Islay has cast its spell over the whisky cognoscenti for decades, driving independent and distillery bottlings ever higher. Holly Motion explores how this small Scottish island has bewitched fans and become the gold standard of whisky collectability   The remote Hebridean isle of Islay has an almost otherworldly quality about it. For centuries, this eerily beautiful and beguiling postage stamp of ...

How Islay and its whiskies cast their spell over the world

The enchanting isle of Islay

It’s 50 years since Soldera – the iconic Tuscan estate who crafts some of the region’s best Brunello di Montalcino – was established. To mark the occasion, Gavin Smith caught up with Monica Soldera to taste through back-vintages and talk about what lies ahead for the remarkable property Everyone remembers their first bottle of Soldera, such is its impact on ...

Talking to Monica Soldera as the estate turns 50 – and faces a crossroads

Defining Soldera: tasting 50 years of a Tuscan icon

After some very challenging years, American whiskey producers feel like they’ve struck gold. Demand for Bourbon is at an all-time high and distillers can’t pump out enough liquid to meet a seemingly unquenchable thirst. Holly Motion investigates the Bourbon boom  America’s native spirit has never been in greater demand. After years in the doldrums with production at record lows of ...

Exploring how America’s native spirit producers struck gold

Gold rush: the Bourbon boom

Loved by Dickens, Austen and Napoleon, the sweet wines of Constantia were legendary in the 18th and 19th century. But Klein Constantia – the estate revived in the 1980s – is done with looking back. Ahead of the release of the 2019 vintage, Sophie Thorpe caught up with winemaker Matthew Day to find out what lies ahead  South Africa is ...

Winemaker Matthew Day on a new era for Klein Constantia’s iconic sweet wine

A constant evolution: Vin de Constance

Under the tenure of winemaker Michael Silacci Opus One has gone from strength to strength. But it’s not him or owners Mouton-Rothschild and Mondavi that are at the heart of its success; for Silacci, it’s all down to the power of collective responsibility This year Michael Silacci is celebrating 21 years at Opus One. Taking over as winemaker for Napa’s ...

The cult Napa estate’s winemaker on the secret to his success 

Opus One’s Micheal Silacci on the power of collective responsibility

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW is making a stand. The ex Wine Advocate Editor-in-Chief, trained by Robert Parker, believes that critics are at risk of losing relevance – and for good reason. We talk to the wine writer and Master of Wine about why she’s fed up of scoring strategies and set up The Wine Independent Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW has caused quite ...

Why the wine critic left the *Wine Advocate* to go her own way 

The voice of independence: Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

For the past seven years Dariusz Plazewski has led the vanguard of English whisky-making at Bimber. With his first Scotch distillery, Dunphail, months away from production, the indefatigable architect-cum-Master-Distiller tells Holly Motion how he and his distilleries were built to be different    When people say they’ve put their blood, sweat and tears into something, more often than not, it’s a ...

The brains behind Bimber on his next project, Dunphail  

Dariusz Plazewski: grand designs 

Chaptalisation – the addition of sugar to enrich wines – isn’t fashionable. Indeed, it’s barely spoken of, but it’s a practice that has long been common (and often essential). The 2021 vintage saw many Bordeaux winemakers turn to the technique; here we dig into exactly what it is – and why it shouldn’t be dismissed  In an era where minimal ...

Tools of the trade: exploring chaptalisation and Bordeaux 2021

A spoonful of sugar

Ian Chang is the man behind Taiwan’s first and most decorated distillery, Kavalan. For 16 years, this young whisky maker defied expectations and redefined world-class single malts. Holly Motion discovers how he became the best of the very best Ian Chang is one of the most well-respected and accomplished whisky makers in the modern era. After 16 incredible years at Kavalan, ...

The modest Master Blender on his journey from novice to Kavalan legend

Ian Chang: the humble student

In 2021, it is incredibly hard to make any generalisations – this really is a vintage to be assessed by individual estate. Below we do our best to break down the year by commune; read all our coverage of the year – including our run-down of the growing conditions and vintage overview – here THE LEFT BANK Overall looking at ...

