October 2025

Bladnoch is no stranger to reinvention. Founded in 1817 on the banks of the River Bladnoch in Dumfries and Galloway, the distillery has seen prosperity, closures, sales and revivals across more than two centuries. Today it stands as the oldest privately owned Scotch whisky distillery, often referred to as the Queen of the Lowlands. Under the stewardship of owner David Prior and master distiller Dr Nick Savage, Bladnoch has been brought back into focus, producing single malts that carry both the weight of history and the promise of modernity.

Set the scene
Before Bora Bora, before overwater villas became shorthand for South Pacific luxury, there was the InterContinental Tahiti. Opened in 1974 and refreshed multiple times since, this sprawling resort sits just 10 minutes from Papeete’s airport and is often used as a stopover before or after a cruise of Polynesia, but it deserves more than a cursory glance. The rambling buildings sit in lush tropical planting and the seafront position provides views of Moorea on the horizon.

I have been to Lucky Cat at the summit of 22 Bishopsgate, London’s tallest building, a number of times now. It has always been bustling, busy and with a great vibe. Located Sixty floors up, with Tower Bridge and the Gherkin stretched beneath you, Gordon Ramsay has created something unlike anything else in his empire. But within this restaurant/bar, there is a hideaway Chefs Table called Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High. 

Arriving at Goodwood Revival this year felt like stepping into a real-life throwback filter—but one that actually smells of petrol, popcorn, and excitement, and sounds like pure engine chaos. From classic cars to people who look like they’ve time-travelled from the 1940s, it’s basically a full-sensory nostalgia overload, and I was here for every second of it.

Hotel Ambasador Split: A Luxury Arrival

I was in Edinburgh earlier this week to taste Glen Scotia’s Four Quarters set that is heading to the Distillers One of One charity auction. It is rare that a single tasting manages to cover history, technique, design and philanthropy with the same clarity. This did. Four single malts from the same month in 1999, each a quarter of a century old, and each showing a different facet of Campbeltown’s character through its choice of cask.

Arriving at Naturhotel Forsthofgut feels like stepping into a perfectly balanced world  - one where the warmth of a family-run retreat meets the refined elegance of a five-star hotel. Nestled at the foot of the Asitz Mountain in Leogang, it’s the kind of place where the air carries the scent of pine and wood, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked bread in the morning, and where hospitality is more than just a service; it’s second nature.

Step inside the newly launched Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern and you feel a sense of London’s dining history humming through the walls. Part tavern, part chop house, this is both a nod to the City’s 17th-century eating houses and a modern reinvention, where heritage and produce are treated with equal reverence. 

Every extraordinary meal is elevated by the company. On this occasion, I was joined by three luminaries from the worlds of hospitality, design, and gastronomy.