The Macallan is one of Scotland's most popular whisky distilleries and its rare aged bottlings have become some of the world’s most collected and expensive whiskies on the planet. Founded back in 1824 it has been a stalwart of Highland whisky ever since. More recently it has been at the forefront of the Scotch whisky revival and its 1926 release hit the headlines all over the world by becoming the most expensive whisky bottle sold at auction for an astronomical $1.9 million dollars. The Macallan's history 
The Macallan distillery was founded in 1824 by farmer Alexander Reid and became one of the few licensed distilleries following the Excise Act of 1923. In 1868, James Stuart took over the distillery and rebuilt it. Stuart ran the site until 1892, when Roderick Kemp, a distilling giant who previously owned the Talisker distillery, took over and led the distillery to success.  Kemp’s ancestors managed the distillery for over a century, until 1994 when the Highland Distillers Group took ownership. Finally, in 1999 the Edrington Group took control and Macallan led the company to unprecedented growth. Most recently, in January 2020, Suntory, a long-time partner of Edrington, acquired a 10% share in the group.  Through well-placed advertising, marketing, and brand-building, The Macallan has managed to draw in young professionals to the brand, a sector that previously had little interest in whisky. From the turn of the millennium, the Macallan brand has gone from strength to strength, positioned today not only as a premium spirit but a luxury brand. The early 2000s saw the team at Edrington build the brand’s fanbase by launching a single-cask program, the Exceptional 1. This increased rarity and exclusivity beyond widely available age statements and would go on to be one of the most successful ranges under the brand.  The Macallan's collectability On their journey to becoming the most collected single malt Scotch whisky in the world, the brand released many different ranges, each with different receptions. To this day, the Macallan collaboration with Lalique on the Six Pillars set and the Macallan 72 Year Old are two of the main drivers of their global success and they gained notoriety in different Asian markets. To show the steep growth of the Macallan’s collectability we need only look at a Christie’s auction which took place in 2007. At that time, the Macallan 1926 sold for $US75,000. In December 2019, the same bottle sold for $US1.9 million, breaking the world
record for the most expensive whisky bottle ever sold.   Of the 40 bottles to be released of the Macallan 1926 – 12 of the bottles were released with a label created by Italian artist Valerio Adami, and 12 were released with a label created by Peter Blake, most famous for his artwork for The Beatles. The Peter Blake labelled Macallan hit the headlines with the sale of a set at Le Clos at Dubai airport for $US1.2 million. The same year saw a bottle of Valerio Adami 1926 sell at auction in Edinburgh for over $US1 million and at the end of 2018, a one-of-a-kind 1926 bottle designed by Irish artist, Michael Dillon, sold for $US1.5 million at Christie’s in London.  The records broken at auction for Macallan can be listed by the dozen these days, what is clear the Macallan’s growth as a collectable is astounding. Such a feat isn’t achieved overnight, and while the brand attracts much criticism from the whisky fanatics, its impact on the industry is real. Many whisky fans believe the quality of the spirit has dropped, as the brand continues to shift away from age-statements to NAS expressions. This wouldn’t
be an issue, but many of these NAS products are seen by many as largely overpriced.
 The brand invests greatly in advertising, PR, and events, in order to make the Macallan product match the luxury brand it’s perceived to be. Just last year, over £140 million went into opening the new Macallan distillery, a state-of-the-art facility that took years of planning and building. The new site again hit the headlines and has attracted thousands of
visitors the world over since the site opened.  While not singlehandedly, the Macallan brand has helped lift the entire Scotch whisky market into the luxury sector and allowed many other Scottish whisky brands to raise their price tags and grow in global markets. Some of the best buys from the Macallan include: Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Year-Old (2019) The Macallan 18 Year Old is a classic and one of the best expressions to taste for a well-rounded, deep understanding of the Macallan and their use of premium sherry casks hand-picked from Jerez. The Macallan has long been known for the rich depth that comes from their skilful creation of sherry-forward whiskies and the rich depth of the 18-year-old is a perfect example and what they can do. While many of the higher-aged expressions from
the Macallan are hard for most to open up, due to their rapidly appreciating value, the 18-year-old is still at a price that allows fans and collectors alike to open and savour without a heavy heart. Tasting notes: Rich dried fruits burst through on the nose, with figs, raisins, and a touch of roasted nuts all from the influence. The palate brings hints of citrus alongside the rich fruit, joined by warm spices, and a touch of oak.  Macallan Edition 4 The Edition series by the Macallan, now on its 5th Edition, has grown increasingly popular over the years, both as a collectable and a range to drink. As each new Edition launches, the previous ones grow more expensive. Today, the Edition 1 sells for over 10 times its original value upon release in 2015. Out of all, the Macallan Edition 4 is one of the most balanced
in the series, and includes liquid aged in seven different types of sherry casks. An affordable and very enjoyable dram.  Tasting notes: The nose opens with walnuts and dates, a touch of orange peel and some orchard fruits. The palate is rich and smooth with honey, milk chocolate, and a hint of winter spice. The finish brings more spice, paired with citrus and rich sherry.  Browse all current Macallan listings or explore more Editorial 