A run-down by region with our recommendations

Bordeaux 2021: a commune-by-commune guide

Our team spent 10 days in Bordeaux tasting the 2021 vintage – a year that is far from simple. Frost and mildew made for challenging conditions, but the wines shouldn’t be written off. This was a year where tasting was essential and it’s impossible to talk in generalisations. Here, we dig into why The 2021 vintage in Bordeaux is not ...

Your one-stop guide to this complicated vintage

Bordeaux 2021: the human hand

The 2021 growing season in Bordeaux was in complete contrast to the previous three vintages. Gavin Smith runs through the key moments that shaped this unique year For good or for bad, the 2021 was a vigneron’s vintage, a year that required every bit of nous to circumnavigate the many issues that plagued the growing season. With an early budbreak ...

Man versus Mother Nature

 Bordeaux 2021: the growing season

While the Grands Crus and top villages steal the headlines, often with eye-watering pricing to match, there is so much more to discover in the Côte d’Or. We explore a few of the lesser-known appellations being exploited by some of Burgundy’s grandest producers Montrachet, Chambertin, Richebourg: these names will send chills down the spine of any Burgundy lover. But many ...

Discovering the lesser-known appellations of the Côte d’Or and beyond

Off the beaten track in Burgundy

The world’s wine critics have been tasting and writing up notes for months, and are now offering their verdict on the 2021 vintage in Bordeaux. The year sees a handful of new publications and new names taking over – with Jane Anson and Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW having split from Decanter and Wine Advocate, respectively – meaning there will be even ...

Our round-up of what the world’s top tasters are saying about the vintage

Bordeaux 2021: what the critics are saying

Our team has just returned from 10 days in Bordeaux tasting the 2021 vintage en primeur. Visiting over 50 estates, tasting hundreds of wines and talking to the region’s leading producers, we offer our first thoughts on the vintage The circus is back in town. This week saw the world’s wine trade touch down in Bordeaux to taste the latest ...

A year that demands to be tasted 

Bordeaux 2021: first thoughts

Blended Scotch whisky doesn’t always get the respect it deserves. Part of this reason is legacy, part is misinformation. Holly Motion explores why blended whiskies are just as worthy of a place in your spirits collection as single malts Many believe Scotch blends are single malt whisky’s poor relation in price, quality and taste profile. In actuality, this could not ...

Two legendary Scotch whisky makers on why blends are brilliant in their own right

Blended whisky: a marriage made in heaven

Alessandro Mori has produced every vintage in Il Marroneto’s 47-year history. As he prepares to hand this legacy to the next generation, we caught up with him to pause and consider his teachers – two legendary Tuscan figures that helped establish Il Marroneto as one of Montalcino’s top estates Last year Alessandro Mori completed his 47th vintage at Il Marroneto ...

Alessandro Mori reflects on his legacy and that of two Tuscan legends, Gambelli and Cortevesio

The savants of Sangiovese: Il Marroneto

Glenfarclas is an iconic, family-owned single malt Scotch whisky producer. As bottlings from the Grant family’s impressive aged stocks become ever-more collectable, Holly Motion charts the fascinating history of this fiercely independent whisky maker Everything about Glenfarclas is venerable. For almost 200 years, the distillery with one of the most enviable addresses in Scotland has remained fiercely independent and committed to ...

A spotlight on one of Scotland’s most collectable single malt producers

Everything you need to know about Glenfarclas

With climate change and the influence of Robert Parker, it’s undeniable that we’ve seen a rising tide of alcohol levels. But there’s much more to the conversation than a simple number – as we discovered tasting and talking with Paul Hobbs, one of Napa’s leading names Anyone who’s had the misfortune of tasting a de-alcoholised version knows that alcohol is ...

The Napa winemaker on how we perceive alcohol in wine

The nature of the numbers: Paul Hobbs on alcohol

Some of the most collectable and coveted whiskies in the world are those from distilleries that no longer exist. These ghost or lost distilleries hold a unique allure – but as attempts to revive Scotland’s so-called “Holy Trinity” get underway, Holly Motion explores whether it’s really possible to turn back the clock The Scotch whisky world is a fickle beast. ...

