Essentials: Downtime

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The day is over. Your work is through. The weekend approaches. There’s only one time left for you: Downtime. Every hardworking guy comes to understand at some point that it’s rest that gets us through life’s challenges—not just rest for the body, but for the mind and soul too. In that spirit, these are the six items that are making our downtime into a celebration of rejuvenation.

Relwen Windzip Jacket

Relwen Windzip Jacket

Take the comfort of snuggling into a sleeping bag under a starry sky, then turn that into a jacket—that’s exactly what Relwen’s Windzip Jacket feels like.

Made from a nylon and spandex blend, then stuffed with a dense 60 gram down alternative filling, the Windzip provides an ideal combination of stretch and warmth. But it’s breathable too, and weather resistant. We’ve practically been living in these jackets lately, and we don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

FantasticLand: A Novel

FantasticLand: A Novel

After donning your most comfortable jacket and sweats, kicking back in a lounge chair, and pouring yourself a glass of whiskey, there’s just one thing left to do: Dive into an entrancing novel. 

FantasticLand definitely fits the bill. A modern take on Lord of the Flies, this novel takes on the consequences of our increasingly digital society’s effect on young people’s lives. 

Broken up into four groups—the Pirates, the ShopGirls, the Freaks, and the Mole People—after a natural disaster leaves them stranded in a theme park, teenagers must find the real identities that lie beneath their digital facades. FantasticLand will definitely leave you thinking long after you close its covers.

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon

Speaking of whiskeys: You could do much worse than pouring yourself a glass (or two, or three) of Knob Creek’s Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon.

For well under 40 dollars, this specialty American whiskey has a lot of flavor and nuance to offer. Aged for nine and a half years, it’s bottled at 120 proof—giving it a seriously hefty body that works well served over ice or mixed into an Old Fashioned or Manhattan. 

Sipped on its own out of the appropriate glass (more on that in a moment), Knob Creek Single Barrel shows all the classic bourbon aromatics up front: A sweet medley of caramel, vanilla, and oak. But as the spirit rests on your palate, it opens up into new vistas of taste and aroma, with chocolate and citrus zest notes taking forming the body and a buttery soft finish that belies its higher proof.

Whiskey Peaks Mt. Everest Whiskey Glass

Whiskey Peaks Mt. Everest Whiskey Glass

To get the best out of your favorite bottles of whiskey, you’ll need the right glasses too. This not only gives the spirits room to breathe and release all their aromas, but makes the entire drinking experience more pleasurable thanks to a hefty weight and refined rim.

All of the glasses from Whiskey Peaks fit the bill as proper drinking glasses, but we’ve chosen the Mt. Everest edition for our downtime. Hand blown from lead-free glass, it completes the drinking experience with a glass relief of the world’s most famous mountain for you to admire.

Sonos Five Speaker

Sonos Five Speaker

To further enhance your ultimate chill time, we’ve also curated a selection of weekend playlists to go with your favorite downtime activities. And the best way to enjoy these songs might be through the Sonos Five Speaker, the brand’s most powerful wireless device. Three woofers and two side tweeters on each speaker provide real studio quality sound, all while maintaining a sleek profile and small footprint. Grab one for a portable listening experience, or two for a truly immersive sound system experience.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 2 Cigar

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 2 Cigar

And to cap it all off: A fine cigar to accompany your whiskey and tunes.

Arturo Fuente is a legend in the cigar industry, and they create some of the finest Dominican wrapper cigars in the business. The Don Carlos No. 2 Cigar is an even finer version of their already popular cigars, hand-selected by Carlos Fuente Sr. for maximum enjoyment. Earth, cedar, oak, and espresso notes show themselves at different points through the cigar’s long and luxurious smoke, so kick back, relax, and take it slow.

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