We explore the history of The Macallan Speyside distillery and chart its incredible commercial success in the recent Scottish whisky revival and what today remains the best buys from the distillery. 

Exploring The Macallan, one of Scotland's most popular whisky distilleries, and its rare aged bottlings that are some of the world’s most collected spirits

The Macallan producer portrait 

The Macallan: producer portrait

Japanese whisky shortages have made the headlines once again and these days, it no longer comes as a shock to see another iconic Japanese whisky discontinued.  Over the past twenty years a fanatic, ever-growing fan base has risen around Japanese whisky. While the category deserves nothing less, this increased popularity continues to deplete the remaining stock from Japan's largest and most popular producers. 
 Following the footsteps of the Hibiki 12, Hibiki 17, Hakushu 12-year-old, and aged Yoichi and Miyagikyo expressions, Nikka has just announced the discontinuation of the Taketsuru Pure Malt blended range. The entire Taketsuru range will be coming off the shelves, from the affordable Taketsuru Pure Malt NAS, to the multiple award-winning aged expressions, the
25, 21, and 17-year-old. In 2019, Nikka also discontinued their popular Nikka Coffey Malt, Coffey Grain, and Nikka 12.  Discontinuations of Japanese whisky come almost every other month. Yet, for such a successful category, led by some of the world’s largest drinks companies one question arises - Why is this happening? After Suntory's Yamazaki 12-year-old brought in the first international award at the 2003 International Spirits Challenge, the floodgates opened, and accolades for Japanese whisky haven't stopped since. “World’s best single malt”, “World’s best blended whisky”, “World’s best single cask single malt”; Japan has topped almost every style category. Yet, before this success on the global stage the Japanese whisky industry was suffering. The rise of beer and Japan's own spirit, shochu, in the ‘80s saw whisky sales crash domestically. Being a rather closed-off nation, Japanese whisky makers like Suntory and Nikka never imagined their products would be sought after abroad and thus continued to produce whisky with the newly uninterested, domestic market in mind.  Production was dramatically reduced, and this has caused the current lack of well-aged stock we are experiencing today. Nikka, who has now stopped producing the Taketsuru range, halted production at their distilleries for two years. The late 80s were a period of great economic strain and uncertainty for the Japanese whisky industry and while most pushed forward, some distilleries had to shut down near the turn of the millennium. One such
case was the Karuizawa distillery, and the events surrounding this brand after its closure truly speak for Japanese whisky as a whole. After the aforementioned awards, the world began to notice Japanese whisky. Suntory led the charge with the Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Hakushu brands while Nikka came through with punchier, more Islay-esque expressions from Yoichi. Karuizawa’s remaining stock, in the hands of some successful and forward-thinking entrepreneurs, grew into one the most collected whisky brands in the world today. Awards, interest, and companies with a goal to push Japanese whisky abroad dynamically entered the industry and today Japanese whisky
is one of the rarest, most admired categories in the global whisky industry. Karuizawa has topped the charts, with their very final casks expected to be bottled in 2020. Suntory and Nikka continue to remove their most famed expressions from the shelves, further indicating that their dwindling supply means they are also likely to be discontinued at some point in the near future.  However, smaller producers, like the Chichibu distillery, have amassed a cult-like fan base despite producing and releasing much younger aged whiskies. The popularity surrounding no age statement or young three to eight-year-old releases, show that age in Japanese whisky is not everything. Well not exactly - with an age statement attached, prices skyrocket. The Taketsuru discontinuation shows clearly that Japanese whisky's popularity is continuing, and producers still can't keep up.  From a collector's point of view, the news will only see the prices of Taketsuru Pure Malt rise and as a result, this will bring up most other Japanese blended whiskies with it. For drinkers, sadly, this will make one of their favourite, go-to expressions harder to find and quite a bit
pricier. The tale of Japanese whisky has been an eventful one, to say the least. While discontinuations and stock depletion isn't the best news for whisky lovers, it’s all part of the story that has made Japan’s whisky what it is. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are on the horizon. Rumour has it many distilleries will be releasing special bottlings and hosting events as the world's eye focuses on Tokyo. Looking ahead, 2020 may be the most exciting year for Japanese whisky yet, so stay tuned. Discover all currently available Japanese whisky or read more Editorial

