All photos courtesy of Highclere Castle Gin.
Celebrating the 100th Year Anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, Highclere Castle Gin is releasing a revolutionary blend of gin as well as another killer cigar made in conjunction with Foundation Cigars.
Howard Carter found the young king’s tomb in 1922. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon, George Herbert, funded the operation.
The first release of the Senetjer was in 2022 and only 2800 boxes of 12 hit the market. The next release is November 2023.
I am printing the Highclere Castle press release as who knows better what their intention is than the producer of the products…the industry sites sum it up nicely, but I don’t have their copywriting skills.
PRESS RELEASE:
“June 2022, Ellington, CT – Foundation Cigars crafted this rare blend to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun by the 5th Earl of Carnarvon of Highclere Castle and famed archaeologist Howard Carter.
“The Highclere Castle Senetjer was aptly named Senetjer, the ancient Egyptian word for” incense,” translating directly as “of the gods.” The Senetjer presentation box is a replica of the storage boxes discovered within Tutankhamun’s tomb to bring his worldly treasures to the afterlife. The custom-designed scarab representing the Egyptian god, Khepri was the symbol of rebirth. This scarab incorporates the equivalent of a modern-day monogram representing the name Tutankhamun.
“This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of my Great Grandfather, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon’s extraordinary discovery of the Pharoah Tutankhamun’s tomb in November 1922. To celebrate the centenary of this amazing find, we have created the Senejter blend, which is a homage to the cigars enjoyed by my family in the roaring twenties.” George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon.
“Highclere Castle Cigar co-founder Adam von Gootkin hired famous Egyptian archaeologists Colleen & John Darnell to advise on the project. “As a result, we have translated the Highclere Castle name into ancient hieroglyphics as presented on the box facing. The hieroglyphs express the exact translation of Highclere Castle into 3,000-year-old Egyptian as follows: “The Great Domain; she who is high, she who is bright, she who is clear.” Says Von Gootkin.
“Nicholas Melillo of Foundation Cigar Company masterfully crafted the Senejter blend for Highclere Castle. This cigar measures 6 3/4 x 52 and is a perfecto shape, uniquely packaged in 12-count boxes. “When you open this box, you will see “wonderful things.” Says Melillo. The cigar incorporates a 7th priming Habano Ecuador wrapper with a Brazilian Mata Fina binder. The filler tobaccos were specially selected and aged 3yrs from unique lots especially for this blend.
“The Senejter will be shown at this year’s PCA trade show (2022) in Las Vegas and will be available to specially selected retailers throughout the country this Fall.
Wrapper – Habano Ecuador 7th Priming
Binder – Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler – Undisclosed
Retail Price per cigar $33.00
MSRP per Box – $396.00
About Foundation Cigar Company:
“Foundation Cigar Company was formed by Nicholas Melillo in June of 2015 and debuted El Güegüense, The Wise Man – Corona, which was awarded among Cigar Aficionado’s ‘Top 25 Cigars’. The Company launched The Tabernacle, Charter Oak, and the infused line, The Upsetters, in 2016. In 2018, The Wise Man Maduro was named #3 Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado, and The Charter Oak was named Best Value Cigar. Foundation’s home offices reside in the Connecticut River Tobacco Valley, and its production is in Estelí, Nicaragua. Foundation Cigar Company’s goal is to bring top-quality premium cigars to connoisseurs worldwide.”
HIGHCLERE CASTLE BARREL AGED GIN:
Adam von Gootkin, Co-Founder of Highclere Castle Gin, wrote a wonderful article about how this monumentally acclaimed gin came to be as a one-time release of 2000 cases as an homage to the 100th Year Anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
You can click on Highclere Castle Gin to read the entire article. I am just stealing enough to entice you to finish the article on the Highclere Castle website:
“So, two years ago, we embarked on our little adventure. Since Highclere Castle Gin is so deliciously citrus forward, with its floral hints and rounded-out Oat-based velvet finish, it had the base makings of what could evolve into a rather lovely, aged spirit. Accordingly, I pondered and attempted to project out the future flavor profile from the “Whiskification” of our gin. If that isn’t a word yet, it damn well should be!
“I called my friend, Raj Bhakta, the founder of Whistle Pig and now founder of his glorious collection of Bhakta Armagnacs. I secured some 50 years + old Armagnac casks from his chateau in France. Je n’en reviens pas!
“Next, I wanted that salty complex smokey bottom note that only the beautiful Scots can provide – so we secured spent Scotch whiskey barrels.
“To round it all out with sweetness and a waft of the typical American boldness, we sourced new American oak barrels that would traditionally host new bourbon.
“The entire endeavor was a costly and real risk; barrel-aged gin is not an art yet perfected. So, I thought we would drink it ourselves if it didn’t work out.”
To read more about the birth of this once in a lifetime gin, click here.
To purchase the Highclere Castle Barrel Aged Gin, click here.
Watch this space for the next release of the Senetjer Cigar in November.
You should watch these two videos on YouTube made by Highclere Castle. They are gorgeous and fascinating.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
