Whisky tourism gets sophisticated December 7, 2011 FOR anyone fancing a trip north to whisky’s Scottish heartland, prestige brand the Dalmore is taking the tourist experience to a rather exciting new level. The company has dropped a whopping £1m on souping up its Northern Highlands HQ to include an interactive experience that’s part science museum, part rock concert, part Tron. Amid lasers [...]
Glossary of whisky terms: December 7, 2011 SCOTCH WHISKY: By law, Scotch whisky must be matured for at least three years and a day in oak casks before it can be defined as whisky SINGLE MALT: Single malt whisky is whisky made from three ingredients (malted barley, water and yeast) distilled at a “single” distillery. It is not blended or mixed with [...]
Central bank independence won’t last December 5, 2011 SLOWLY but surely, the case for central bank independence is being undone. It may not look like it, with central bankers being afforded even greater powers than before the recession, but we are probably at the high watermark of their influence and autonomy. At some stage, as it becomes clear that monetary policy has turned [...]
Christmas gift guide December 1, 2011 • Stocking fillers • Gadgets • Ages 16-24 • For men • For women
STAYING COSY December 1, 2011 SPENCER HART SLIPPERS, £550 Bespoke midnight blue velvet slippers with black silk grosgrain trim from the cool kid of Savile Row. www.spencerhart.com UNIQLO CASHMERE SCARF, £24.90 Super-soft, affordable love for your neck. shop.uniqlo.com TOPMAN XMAS SOCKS, £3 Irresistably cute and cuddly. www.topman.co.uk BANANA REPUBLIC RUFFLE TRIM GLOVE, £17.50 Snug, girly and elegant. bananarepublic.gap.eu
FOR THE KITCHEN December 1, 2011 JOHN LEWIS CONNOISSEUR GLASSWARE COLLECTION £20-£35 An affordable way to make your parties stylish. www.johnlewis.co.uk MUJI OLIVE WOOD MORTAR & PESTAL, £14.95 Nifty little vessel for crushing herbs and…whatever else. www.muji.eu TIFFANY & CO MUG, £25 The ultimate receptacle for hot drinks has to be a Tiffany mug decorated with London’s most famous sights. www.tiffany.co.uk SWISSGOLD [...]
TASTY TREATS December 1, 2011 MAISON DU CHCOLAT CHOCOLATE COFFRETS, £40.50-£170 This “Christmas in Paris” set of divine chocolates shows off the French chocolatier’s famous ganaches. www.lamaisonduchocolat.co.uk PIERRE MARCOLINI XMAS TREE BOX OF CHOCCIES, £26 Praline-filled chocs in double milk, pistachio nuts and nougat flavours. www.marcolini-eboutique.com PIERRE HERME 40-MACARON ASSORTMENT, £71 A gift box from the legendary Parisian macaroon man [...]
ON TREND December 1, 2011 PRADA CANDY, £71 (80MLS) Spicy and fun new one from Prada. At all major retailers. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN CLASSIC SILK SCARF, £165 A snazzy way to pay tribute to the late designer – and the the persistent skull trend. www.harveynichols.com VALENTINO VALENTINA, £71 The new scent from Valentino is floral and delicate, like a summer’s day. [...]
AUDIO VISUAL December 1, 2011 OPTOMA DS211 PROJECTOR, £220 A compact, durable projector for movies, presentations and – if you must – slide shows. Amazon.co.uk MONITOR AUDIO iDECK 100, £300 A premium but not unaffordable iPhone dock that will give you crystal clear sound. monitoraudio.co.uk ZUMREED X2 HYBRID HEADPHONES, £108 Join the fashion for gigantic headphones with this cherry red [...]
MOBILES December 1, 2011 SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS, FREE WITH £34 CONTRACT* Google and Samsung’s latest tie-up is their best yet – a great Android advert. google.co.uk/nexus APPLE IPHONE 4S, FREE WITH £36 CONTRACT* The original – and probably still the best – blockbuster smartphone, the 4S is the gadget to have. apple.com/uk MOTOROLA RAZR, FREE WITH £36 CONTRACT* Motorola [...]