeted with any animosity or displeasure but wry smiles and an are you sure you are okay in there look.
We giggle our way to work, and I am plotting my revenge as I write this.
This has absolutely nothing to do with #cigarSunday/Saturday but i thought i would use this as an opportunity to warn others when traveling with my wife to beware the whispered comments from the passenger seat. She will try and mess with you.
This week, again, work commitments were going to not allow for a #cigarSunday so work out schedule was adapted to make sure that a #cigarSaturday would serve in its stead. Which is okay because Saturday was a nice enough day, but Sunday was a ' beaut Clarke a real beaut'.
So this week i took my own recommendation and tried the Don Thomas Presidente Maduro again ( seriously one of my new favorites) and Famous Grouse blended whiskey.
I was told a number of years ago that Famous Grouse should be your Monday - Thursday drink and save the good stuff for the weekend. Nothing wrong with it, it is very easy drinking and is one of the spirits i keep in stock in my home bar all of the time. It has a mild pepper start and and leaves a mellow taste in your mouth on the finish. It was a very good pairing with the Maduro and went down pretty quickly with the smokey warm flavor of the cigar. My only problem is i wish i would have brought more out to the buried, snow covered deck when i went outside. 
Going to be looking for an Irish whiskey to feature next week, so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated, other then Jamesons which i have already featured.
Sean"BigBoyRunning"Ryan

Yes okay, East Coast Lifestyle is a brand of clothing, you wouldnt have to throw a rock very far on any campus on Walmart in the maritimes without hitting someone with one of the hoodies on but to me and many other maritimers it is more then a $60 article of clothing or a fashion trend, it is an outlook, a way of doing things that makes people from this side of Canada distinctly east coast.
I have come to appreciate this place and these things as I have lived, worked and had a family here.
While i did spend most of my pre-teen and teen years in Ontario, both my mom and dad sides of the family were predominantly in Nova Scotia. So many a summer was spent with an annual pilgrimage to visit our relatives for a couple or weeks or more.
It wasnt until 16-17 that we moved out East to Nova Scotia that I started to figure out all the benefits and amazing things that being associated with Nova Scotia could bring.
My initial reaction at 17 to moving here was not great, the thought of moving and being away from friends at that time in life was tough to handle, they had to bring in my grandmother to break the news to me and admittedly I didnt take it well.
A couple tears, a large hole in a wall, and the circumstances of the day pressing down, it was really the only way to go. So we went.
While that kind of change was hard, it was really the best decision that anyone could have made at the time. There were definately some transition issues in moving from a town of 28000 to a town of 2000 people, but everything positive in my life can be linked to that move. 
So now some 20+ years later I feel like i can include myself in what being from the East Coast entails. Anyone from here or visits here for a while loves it. If you can let go of your own crap, and enjoy the moment you are in then you get a taste of the east coast lifestyle. I try and find these moments each and everyday. This is probably why #cigarSunday has become such a thing for me while i have been training. By the nature of #cigarSunday it goes against every thing i am doing training and health wise, but it also allows me to stop, take a breath of non-filtered cigar air, and have a taste of goodness in a glass outside, no matter the weather, no matter the time of day and enjoy that moment. The successes from that week, and laugh at some of the fails of that week.
So this week ( 4 days ago) I got to try a new cigar the Don Thomas Maduro Presidente and i paired it with Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey.
The cigar was probably the largest in length that i have ever smoked at 7.5 inches. It had a great burn time and the draw was very smooth, not quite mild flavor but not quite medium level either. This will be a great cigar for the summer. It did not burn fast either which is a huge plus and the cost was around $7 - which i was worried about when i bought it that it was going to be awful because of the low price point. Glad to say it was a great smoke. Pairing was a little off though. 
I really enjoy Bulleit Bourbon, the recommendation to try it came from a friend of mine that really enjoys the brown liquors so I knew i would like it to.
It has a high rye content which gives it a unique and for lack of a better word a strong flavor on the initial taste but finishes really smooth. It has the color of toffy and definately carries those notes towards the end of the taste. The stronger start though with this cigar was not really jiving though. 
I probably should have gone with something like a blended Scotch like Famous Grouse or 40 Creek Whiskey.
As i will be trying this cigar again, I will try one of those with it the next time.
All of this though was completely seconded by the beautiful day that last Saturday was. I had all my workouts complete on Saturday as Sunday was going to be a busy family day, and am i ever thankful. The sun was out, there was very little wind and both my wife and I were excited to dig out our deck chairs from the piles of snow and sit on the deck and enjoy the sun. We couldnt have asked for a better day and such a nice break from the litany of snow storms we have endured this year. 
To me this sums up perfectly what East Coast Lifestyle means; sitting in a lawn chair, in a snow bank, with a cigar and drink in hand, having a laugh and a chat with a blue sky overhead and the faint smell of salt in the air, even if there is 5-8 feet of snow all around you, letting go of your other cares and enjoying the moment you are in.
Sean"BigBoyRunning" Ryan