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A Grandfather’s Legacy — Ron Abuelo
Quite literally translating to “grandfather”, Ron Abuelo can count itself as a founding pioneer of heritage rum. Forget coconut flasks and paper umbrellas. This sweet spirit hailing from the fertile fields of the Azuero Peninsula, Panama counts its very antiquity as its secret weapon. Don Jose Varela founded the country’s first sugar cane fields and…
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Midleton Very Rare — The Arboreal Nectar of Kylebeg Wood
Four ancient forests. Seven carefully chosen trees. A multitude of stories immemorial, given voice by way of cask and dram. Midleton – one of the world’s most revered makers of whiskey – have gone about their aging process in perhaps the most enchanting way we’ve yet witnessed. Their new range is called Dair Ghaelach, which…
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The Frozen Vignettes of Alex Prager
For much of her career, photographer Alex Prager has sought minute meaning in large, crowded compositions; often deftly nudging the viewer’s eye to a mischievously planted detail. Signatures on the cast of a high school football player, a bandage on the nose of a woman running in terror, the face in the reflection of a…
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Tercet — Born of Brotherhood
One would think that an institution as esteemed and established as Rémy Martin would have hit something of a(n extremely lofty) plateau by now. The legendary cognac house is nearly 300 years old. The fact they have lasted – or rather, dominated – for so long is not down to reaching pinnacle status and resting…
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Luxury Comes as a Standard — Hua Hin
Hua Hin is one of Thailand’s inaugural beach destinations and with such seniority, sophistication and depth come as primary benefits. It manages to strike a balance between built up and bucolic; for every postcard beach there is a grandstanding golf course. Authentic markets offset feverish waterparks and its proximity to Bangkok compared to other Thai…
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Welcome Home — Glenlivet’s New Crib
It’s a curious phenomenon, our resistance to change. Change, really, is the staple ingredient to improvement and is in fact the one-word definition of what nature is; so, naturally, there is nothing more natural. So why can it feel so wrong? I think the root of that pain in change is in an urgency to…
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Coachbuilt — The Boat Tail
For many, Lago di Como is seen as the honey pot for all things elegant and tasteful, as its tranquil waters circumnavigated by an undulating mountainous green backdrop provides the ultimate setting, perfect for any unveiling — especially one of this magnitude. It was there I travelled early October eschewing the customary UK downpour for…
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CHOPARD x BAMFORD
In a world waking up from a pandemic-induced stasis, the idea of anything frenetic might feel a little alien. There is a hangover of sorts; a squaring of eyes from over a year of experience having been boxed and scrolled through. Scrolled past might be a more pertinent term. There are few milestones since 2020…
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Rolls-Royce Cellarette — Where Cigars & Whisky meet
I must admit, it came as a big surprise to me to learn one of the industries most affected by the pandemic is the cigar market. In fact just yesterday morning, I received a received a message asking if I knew anyone that supplied Cohibas due to a shortage of cigars for a top client…
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Worth the Wait
You may have heard that little picture by the name of ‘No Time to Die’ is hitting theatres in two weeks. The new James Bond has been marred by COVID-induced delays and our anticipation has been equally feverish. Frustrating as the wait is, it’s good to know that Eon Productions et al are taking the…
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Benromach — A Dormant Dram Awakens On Speyside
In the north of Scotland, in an ancient town that strikes across the Moray coast, something has been lying dormant for the past 40 years. This isn’t the opening line to some Highland fable but it may as well be. The town in question – Forres – has been the scene of many mysterious events…
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Organic Architecture — Ilulissat Icefjord
The great American biologist E.O. Wilson says that if we are to safeguard the systems on which all species – including our own – depend, we must devote half of all available land mass to nature. Nature is forgiving. It will bounce back – if we let it. And nature, more than anything else, holds…
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Where to? — Cromwell Place
It’s a curious paradox that in times of crises we must prioritise pillars of survival over enjoyment. Healthcare, education and commerce have dominated our collective attentions these past couple of years and the world, by necessity, has been forced to take on a greyer complexion. However, it’s in these times of sparsity that the…