We explore the ever-increasing supply and demand issues currently plaguing Japanese whisky producers. 

Examining the ever-increasing supply and demand issues plaguing Japanese whisky, including the discontinuation of Nikka's Taketsuru range and Coffey series

Exploring Japanese whisky shortages 

Caught short: Japanese whisky 

We caught up with Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy on all the latest developments at Domaine Leroy and discussed the 2019 vintage, which is set to be one of the lowest yields she has ever produced in the Côte de Beaune. There are some fantastic wines this year from both Domaine d’Auvenay and the Maison Leroy Collection, including a mixed vintage red, coming exclusively from vintages in the nineties, predominantly 1999, originally released to celebrate the millennium. On arriving in Burgundy we headed straight to Maison Leroy situated in the village of Auxey Duresses. There we met with Frédéric Roemer and Gilles Desprez (Lalou’s right-hand men) to taste the wines destined to be released as part of the Maison Leroy Collection later this month. The range this year is smaller than usual but what its lacks in volume it makes up for in quality as well as variety.
 The Maison Leroy Collection 2020 The wines as always were selected by Lalou, based on them all entering into their ideal drinking window with the youngest vintage of white being the 2012 Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru and a selection of reds from 2003 – Maranges, Aloxe Corton and Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru. Two exceptional non-vintage releases are also included in the collection this year, a mixed vintage white wine called “Fleurs de Vignes” and a mixed vintage red called “Hommage à l’An 2000”.  This marks just the second-ever release of “Fleurs de Vignes” (the first bottling of this blend was released in 2015) and is composed of three different vintages of Bourgogne Blanc blended with Puligny 1er Cru Champ Gain.  The “Hommage a L’An 2000”, is a unique Pinot Noir blended by Lalou, originally released in 2004 to celebrate the millennium, comprised of a mixture of Bourgogne Rouge cuvée and a number of unspecified village crus, all exclusively from vintages in the 90s with the majority of the wine coming from the 1999 vintage. This special bottling will come with a gold capsule and each bottle is individually numbered. NV Bourgogne Rouge “Hommage a l’An 2000”, Maison Leroy (2020 Release)
Complex nose with both fresh red berry fruit aromas complemented by more earthy, savoury, forest floor and dried cigar leaf notes. Lovely density on the palate with a broad fruit spectrum from candied red berry to savoury dried leather and animal notes. Very elegant on the finish and lots of vibrancy too. NV Bourgogne Blanc "Fleurs de Vignes”, Maison Leroy (2020 Release)
Superb nose, very expressive with aromas jumping from the glass; rich, yet retaining nice stony minerality. In the mouth, there is an explosion of flavours and a lovely creaminess in texture, progressively building on the palate. This is beautifully dense, lactic and mouthcoating, clearly punching above its classification. Sumptuous, precise and long length. This has to be one of the most impressive Bourgogne Blanc out there. Another highlight this year included the Volnay 1er Cru 1984, which although was one of the most difficult vintages in living memory, this wine was really stunning and a benchmark for the Volnay terroir. 
1984 Volnay 1er Cru, Maison Leroy (2020 Release)
There is a charming, elegant perfume to the nose, exuberant, opulent with rich wild strawberries, raspberry, kirsch notes, dried herbs and wild mushroom with a touch of rusticity too. The nose is hypnotic in its perfume and the palate is equally so. It has a very elegant mouthfeel as the fruit aromas continue to the palate and finish with a lovely salinity. This is
a wonderful wine, quite extraordinary. Prior to our visit to Domaine d’Auvenay, we had a quick opportunity to visit the Leroy cellars, an extraordinary collection of ageing bottles, awaiting release, including Batch 001 – the last remaining bottles of 1919 Auxey Duresses. These are the oldest Leroy bottles in existence in their cellar.
 Domaine d’Auvenay Domaine d’Auvenay, is a 20-minute drive from Maison Leroy based in the village of Saint Romain. Here we were greeted by Lalou and her two dogs Nine and Nais as well as a lunch with a few bottles from the latest selection of Domaine d’Auvenay wines also due to be released this month.  We were soon talking about the latest 2019 vintage and Lalou starts laughing about how stupidly low the yields were. The heat and drought of the vintage meant production was significantly down. In fact, the yields were some of the lowest she has ever seen! Most cuvees in 2019 at Domaine d’Auvenay amount to just 1 barrel of each. For the Criots Batard Montrachet she produced less than 100 litres! Despite the pitiful amounts produced, she is extremely happy with the quality and unbelievable concentration. Leroy and d’Auvenay’s vineyards remain incredibly easy to spot in the Cote d’Or due to her unique pruning methods. She wants to create the highest vines possible rather than hedging the vines which she believes stresses the vine too much and affects the pollination the following year.  Lalou admits the process is incredibly high maintenance and requires an extensive full-time viticultural staff to manage. She has up to 60 staff working for her during the season across Leroy and d’Auvenay. Whilst her neighbours have warmed to her philosophy (initially many thought she was crazy), few have followed suit, not being able to justify the running costs of such methods. Since the 90s Lalou has been carrying out analysis on her soils, conscious of the effects of her neighbours using chemicals as another viticultural shortcut. Fortunately, the results she has received shows that the impact from neighbouring plots on her own is marginal and her soils were in good shape and using biodynamic organic farming since establishing the domaine
in 1988 has seen the soils improve year after year. The whites we tried from Domaine d’Auvenay were the Meursault Narvaux 2009 which had an utterly captivating nose, so expressively full of toasted nuts, baked bread, white flowers and matched by a great texture both rich and creamy yet so mineral, so elegant, so precise. This was followed by the exceptional Meursault Gouttes d’Or 2007. The Gouttes d’Or is one of Lalou’s favourite terroirs and one of the most recognisable, stating it has this beautiful
alliance of freshness and richness, always retaining a vibrant backbone of acidity but enveloped by a rich, butter-like texture. These whites were followed by d’Auvenay’s epic Mazis Chambertin 2002: deceptively elegant and subtle on the nose and enormous on the palate. The breadth of the wine is stunning, mouthfilling supported by powerful yet utterly refined tannins. As you coax the glass, aromas of rich dark berries allied with an ethereal floral bouquet joint with freshly grounded coffee,
mocha, dark spices and a hint of wildness too. It's an emotional palate where flavours
come from all direction but there is a real sense of harmony with the complex flavours coming together in the glass. It has epic length and is just approachable now but possesses enough texture and weight to evolve for at least 20 years. Whilst tasting bottles of Domaine d’Auvenay is an unforgettable experience, the tasting was topped by a very rare bottle of Maison Leroy Auxey Duresses 1926. It turns out that this bottle was one of a case presented to the legendary Chef Paul Bocuse for his 50th birthday by Lalou in 1976. It was in fact the last bottles of the vintage from the estate. F+R came into possession of the bottle from an auction in Lyon following his death last year. We thought who better to share the bottle with than Lalou herself. 