How Scotland’s most coveted and iconic distilleries have come back to life

Haunting the present: ghost distilleries

What allows a wine to last 10, 20 or 50 years? And why is there sometimes a perception that the New World’s wines can’t do this? Gavin Smith talks to Tor Kenward, Christian Moueix, Colgin’s Paul Roberts MS and more about the keys to making fine wine for the cellar – and if it’s relevant today What defines a fine ...

Exploring fine wine’s ageability and its relevance today

How to make wine for the ages

Karuizawa is a phenomenon. Bottlings from the lost Japanese distillery are some of the most collectable in the world – and they’re only becoming more scarce. We chart the small distillery’s mighty history and look at some of Karuizawa’s most highly sought-after whiskies  Few names generate as much excitement as Karuizawa in the whisky world. In recent years the lost ...

How Japan’s fabled lost distillery became one of the most collectable names in whisky

Everything you need to know about Karuizawa

Fine wine and spirits collectors across Germany, Austria Switzerland and Italy are set to benefit from a dedicated concierge-style service from a leadership team with decades of experience as we invest in the region In a move that underscores our commitment to global excellence, FINE+RARE has expanded its presence in Europe with the opening of a new entity spanning the ...

Our new dedicated Europe office

Ahead of the 2022 releases from Maison Leroy, our Fine Wine Buying + Partner Director Corentin Margier visited the producer’s headquarters – an unassuming address that belies the greatness of the wines that emerge from its cellars  Auxey-Duresses is, at best, sleepy. As I rolled into the village on Monday morning, the streets were empty in the grey of a ...

Tasting the 2022 releases at one of Burgundy’s grandest, but most unassuming, addresses 

Maison Leroy: a humble home

Since the Clarence Dillon family bought Ch. Haut-Brion in 1935 and neighbouring Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion and La Tour Haut-Brion 48 years later, the properties have become some of Bordeaux’s most collectable. We explore the genealogy of these illustrious estates – and the wines that have been lost in their making Ch. Haut-Brion is one of the oldest and best-known ...

Exploring the genealogy of the Bordeaux First Growth and its siblings

The lost wines of Haut-Brion

Napa’s finest wines receive stratospheric scores – but there’s much more to the region’s story. Gavin Smith talks to Master Sommelier and Colgin COO about why it’s time to stop focusing on critical acclaim and let Napa’s vineyards speak for themselves Last year Colgin celebrated its 30th harvest. In a relatively short time, this Napa estate has become one of the ...

Beyond the headlines Napa’s vineyards are finding their voice

A new chapter for Napa

Speaking with some of the region’s top vignerons in both the Northern and Southern Rhône about 2020, it is smiles all round. Not since the outstanding 2016s has there been such universal praise for a vintage. Gavin Smith caught up with Michel Chapoutier, Marc Perrin, Stéphane Usseglio and Nicolas Champagneux to find out why The Rhône Valley has enjoyed a ...

A brilliant vintage across the region

Rhône 2020: the stars align

Luca Martini di Cigala, the man behind Percarlo and La Ricolma, is one of Tuscany’s viticultural pioneers. We spoke to the San Giusto a Rentennano winemaker about his role in the region’s renaissance and how he turned to the vineyard to reveal his wines’ true potential Few wine regions have seen a transformation as significant as Tuscany has over the ...

How San Giusto a Rentennano’s Luca Martini di Cigala discovered Tuscany’s true potential

Two titans of Tuscany: Percarlo and La Ricolma

Saint-Emilion is arguably Bordeaux’s most idiosyncratic appellation. But, as Cheval Blanc’s Pierre-Olivier Clouet tells us, it’s the region’s heterogeneity that makes it so exciting. We caught up with the dynamic winemaker about how to define the undefinable – and why it’s determined to lead the appellation into a new era Saint-Emilion has always been difficult to define. Unlike other top ...

Defining Saint-Emilion and the way forward for this troubled appellation

Strength in diversity: Cheval Blanc

As the latest wines from Montalcino are released, we delve into the 2017 vintage. Talking to and tasting with leading producers at the annual Benvenuto Brunello event last November, here’s everything you need to know about a tricky year for the region’s growers The headline for the latest Brunello vintage is that it was a challenging year. But don’t write ...

