Here at DQ when we reach for a single malt, and we often do, as like as not our hand alights upon a bottle of The Balvenie. Imagine the warmth which we welcomed the news of the famed Speyside distillery’s latest release, the second batch of Signature, its celebratory single malt Scotch whisky created by Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart in celebration of his 45th year making the very finest of boozes.
Produced in a limited run of only 1000 cases, the 12 year old single malt is a skillful marriage of three cask types - first fill bourbon barrels, refill casks and sherry butts - to create truly one-off nose and taste. The bourbon barrels add subtle vanilla, oak and layers of honey and the refill casks impart delicate, sweet notes and smoothness, while the sherry butts bring rich fruit and spiciness, resulting in perfect harmony. Stewart’s signature adorns every bottle, hence the name. We’ll drink to that.
On September 3rd – 5th sailing superyacht maker Perini Navi of Maltese Falcon fame will stage the third annual Perini Navi Cup hosted in the billionaire’s playground of Sardinia by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. 22 stylish Perini Navi sailing yachts will gather for the event, ranging from the 24.5 meter Elettra, launched in 1987, to the massive 88 meter Maltese herself. All but two of them will top 40 meters; among them will be the will latest model to sail out of the Perini Navi shipyard, the 56 meter Riela.
The Riela, debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show, features an ultralight, streamlined aluminum hull and 15,000-square-foot sail plan that will give it a decided edge in the regatta. Coastal courses will be set using the many granite islands and islets of the La Maddalena archipelago as natural marks, while the prevailing mistral winds which have made the course off Porto Cervo one of the world’s most famous are expected to provide plenty of adrenaline-laced thrills. The sheer beauty of the boats make this one regatta that will be just as pleasurable to watch as to participate in.
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Here for your viewing pleasure: video from the DQ Summer Appellation Rally we previewed the other day. You’ll want to crank the sound up for the beautiful purr of those engines.
On September 19 & 20 classic British outerwear company Barbour is sponsoring the Orvis Cup, two full days of sporting clay shooting and game fair events held at the Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds in Millbrook, NY. In addition to shooting the sport to be had includes falconry, dog training exhibitions and fly fishing. Fine shotgun maker Caesar Guerini is giving away three over/under shotguns as prizes in the Orvis Cup 100-target shooting competition taking place on the 20th. Side event shooting areas will be open including flurry, 5-stand, modern skeet and long target. Time to dust off the Defender.
Guerini representatives will be on hand to display the company’s wares, imported from Brescia, Italy including the new over/under Apex, with distinctly British lines, a classic Prince of Wales grip, and oiled Turkish Circassian walnut stock. The action is embellished with full-coverage engraving that incorporates no fewer than four different techniques. You may want to pick one up for your next grouse shooting excursion. Meanwhile the Orvis Cup is a bit of Scotland right here at home, so to speak. Admission is free and there’s a Grand Banquet Saturday evening which requires reservations. Forget to bring your Barbour? No problem, you can pick one up there.
Next summer the National Watch & Clock Museum in Lancaster, PA will stage an exhibit of James Bond’s watches that will also feature the inspiration for the world’s most famous secret agent’s timepiece of choice: Ian Fleming’s own 1954 black dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer I (right). The exhibition is being curated by Rolex authority Dell Deaton who worked with Fleming’s heirs to secure the author’s watch, which will be exhibited in the U.S. for the first time.
The first and only Rolex Fleming owned, the Explorer I was locked away in a bank vault for 20 years following his death. The watch made its first appearance in Fleming’s novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, published in 1963. Fleming wrote that “[Bond] could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex.”
The exhibit will also include examples of the watches worn throughout the James Bond novels and motion pictures, mainly Rolexes including several Submariners, from the one sported by Sean Connery in 1962’s Dr. No to the most tricked-out model, the magnetized and built-in rotating saw blade-equipped number from Live And Let Die (1973). Also included are the Breitling diver’s chronograph with a built-in Geiger counter worn by Connery in Thunderball (1965) and some of the Omega Seamasters which have been features in the Bond films since 1995.