Lalou started to recall 1926 was in fact a pretty difficult vintage and that very little wine was made that year. Yet on tasting the wine, it was extraordinary, really something quite exceptional. As we tasted the wine throughout the lunch it continued to evolve and improve rather than deteriorate. It was incredibly stable in that sense and multi-faceted, every time
you put your nose in the glass there were different aromas. It retained its structure right through the lunch and held up brilliantly against the d’Auvenay Mazis Chambertin 2002. It is also even more special since these Pinot Noir vines have since been replanted with Chardonnay vines and thus the wine has not been in existence since then. Today this vineyard produces Domaine d’Auvenay’s Auxey Duresses Les Clous Blanc. It was one of the original vineyards that belonged to her father and therefore one of the most treasured by Lalou. Asked about her favourite wine (surely a question on everyone’s lips!) she replied without hesitation “1955 Chambertin”. Asked why, she replied simply “because it is my favourite”. A fair enough response and typical of Lalou’s unpretentious approach when tasting these remarkable wines. She admits she really loves drinking aged white Burgundy and was keen to prove why during the now legendary tasting in 2018 where she opened white wines dating back to the 1940s and invited the world’s leading wine critics to the domaine.  She wanted to show them how aged white Burgundy should actually taste. She states that the whites from the 1940s were tasting 20-30 years younger than they were thanks to the quality of the wines and the perfect cellaring in the very humid cellars at Leroy. The incredibly stable temperature in the cellar further helps create wines of remarkable stability and ageing potential. Following the tasting, Antonio Galloni commented: “To say these are among the greatest wines I have ever tasted seems superficial.” Before leaving we discussed with Lalou the latest Maison Leroy Collection 2020 release, which she is very proud of. She still, to this day, hand-selects the wines herself. Courtiers bring her wines to try from every appellation and under no contracted obligation she simply picks the wines she feels are the best and represents each appellation most truthfully. Given how well the wines then go on to age at the Leroy cellars is proof of her abilities and the strength of her palate. With 65 years experience of in selecting wines for the Collection, her encyclopaedic knowledge of Burgundy makes her a true savant of the region. Browse all current Maison Leroy, Domaine Leroy and Domaine d'Auvenay listings

Back in Burgundy for our annual visit to Domaine Leroy, we selected what we will offer from the new Maison Leroy 2020 Collection. This year we were also able to taste some of the latest Domaine d’Auvenay releases as well as a rather special bottle of 1926 Auxey Duresses from Maison Leroy.

Exploring the Maison Leroy 2020 Collection and latest Domaine d’Auvenay releases on our team's annual visit to Domaine Leroy.