Why you shouldn’t dismiss the challenging vintage – and which wines are worth seeking out

Brunello 2017: vintage report

The Macallan’s reputation is unparalleled. It is the most coveted and collectable Scotch whisky and a luxury brand in its own right. We explore the distillery’s rise and the bottlings that continue to secure its place at the pinnacle of collectability The Macallan has become the most collectable Scotch whisky in the world. It consistently surpasses its own records at ...

A spotlight on the world’s most collectable Scotch whisky

Everything you need to know about The Macallan

Glenmorangie and Ardbeg are two Scotch whisky brands famed for quality and innovation. Behind every bottle is the heart and mind of one man: Dr Bill Lumsden. He talks to Holly Motion about what it takes to be at the distilling vanguard for decades It’s not often words fail me. But finding the right words to describe Dr Bill Lumsden ...

The man keeping Glenmorangie and Ardbeg at the vanguard of Scotch whisky

Dr Bill Lumsden: the eternal inventor

After many of us were not able to see extended family and friends over Christmas last year, this festive break will seem that much more special. We caught up with some of our favourite winemakers and distillers and asked them what top bottles they will be opening to celebrate this Christmas – and why Claude Giraud (owner of Champagne Henri Giraud) ...

Top choices for the Christmas table: what 10 of our favourite winemakers and distillers are drinking this Christmas

What producers are drinking this Christmas

Mizunara has everybody spellbound. The Japanese oak – once relatively unknown and troublesome – is now desperately sought-after. Holly Motion speaks to some of the biggest names in the cask industry about what they really think of the mystical wood If you journey to the northernmost prefecture of Japan you will find Hokkaidō. Venture deeper into the Japanese island’s stunning ...

Why the Japanese oak has got the whisky world in knots

The mystical mizunara

No drinks trolley is complete without a bottle of vermouth. It’s required in countless classic cocktails and is a remarkable drink in its own right. Holly Motion charts vermouth’s rise to prominence and explores the history of four of the most famous vermouth-based cocktails Think of a cocktail. Is vermouth in it? If you’re thinking of a classic cocktail, there’s ...

How four vermouth-based cocktails became classics

The history of vermouth in cocktails: shaken not stirred

It is fair to say Barolo Chinato is a niche category. While some may know it well, others might have never heard of it. We explore the history of Barolo Chinato and why it’s firmly got a place in our hearts and drinks cabinet  Barolo Chinato. Utter these words and you’re likely to receive one of two responses – ...

A look at the Piedmont region’s lesser-known, fortified export

What is Barolo Chinato?

After working as Master Blender for some of the biggest names in the industry, Andrew Rankin knows a thing or two about good whisky – and good casks. He tells Holly Motion why strong relationships and traditional values are far more important to him than being a whisky personality  The name Andrew Rankin might not mean much to the average whisky drinker. But mention him to the whisky world – the ...

The ex-Bowmore Master Blender Andrew Rankin on the highs, lows and changes he’s witnessed during his 47-year career

The great Scotsman

Louis XIII is one of those spirits that almost transcends its own category – and rightly so. It has everything: the history, the provenance and exceptional quality. Holly Motion explores the fascinating history of the "king of Cognacs" Louis XIII has been adored by dignitaries, royalty and the glitterati throughout its near 150-year history. Everything about it, from the grapes ...

Looking into what makes Louis XIII the "king of Cognacs"

Louis XIII: the making of an icon

Vermouth has fallen in and out of vogue many times throughout its history. Buoyed by a new geographical classification and ever-growing classic cocktail appreciation, the future looks brighter than ever. Holly Motion reports There is a lyricism to the way Roberto Bava speaks. Beyond his unmistakeable Italian accent, his sentences rise and fall. Every word is a piece of music ...

Roberto Bava on the history of Turin’s now-protected drink and its buoyant future

Vermouth: the Italian job

Our team spent a week tasting their way around Burgundy, getting a handle on the 2020 vintage. Here we dig into a unique year and the stunning wines it produced Reports coming in last summer of the long drought that hit Burgundy had many writing off the vintage before it had even been picked. What then turned out to be ...

