Johnnie Walker House Beijing

December 7^th 2012, Beijing, China JOHNNIE WALKER, the world’s number one Blended Scotch Whisky is proud to announce the grand opening of ‘Johnnie Walker House Beijing’, the world’s largest embassy for luxury Scotch Whisky outside of Scotland.

Following the success of the first Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai last year and continuing the brand’s mantra of ‘Keep Walking’, the Johnnie Walker House Beijing is located at the prestigious Ch’ien Men and creates a highly contemporary space, rich in authentic whisky story-telling for the discerning consumer along with the opportunity to participate in the art of blending.

As the global Scotch whisky industry leader with nearly two centuries of whisky craftsmanship, Johnnie Walker House Beijing provides an unprecedented exclusive luxury whisky experience for consumers.

Visitors are immediately immersed in the JOHNNIE WALKER culture and can select and buy rare whisky as well as participate in the personalised blending sessions. By invitation only VIP patrons are given the opportunity to meet personally with John Walker and Son’s master blender, the soul of JOHNNIE WALKER whisky, to create bespoke blends according to their individual flavour preferences. 

For true exclusivity, 200 by-invitation memberships will be available for members to access exclusive lifestyle experiences as well as private sections of the House such as the Odyssey Lounge and Striding Man Bar. 

Excellence in blending is considered an art form amongst whisky connoisseurs. At Johnnie Walker House Beijing blending goes beyond the glass. The Distillery Bar, open to the public, nearly 10,000 copper pipes have been used to simulate a working distillery.  In selective areas of the House, guests are encouraged to create their own whiskey-inspired art, with the chance of being displayed as part of temporary exhibition.

Lake House - Luxury Villa in Portugal

click on the image to enlarge

This stunning property in Portugal is now on the market. For more information or to request a brochure, contact Chartwell Estates: michael@chartwellestates.co.uk or call +44 (0)20 7409 0533.

Academy Awards Menu by Wolfgang Puck

Located in Dorchester Collection’s latest London property, celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck’s CUT at 45 Park Lane will be offering diners the chance to celebrate the 85^th Academy Awards in true Hollywood style. A special menu will be created by Puck, who has famously cooked for screen icons after the Academy Awards for the previous 18 years. 

The Awards Season menu will be available for private parties in both the Penthouse Suite,  Media Room and restaurant, CUT at 45 Park Lane, on Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 February 2013.  Menu price and dishes will be revealed early in 2013 – customers can expect previous award season tributes such as Smoked Salmon on Oscar® Flatbread with Caviar and Crème Fraiche, and new dishes from the 2013 menu, the 19^th year Puck cooks for the stars.   

Alt-J and Nick Grimshaw at Baroque

Alt-J

On Thursday 6th December, super-exclusive Mayfair venue Baroque played host to yet another award winning music act; this time in the shape of British super group Alt-J. Supported by Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, who span the decks on the night. A host of other big names descended on Old Park Lane, including Natt Weller, an appearance from John Malkovich, über-cool band The Hurts and British model Suki Waterhouse who sported a red bow in her hair and looked enamoured with a mystery fella throughout the evening.

Gerry Calabrese and Nick Grimshaw

Having only been open since early October, Baroque has already welcomed top musical talent from across the globe through its doors, including The Kills, James Blake, Mark Ronson, Delilah and Marina and The Diamonds. Last night Alt-J followed in their footsteps and did not disappoint, reeling off a number of their popular hits, from award winning album 'An Awesome Wave'. The crowd cheered with delight as Tesselate, Fitzpleasure and Matilda were played. As one of their first performances since recently winning the Mercury Prize, the band said how excited they were to play at the venue.

L'Atelier de Courvoisier and the £95,000 bottle

by Sophie Mutevelian

Courvoisier is delighted to announce the launch of L'Atelier de Courvoisier - an explorative insight into its renowned aging cellar in Cognac. L'Atelier will celebrate the alchemy of this prestigious cognac: the meticulous craftsmanship of their master blender Patrice Pinet in bringing together regional grapes, copper pot stills, new oak barrels and intricate techniques to create this most precious liquid. This one-of-a-kind experience will take place in the exclusive Tasting Room in the Wine Shop on the lower ground floor of Harrods, London from Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 December.

our tasting experience began...

Each day between 12 and 4 p.m., brand ambassador Rebecca Asseline will be conducting tastings of Courvoisier's celebrated XO directly from the barrel and explaining the magic behind the brand. On Saturday 8 December, L'Atelier will play host to a one-off special evening, where guests will embark upon an immersive and educational journey through Courvoisier's rich heritage and alchemy, which we were lucky enough to try out. Starting with a bespoke cognac cocktail designed by Nathan Merriman (from The Ivy), followed by a tasting of Courvoisier XO and a rich food pairing. The tasting and educational experience ends with a chance to taste the limited edition Courvoisier Succession J.S., which was presented in a beautifully handcrafted wooden replica of Napoleon's War Chest and was only produced in 2,500 bottles. 

To finish our tasting experience with a bang, Rebecca Asseline unveiled the world's oldest bottle of Courvoisier cognac, bottled in 1789 (the year of French Revolution) and is exclusively on sale at Harrods for £95,000. Previously it was sold to Bay van der Bunt, who bought it from Sotheby's, and has kept it in his cellar up until now.

Chivas and 'Real Friends'

On the evening of the 29^th of November, Chivas Whisky held an evening of ‘Real Friends’ at the Bremont Boutique in South Audley Street. With Chivas cocktails flowing Neil Laughton and Jon Beswick gave an inspiring talk on their expedition to the South Pole and the bond forged on this trip.

Throughout the evening guests were treated to delicious canapés courtesy of Adam Byatt’s Trinity Restaurant team, who kept everyone fed and watered (whiskied) with a choice of cocktails; the Little Green Apple, Chivas Peach and Mint Green Tea, and Chivas Ginger and Pineapple.

The icy temperatures outside were nothing a Chivas couldn’t fix but also enhanced the ordeal that Neil and Jon had been through on their journey to the pole. Despite battling the Arctic temperatures and weather conditions that could have proved fatal, they succeeded in playing the first ever game of cricket at the South Pole, United Kingdom vs. ROW (the UK one by two wickets!)

After an evening filled with laughter, whisky and tales of friendship guests left feeling motivated and in awe of the ambitious feats that Neil and Jon accomplish through their drive, determination and friendship.

Jumeirah Living Christmas Tree

Mark Humphrey with his girlfriend, Astrid Gray (GM of Grosvenor House Apartments) and Camilla Kerslake

To celebrate its first Christmas, new luxury hotel concept Grosvenor House Apartments gave a unique take on turning on the lights; ‘Christmas at Home’.

Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living also unveiled what is undoubtedly London’s most innovative Christmas tree – Ice-circles, a sculpture created by leading artist designer Mark Humphrey exclusively for the luxury accommodation on Park Lane, London. The 3m tall work of art gave guests a modern and contemporary twist on a quintessential British Christmas; Ice-circles is fashioned from a series of perfectly-formed perspex circles which run from base to apex. A beautiful green light source emanates from the centre of the ‘tree’ giving a sense of traditional green foliage.

Crossover singer Camilla Kerslake, the first signing to Gary Barlow’s new record label, showed she’s got the X-Mas Factor with a special seasonal performance for residents and esteemed guests. 

Festive entertainment was also provided by The New London Children’s Choir and the Grosvenor Chapel, to usher Christmas in to the grand seven-storey vaulted Atrium that lies at the heart of the ‘hotel residence’.