Visiting Domaine Leroy and d'Auvenay

It is hard to write the history of the future, but I hope that I am on safe ground when I say that the global pandemic of 2020 will be the defining event of the early 21st century. I say ‘hope’ because God help the human race if there is anything more defining waiting around the corner. By saying as much, I do not in any way diminish the other spectres that have haunted the dawning decades of the third millennium: among them mankind’s age-old companions, intolerance, religious fundamentalism and greed. Nevertheless, the pandemic has humbled humanity in a new and special way, combining our oldest foe, disease, with swift, easy, international travel – until recently one of the most central aspects of our technical and cultural advancement. Death and destruction, like everything else in life, are neither evenly nor democratically apportioned. Nevertheless, there can be few, if any, people on the planet whose lives have been untouched. Maybe there is a tribe of rainforest-dwelling Pygmies, cut off from what we hubristically call civilisation and which continues to exist in a state of prelapsarian Stone-Age ignorance. But the rest of us have been simultaneously confronted by our mortality, the fragility of our lives and, in many cases, the vacuity of our dreams. We reacted in different ways, retreating into what we found comforting. Some (yes, you, David Geffen) used social media to let the world know that they were safe on their yachts. Others explored the restorative powers of one of the most fundamental and symbolically domestic of rituals: baking bread. My own reaction was somewhere between these two poles. Within just a few days of the pandemic being declared in the UK, I had taken to the virtual airwaves with films – exquisitely directed by my younger son – of me smoking cigars with my elder son and dilating on the joys of the fragrant blue smoke of Havana cigars. Trivial perhaps, superfluous almost definitely, but to me immensely significant. It is hard to express the emotional impact of this activity without resorting to cliché, but then clichés tend to be clichés because there is an element of truth in them. And while the term ‘intergenerational male bonding’ is an arid form of words that traduces the emotional value of the experience, it also begins to explain its worth. But more than just finding a new way of communicating with my children, I like to feel that I am passing on something from which they can derive satisfaction; I was first inculcated into the world of the cigar by my stepfather-in-law – who splendidly encapsulated the appeal as being “the feeling of well-being” derived from learning how to wield this refined instrument of pleasure. Pleasure and well-being are the inspirations of these broadcasts (as I rather self-consciously, antediluvially, call them), and to my surprise they established a moderate but relatively enthusiastic following. Given that I am old enough to have children in their 20s, I am also old enough to regard the idea of using a telephone to make a home movie that has no actual physical presence, and that can be viewed via another intangible medium, as being pretty close to witchcraft. I find it remarkable that as many as 15,000 people – most of whom I have never met, living I know not where – tuned in to watch two men in slightly extravagant clothes (we wore safari suits, cowboy outfits, boating blazers, dinner jackets, business suits and tweeds) set fire to tubes of tobacco and try and convey a sense of the flavours they were tasting. But more than a degustatory sensation to be relayed, it was, in its way, an act of cultural transmission that in its essence is not very different to the role of say, indigent troubadours that wandered the courts of 12th and 13th century Provence, or the griots of the Mali empire of the 14th century, telling stories of noble exploits of the past. As we sat amongst its fragrant swirling wisps and gossamer tendrils; the sacred smoke of the cigar would unlock the past and liberate fragments of memory from wherever it is that memories are imprisoned and presumed forgotten. As we shared the flavour and the experience, recollections of my visits to Havana over the last quarter-century would be summoned unbidden – oxymoronic though that may sound. I remembered names of rollers, long conversations with factory directors and days spent in the fields of the plantations. I recalled meeting an ancient torcedor who had started work as a child and he remembered rolling cigars for Winston Churchill. I was reminded of a long afternoon spent on the terrace of the simple home of the late Alejandro Robaina, the Cuban tobacco farmer, whose time-furrowed face would give the pachydermic features of W.H. Auden stiff competition. He sat in his rocking chair and retrieved his own memories of how the climate had changed over the course of a generation, and of the taste of his first cigar, enjoyed before the age of 10 during the 1920s. However imperfectly, I was able to transmit these memories to my children in a setting and an atmosphere that made those memories theirs too. It is the associative power of the cigar to stimulate memory that raises it beyond the mere intake of nicotine, and instead elevates it to the level of a cultural activity. Proust had his madeleine and I have my cigar. I pick the cigar because it has been a personal comfort during a