It was quite a sight: 30,000 well-turned out spectators thronging the famed Guards Polo Club in Windsor to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Cartier International Polo and one of the world’s most coveted sporting trophies. Inside the VIPs-only Cartier enclosure, Prince Charles, an avid polo player himself, presided over the 600 chosen to sample chef Anton Mossiman’s clubby cuisine washed down with jeroboams of champagne.
Prince Chuck was of course rooting for jolly old England, but to no avail as the Brits lost to Argentina 12 - 5. After the actual event the marquee was turned over to club kings Chinawhite who transformed it into an after-party DJ’d by Jade Jagger which drew the inevitable cries of “Chavs!” from the older toffs, who promptly beetled off holding their (toffee) noses.
A cluster of models, Anna Friel fairly popping out of her dress, the ubiquitous Jay Kay and an obviously on-the-make Leo DiCaprio altered the atmosphere from the plummy heights of the Prince and debonair Cartier director Arnaud Bamberger’s court-holding earlier in the day. When all’s said and done however it was well worth celebrating the luxury house’s commitment to an insanely expensive but incredibly stylish pastime which could easily have gotten the bespoke boot in such dicey economic climes.
ICAP Leopard, the 100-ft. monohull sailing superyacht owned by Mike Slade, just broke the transatlantic speed record held by the luxury yacht Phocea. Finishing the 2,925 nautical mile crossing from New York to Cornwall, UK, in seven days, 19 hours and 21 minutes, ICAP Leopard shaved eight hours off the existing record. One of the most stylish and technologically advanced yachts ever to be launched, Farr Yacht Design provided the Leopard’s basic naval architecture and construction engineering, with styling and interiors by Ken Freivokh.
To snare the transatlantic trophy, the Leopard sailed at an average speed of 15.5 knots, and a top speed of 37.4 knots. The record for a monohull yacht with power-assisted winches, was previously held by the 246-ft. Phocea, which sailed the course in eight days, three hours and 29 minutes. Want to get a taste of the Leopard or try your own record attempt? She’s available for charter for up to 20 guests at a base rate of £10,000 per day, or about $17,000. And yes, that includes the champagne.
Photo by Alex John Beck
Duncan takes his cars, food and wine very seriously so for the August 1st weekend he and a group of characters headed upstate from New York City in a selection of vintage sports cars including an AC Cobra, 1968 Porsche 911 and 1975 Ferrari Dino…. After a glorious days driving through New York State’s state parks skirting lakes and through forests cocktails were consumed after a swim under a 200 foot waterfall to take the edge off and calm the heat of the day. A spectacular dinner was prepared and served by Nick Morgenstern and Julie Farias of “The General Greene”. Of course, the highlight was a certain Mr Adam Jenkins piloting the Cobra on Sunday despite no roof, no rain gear, and torrential thunderstorms….
As a unique collector’s car the 1952 Jaguar C-Type sports racer driven to victory by the legendary Phil Hill is estimated to be worth at least $3 million. While some cars in that exalted price range are valued for historic significance alone, the C-Type is an example of beauty that’s well worth the cost. RM Auctions will put the car on the block during its annual Sports & Classics of Monterey event in California on August 13-15 along with a host of Ferraris. The rare C-Type evolved into the D-Type and its street-legal sibling the XK-SS, made famous by Steve McQueen, and eventually into the E-Type, for many purists the last real Jag to roll off the line.
The model on offer in Monterey, designated XKC-007, was one of just 53 examples built and one of the first Jaguar C-Types delivered to the United States. Shipped to New York in 1952, it was driven to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where the eventual World Champion driver, Phil Hill – then just 25 – drove it to victory in the Sheldon Cup. Presented in period correct condition, the car notably displays Hill’s signature of the great Phil Hill and retains its original, numbers matching engine. What else could it be painted besides British Racing Green?
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Check out the stylish scene at the Duncan Quinn Pimm’s Party the other night. Sartorial splendor mixed with perfect cocktails. And check out those stylish mugs - the cups we mean. Pimm’s No. 1 pewter originals…. Wish you were there.
