Yamazaki limited edition Tsukuriwake selection 2022 June 28, 2022 Yamazaki was Japan’s first whisky distillery, blazing a trail by producing multiple styles at the same site, so that it could blend whiskies of depth and complexity, with a delicacy that would appeal to Japanese palates. At first they did this out of necessity. As the sole whisky distillery in the country, they could not [...]
The alpha and omega of single malt whisky June 24, 2022 Diageo controls the world’s largest, most diverse portfolio of Scottish whiskies. With access to more than 9 million casks from around 30 distilleries – some of which are long closed – they can really roll out the barrel with their special releases, and that’s what they’re doing now with the third iteration of Prima & [...]
Break for lunch at Bibo, home to sophisticated Spanish fare June 16, 2022 Sometimes a Pret sandwich at your desk does not cut it, so I headed to Shoreditch’s Bibo to try its express tapas and a cheeky couple of glasses. The interior is beautifully done, with its wall-long copper kitchen glowing behind the central gilded bar, and shoals of white fish hung above the tables. This is [...]
New winemakers taking Macon by storm June 15, 2022 The Macon has been referred to as “the unknown cousin of Burgundy”, but with prices soaring all over Bourgogne it is worth taking stock, literally, of these delicious wines and some of the bold, new winemakers taking over the region. Though Burgundy can be seen as the old-school seat of traditional winemaking, a younger generation [...]
From banking to baking: How Austrian cuisine came to Islington June 15, 2022 Burn-out often leads to career change. So it was when Hubert Zanier tired of being an investment banker and instead dedicated his working life to schnitzels, strudels and other Austrian classics. He now runs Islington’s Austrian restaurant and patisserie Kipferl (German for croissant). “Kipferl started life as a small delicatessen near Smithfield. It quickly gained [...]
Revolve brings a buzzy brasserie to bustling Broadgate Circle June 15, 2022 Imagine Magaluf but populated entirely by people who work in finance – that’s Broadgate Circle on a balmy summer evening. It’s a mad, sweaty cauldron full of pink-faced men drinking lager and gently glistening in the heat. Take a step back from the epicentre and you’ll find a second, slightly elevated circle of bars and [...]
Scotch on the blocks: The world’s most expensive whisky auction June 10, 2022 Sotheby’s has partnered with spirits giant Diageo to sell what could be the most expensive casks of Scotch whisky ever sold at auction. The casks in question are two of the rarest single malts in existence, from two of Scotland’s most legendary distilleries; a 1979 Port Ellen, from the island of Islay, and a 1982 [...]
London becomes fourth most expensive city in the world: Rent, petrol and cooking oil drive cost of living June 9, 2022 A perfect storm of rising inflation, the war in Ukraine and soaring house prices and rent, have turned London in to a pressure cooker of expense, making it the fourth most costly place to live in the world. London move up one place according to new research about cost of living for expatriates around the [...]
The A-Z of wine: H is for… Hunter Valley June 9, 2022 Our alphabetical tour of the wine world continues with a trip Down Under to find a hidden gem in Hunter Valley What’s this then? A bit of a niche area this week, because it turns out that when you commit to the rigid structure of an alphabet-themed series there’s always one letter that throws a [...]
As World Gin Day looms, we ask: Is the gin craze 2.0 finally over? June 8, 2022 World Gin Day is a relatively new phenomenon. Founded in 2009 by London-based gin enthusiast and educator Emma Stokes – the author of The Periodic Table of Cocktails, also known as Gin Monkey – it is intended as “a global celebration of all things gin”. The gin boom of recent years means that consumers are [...]