difficult time, but the same can be said to be true of any skill-laden and ritual-rich activity that is passed from generation to generation. I enjoy traditionally made clothes and I find the idea appealing that many hands contribute to the making of a single garment. It may be better-made than its ready-to-wear counterpart, it is likely to last longer and fit better – but these are only the tangible aspects. At the risk of sounding pretentious, there is what one might call a spiritual element to having clothes made. There is something uniquely appealing about clothes that have been made only for you and it is an appeal to which I succumbed almost 40 years ago. I first got into having clothes made for me long before I could afford it, when, as an undergraduate at Oxford, I fell under the spell of a charming old tailor called Stamp, Mr Stamp to his friends. He was a fabulous old boy with a shop on Broad Street, or The Broad as I believe we were encouraged to call it at the time, just down from Castell where he had started as an apprentice half a century earlier during the 1930s. He made me a pair of trousers, a blazer and few other items including several remarkable waistcoats. One of the best moments came when I took in a 50-year-old, double-breasted waistcoat for him to copy. He looked at it, examined a label sewn into the underside of the backstrap, peered at the stitching around the buttonholes, and then told me that the garment had been made for a well-known Spitfire test pilot, gave me the price of the fabric per yard in 1936 and – most impressive of all – informed me of the name of the man who had stitched the buttonholes.  My first shoemaker Eric Cook also beguiled me when he took a look at a pair of Lobb correspondent shoes, turned them over and was able to identify the man who had finished them because of the slightly elliptical curvature of the heel and the spacing of the nails.  For me, such knowledge is just as impressive as that of the connoisseur who can identify a long-lost masterpiece by examining the brushstrokes and the state of the canvas or wooden panel on which the paint was laid. But, unlike the admiration of an acknowledged masterpiece by a globally renowned artistic genius, the quality of such pleasures is more personal and, arguably, more meaningful. It was Franz Liszt who said, “A good Cuban cigar closes the door to the vulgarities of life,” but the same is true of the contemplation of a well-sewn buttonhole, or the anglage of a well-finished watch movement. Such pleasures may be only fleetingly experienced, but I would argue they are all the more precious for their intimacy: watches and clothes are worn on the body, the cigar is consumed – becoming in some way part of the body and stimulating the mind. These are things that ornament life, that raise the quotidian to the memorable and that transcend the disagreeable nature of too much of life today. I suppose that this is what is meant by ‘luxury’. I had been hoping to get to Paris to catch an exhibition, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, devoted to the controversial subject of luxury, mounted under the aegis of my friend Pierre-Alexis Dumas, creative director of Hermès, who understands the field better than most. “While the luxury object resists definition by any single concept, drawing instead on shifting, eclectic visions, we might nonetheless agree that it possesses one distinctive characteristic above all others,” he told me. It is, he believes, “an object we keep, respect and cherish, one that archaeological discoveries across the globe reveal as speaking timelessly to us, its human power undimmed, resonant with distant emotions. Today, at a time when luxury seems to hold omnipresent status, in the media and in social networks, it is perhaps pertinent to recall that the luxury object is precisely one that is preserved and passed on – a magnificent, enduring conduit of culture and knowledge, bearing witness to human ingenuity.” The overuse of the word ‘luxury’ has led to its trivialisation, but there is a sense in which the pandemic has helped me transmit to my children something of my view of its true meaning. In a world of ever abbreviated communication, the chance to spend time in contemplation of what I love with those I love has been a gift – and the suspension of the ceaseless restless turmoil that we regard as normality, has shorn many so-called luxury items of their status-conferring function, allowing us to see them for what they are, to winnow the impostor from the authentic. I hope that I have conveyed, however clumsily, what it is that I appreciate, and uncovered something of the culture and values that make them important to me. My sons are fascinating people, their company is genuinely instructive for me, I see things anew through their eyes and this in turn has added further richness to life’s pleasures: not just appreciating the intrinsic qualities of, say a cigar or a suit, but in enhancing that appreciation by seeing it reflected in my children. It is a powerful combination of culture, emotion and enjoyment. Whether a vessel of personal memory, a conduit for the great values of humanity, or a bulwark against the deadening combination of fear and tedium of recent months: the superfluous, to misquote Voltaire ever so slightly, has seldom been so necessary. This article was originally published in FONDATA, Issue One

