Luxury Booze

Anyone wanting to learn how to do luxury booze marketing could probably take a leaf out of this book from LVMH.

From Luxist:

"French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH is best known for its marquee property Louis Vuitton, but the company has also amassed the world's most amazing collection of top-class wine and spirits brands under its Moët Hennessy group. The incomparable portfolio is celebrated in a suitably lavish new book called Distinctive Vintages ($200, right) just out from Flammarion.

Moët Hennessy owns too many luxury brands to list, but to name a few: Hennessy Cognac; Moët & Chandon, luxe Dom Pérignon, Krug and Veuve Clicquot champagnes; Belvedere and Chopin vodkas; Glenmorangie and deliciously smoky Ardbeg single malt Scotch whiskies; and the famed Chateau d'Yquem wine, synonymous with the finest money can buy.

The book focuses on the collection of fine French wines and spirits, personified in three regions that are "as noble as they are prestigious": Cognac, the ancestral birthplace of Hennessy; Champagne, home Dom Pérignon and its confreres; and Bordeaux, graced by the magical Château d'Yquem. It offers both a practical guide to the three regions as well as an explanation of the different vintages and results produced by the famed houses."

Smirnoff Quantum of Solace Vodka

From Luxist:

"A new James Bond movie is set to open and let the tie-ins begin. Smirnoff Vodka has announced a partnership with the new movie, Quantum of Solace, which is set to open in November. Starting in October a Smirnoff Black limited-edition stainless steel cocktail shaker that holds a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff Black vodka will pop up in duty-free shops at airports worldwide. Smirnoff isn't new to Bond movies, the brand first appeared in Dr No in 1962. The Quantum of Solace and The Black Martini are the newest Smirnoff cocktails, although I think ordering a Quantum of Solace might be a bit of a mouthful when out at the bars."

Champagne Bollinger James Bond Edition

From Luxist:

"As my colleague Deidre Woollard reported earlier, the product tie-ins to the upcoming James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, are beginning to hit the market.

The latest is from famed French champagne house Bollinger, founded in 1829. Bollinger has been featured in Bond films as 007's favorite celebratory tipple since Moonraker back in 1979.

Conceived by French designer Eric Berthès, the lockable steel bullet-shaped case engraved "Bollinger 007" holds a magnum of Bollinger's Grande Année 1999 champagne.

Packaged in a wooden box, the whole weighs over 50 pounds and costs about $5,800; only 207 numbered Bullets will be produced."

Via Born Rich

Remy XII Collaboration with Christophe Pillet

From Luxist

"Here at Luxist we've mentioned Louis XIII Cognac a bunch of times but the pricey brand has recently unveiled a new artistic collaboration with designer Christophe Pillet to create limited-edition collection of items including a crystal glass, a silver illuminated serving platter, a crystal candleholder and a display case. When patrons of certain high-end restaurants throughout the world order Louis XIII, it will be served alongside Pillet's collection as an enhancement to the presentation. They may also be made available for purchase through some fine retailers. Louis XIII is made from grapes grown in the most fertile region of Cognac, which are then distilled, blended, and aged up to 40 to 100 years and bottled in hand-blown Baccarat crystal."

Crystal Skull Vodka

From Luxist

"I saw the video of Dan Aykyroyd talking about Crystal Head vodka a week or so ago but I wasn't sure it was a real thing but turns out it is Aykroyd's newest venture in the world of liquor. Aykroyd's wines are currently the top selling celebrity brand in Canada and he recently announced they would be available in the U.S.

The selling point for Crystal Head vodka is is that it is quadrupled distilled and filtered three times through charcoal followed by triple filtration over Herkimer crystals. It also comes in that nifty skull bottle designed by John Alexander and manufactured by master artisans in Milano's Bruni Glass Company. The Infinium Spirits division of Wilson Daniels is marketing Crystal Head Vodka in the U.S. and it will be available initially in California, Texas, Nevada, Louisiana and Florida. It retails for $49.95.

As for the legend of the crystal skulls, I tend to side with the comprehensive article in Archaeology Magazine that came out earlier this year when the crystal skull craze began over the latest Indiana Jones movie."

Canadian Club Ltd. Edition 30 Year Old Whisky

Good news from Luxist:

"To celebrate its 150th anniversary, Canadian Club has released a special limited edition 30 Year Reserve whisky, that boasts a "luscious oak character and a velvety texture with unsurpassed natural smoothness."

Having sampled it, we second that description. The company is releasing 3,000 bottles at $200 apiece, the first Canadian distiller to offer a product of this age and refinement.

Canadian Club obviously sounds very Canadian, but it actually got its start in Detroit, founded by grocer-turned-distiller Hiram Walker, who dubbed his whisky Walker's Club. When Prohibition reared its ugly head, Walker relocated his operation across the Detroit River to Ontario, where he soon established his own community, Walkerville.

Canadian Club has recently experienced something of resurgence thanks to the hit show Mad Men, wherein it's everyone's favorite character Don Draper's drink of choice."

The part about CC being Don Darper's favourite drink is fascinating... Damn Right.

Heston loves Sherry

Words and image from Chris Osburn from the Londonist:

"Oh Sherry, there’s no reason to be all alone anymore! “Culinary alchemist” Heston Blumenthal (of Fat Duck fame), with scientist Professor Don Mottram of Reading University, has discovered a group of compounds known as diketopiperazines (try saying that drunk without offending someone) in Sherry. Apparently, these diketopiperazines are thought to accentuate the taste and flavour of “umami-rich” foods. In case you haven’t caught the blurps, umami is a newly discovered fifth tasting sense beyond sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

Huh? All ya need to know is that Sherry is yummy and goes well with a variety of meats, fish, cheese and more. According Mr Blumenthal, “Here we have scientific evidence to suggest what foodies across the globe have always known: that Sherry is a perfect wine to accompany food. And quite simply, Sherry gives these kinds of food an extra dimension of pleasure.” More about diketopiperazines et al at tenstartapas.com.

So what’s this gotta do with London? Well, Heston and pals unveiled their findings at Shoreditch House last night and kindly invited Londonist along to sample the findings. We think Blumenthal might be onto something with this new fangled science as we learned last night that Scotch eggs (with a layer of caramelized pork) go swimmingly with Pale Cream Sherry and that Eccles cake (with Stilton and Sherry butter of course) and Cream Sherry is a winning combo. And a simple salad of peach, rocket, Balsamic vinegar and almonds with a little Amontillado is about as good as it gets! We also learned that we really really (really!) need to make it out to Fat Duck some time for a bite (or maybe a Sherry tasting expedition to Jerez?). Shoreditch House is a pretty happening spot to drink too."