A unique year that has produced stunning wines of both colours

Burgundy 2020: an exceptional year

Last month, our team spent a whistle-stop week in Burgundy sampling the 2020 vintage. Here we break down the vintage by producer, from north to south, with a summary of how each fared and our favourite wine from the tasting table Domaine Charles Audoin (Marsannay) Cyril Audoin was very happy when we visited him, the cellar busy with the hum ...

A breakdown of the vintage by individual producer

Burgundy 2020: by producer

No two growing seasons are alike – but the 2020 vintage in Burgundy was particularly unusual (and also remarkably easy for its vignerons). We delve into the conditions that shaped the year’s wines The 2020 vintage is exceptional. Not only was it the earliest harvest on record, but the entire growing season – from start to finish – took place ...

We find out what made the 2020 vintage so unique

Burgundy 2020: the growing season

Great Burgundy needn’t cost the world. For those in the know, there’s great value to be found. Here are the 10 that we think offer the best value in 2020  2020 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay, Alvina Pernot  The fruit for Alvina Pernot’s entry-level cuvée comes from two parcels – Rue du Bois (around their new winery) and Femelottes (neighbouring Les Reuchaux). The result is a fresh, vibrant and juicy Bourgogne Blanc. The ...

Wines that really over-deliver

Burgundy 2020: top-value buys

The 2020 vintage produced some exceptional wines in Burgundy. Of the wines our team has tasted so far, these are the 10 that pulled at our heartstrings most  2020 Puligny-Montrachet, Premier Cru, Clos de la Mouchère, Domaine Henri Boillot  Boillot’s four-hectare monopole Clos de la Mouchère is always a favourite, and it’s no different in 2020. This sub-section of Perrières produces a particularly honeyed expression of the site. After Pucelles, it is instantly ...

The top 10 wines from our tastings

Burgundy 2020: our favourites

Love them or loathe them, truffles are undoubtedly some of the most majestic ingredients on the planet. But, with a changing climate and an ageing cohort of specialist truffle hunters, the future of this rare delicacy is uncertain. Sophie Thorpe explores Truffles: small, gnarly things. Equally ugly and alluring. Pungently intoxicating. Deliciously rare – and undeniably expensive. Alexandre Dumas described ...

The quest to capture their elusive scent – and why the tuber’s future is in doubt

Chasing truffles

There’s no shortage of brilliant Bordeaux – but there’s a skill to drinking the right bottle at the right moment, chasing that sweetspot in a wine’s maturity. We spoke to some of the region’s leading names – from the likes of Chx Canon , Ducru-Beaucaillou , Lafite-Rothschild , Lafleur and Margaux – to find out which vintages they think are at their best right now It’s never easy to pick ...

The region’s leading winemakers on the best years to uncork now

Bordeaux vintages to drink now

The fine tea world is a treasure trove of discovery. As beguiling and complex as any wine or spirit, this enchanting liquid steeped in history can be incredibly confusing to master. Holly Motion talks to a handful of fine tea aficionados about why it's well worth investing the time After speaking with some of the foremost fine tea experts in ...

Exploring the world of fine tea

The time for tea: next-level brews

Ahead of the long-awaited release of Grand Siècle Itération No 23 in magnum, we speak to Champagne Laurent-Perrier’s Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt to find out what’s so special about their prestige cuvée  
Champagne’s climate can be fickle. Of all the fine wine regions around the world it has to be the most unpredictable. Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt chuckles as ...

The secret behind Champagne Laurent-Perrier’s prestige cuvée

Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle: recreating the perfect year

There are a lot of impressive people in the drinks industry, but you’d be hard pushed to find somebody quite as accomplished and personable as Master Distiller William Lowe MW. Holly Motion asks the man with the golden touch about his incredible career to date William Lowe has achieved a great many things in his life. At the time of ...

The world’s first gin tailor on turning the smallest distillery in the UK into the golden goose

William Lowe MW: the man with the Midas touch

Agriculture is in crisis. Wine producers are at the forefront of the challenges facing farmers around the world – but what can they do? We talk to Olivier Humbrecht MW, Bruno Schloegel, Michel Chapoutier and Gaia Gaja about rewilding, regenerative farming and the vine’s long-term viability In a report published in 2014 by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, under ...

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