Writer and author Nicholas Foulkes considers the notion of transmitting cultural knowledge and enthusiasms from one generation to the next – and how finding joy in the seemingly trivial details of the objects he values has brought him closer to his sons. 

Photography by Julian Broad.

Nicholas Foulkes considers the notion of transmitting cultural knowledge and enthusiasms from one generation to the next.

FONDATA: Foulkes & Sons 

Foulkes & Sons  

Wine writer Tamlyn Currin is well known for her love of off-the-beaten track wines, in particular wines from Germany. FONDATA asked her to consider why it is that Riesling fans (of which she is most certainly one) are so much more zealous than fans of other grape varieties.

Examine Riesling's authenticity as a terroir ambassador and its varied styles. Dive into its global celebration and why it's cherished by enthusiasts. 


FONDATA: Exploring Riesling's popularity

Riesling, it’s a tribal thing

Navigating the world of whisky sometimes requires a compass. This glossary aims to untangle some of the most common terms that trip people up when it comes to the production and enjoyment of whisky

A guide for all the commonly used and misunderstood terms in the world of whisky. You’ll find everything you need to know when purchasing and enjoying whisky.

A comprehensive guide to whisky terms

Whisky glossary

Nals Margreid

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For up to 499 bottles in storage, the rate is 39¢/bottle per month or a $50 minimum monthly charge (this covers up to 142 bottles). For over 500 bottles, the storage rate is 35¢/bottle per month.

Storage is charged at HKD 40 per 12-bottle case per month. A minimum monthly storage fee of HKD 80 applies, covering up to 24 bottles.

Standard storage rate

By selecting third-party shipping, you will take full responsibility for all aspects of legal compliance and authorize Vinfolio to transfer the items to the party specified in your instructions. Items shipped via third parties will remain in their original packaging.

Collection times are between 8:30am - 12pm & 1:30pm - 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. Wines at Will Call, that are not picked up within 10 business days, will be transferred to storage and subject to a $1.50 per bottle stocking fee.

Items to be sourced and shipped to our state-of-the-art fine wine storage facility for the best possible safe-keeping where you can arrange collection from our warehouse address in Napa.

Will Call (Napa)

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We're in the final stages of upgrading to our brand-new trading platform. As part of this transition, we're currently migrating all customer-owned inventory to ensure a smooth and seamless experience.

Our new and improved platform will be ready for you on Friday, April 4.

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About description for demonstration purposes

shows all the items you currently store with us. These items can be sold, delivered or transferred.

At {shortName}

Your allocation will be cancelled. Are you sure you want to continue?

Your pre-order item will be deleted. Are you sure you want to continue?

Your delivery request will be cancelled. Are you sure you want to proceed?

represents all the wines that are in your possession and have been consumed.

This is the price you paid for this item.

Cost price

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The lowest price you're willing to sell at. If the net price goes below this value your listing will be removed.

shows all the items that you have pre-ordered, including en primeur wines, and all the items on your watchlist.

Futures

You can set a floor price on items you're selling based on a % of current unit net value.

You can set a market price on items you're selling based on a % of current unit net value.

shows all the actions that you have taken on items in your Portfolio.

groups every action by type - Purchase, Sale, Delivery, and Inbound Transfer - so it's clear at a glance what happened to each item.

History

shows all the items that are currently in transit to or from {shortName}.

In transit

Local delivery is free for orders over HK$1,800 (to a single location). For orders below this value, delivery is HK$150 for up to four cases and HK$50 per case thereafter.

Shipping starts from €15 within Italy and €45 to Switzerland and the rest of Europe for up to 48 bottles (75cl). Costs vary by destination. Larger shipments can be quoted on request.

The date shown below is when your order will ship from our local warehouse. Your final delivery date, along with full tracking details, will be provided once our team has processed your request.

You can arrange collection from our Retail store on 22nd Floor, 8 Wyndham Street, Central Hong Kong.
Collection times are between 9:30am-13:00 and 14:00-18:00pm, Monday to Friday. We are closed on public holidays.

You can arranged collection from our warehouse STI INTERNAZIONALE SPA, on Viale del Lavoro, 57, 37051 Bovolone, Verona.
Pick-up hours are between 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday. We are closed on public holidays.

This is the current estimated market value for this item.

Manually set prices will be overwritten. Already listed wines are not affected.

Updates all unlisted wines to current market price.

Set all at market

represents all the wines you currently have in your Portfolio that aren't stored with us. Press the

My cellar

Name

Net price

New portfolio available

New portfolio

You do not have any invoices at this time.

shows all the items from your Portfolio that are currently on the market.

On sale

shows all the items you currently have in your Portfolio. You can perform individual actions on them from this page.

Overview

shows any items that are currently awaiting user action.

Pending

This is the dynamic market price of the item with trading margin removed.

This is the amount of profit you will receive if your listing sells.

Pre-authorised payments enable automatic transactions on your behalf, ensuring seamless and hassle-free payments. This allows recurring charges, subscriptions, or scheduled payments to be processed without manual approval each time.

The number of cases you wish to place on sale

Your catalogue item will be archived. Are you sure you want to continue?

Your catalogue items will be archived. Are you sure you want to continue?

Before you request delivery, you can adjust the quantity for each item in your selection below.

*Market price is dynamic and may change. At time of sale a 10% trading fee will be deducted from the final sale price.

Total market price*

The fixed custom price you wish to sell each item for.

Split into {caseSize} individual {bottleSize}cl bottles.

Title

shows all the items you currently store with us. These items can be sold.

Available for sale — items stored with {name} eligible to be listed on the marketplace.

Profile

This item is at FINE+RARE, available for storage, transfer or delivery.
 Most UK deliveries can be made within 3-5 working days, with next day delivery for London;
 an exact date will be available when arranging delivery.
 International deliveries have longer lead-times, please contact us for details.

This item is at FINE+RARE HOME Hong Kong, available for delivery or local pickup. Most Hong Kong deliveries can be made within 3 working days, an exact date will be available when arranging delivery. International deliveries have longer lead-times, please contact us for details.

Wines sold en primeur will be released from the producer after bottling, typically 18 months after the so-called campaign ends. Your wine will then be stored by FINE+RARE in a bonded warehouse until you decide to take delivery.

We will source this item at the guaranteed price from our network of suppliers and arrange expedited shipment to FINE+RARE.
 The lead-time depends on many variables, but 2-4 weeks is typical for expedited sourcing.
 Once your order is confirmed, we'll keep you updated on its ETA.
 Every item is checked on arrival by our expert team, with photographs available on request (please note that charges may apply).

We will source this item at the guaranteed price from our network of suppliers and arrange shipment to FINE+RARE.
 The lead-time depends on many variables, but 6-12 weeks is an average estimate.
 Once your order is confirmed, we'll keep you updated on its ETA.
 Every item is checked on arrival by our expert team, with photographs available on request (please note that charges may apply).

Nals Margreid

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