To get a proper sense of what Florence has to offer four days is what I’d suggest. To get away in a successful manner I need to change climate, language, culture and, perhaps most vitally, to change centuries. The secret, I find, is to surrender, to be transported in time, to sharpen my eyes and train myself to look, look and look again at all the detail and refinery. It’s so edifying and so reviving of my spirits. How life-affirming to appreciate the artistic skill of Florence’s forebears. 

Torabhaig

The Torabhaig distillery on Skye never ceases to excite me. As you may have read previously, I have tasted all the releases of their Legacy series and loved each one. However, I had never had the opportunity to taste their distillery exclusives - until now. This changed at the wonderful Merchant House in London, where Neil Macleod hosted a small group of us.

Laphroaig, one of the most storied names in Scotch whisky, has just unveiled the first release in a special series of limited-edition single malts dedicated to the trailblazers who shaped its iconic legacy. This inaugural bottling honors co-founder Donald Johnston and is accompanied by bespoke illustrations from renowned British artist Bill Bragg. This exciting release pays tribute not only to the Johnston brothers' uncompromising spirit but also to the 200-year history of one of Islay’s most revered distilleries.

Located in the heart of Surrey’s rolling hills, Wotton House Hotel offers a serene retreat wrapped in the elegance of an old English estate. As soon as you approach the grand facade of the hotel, it’s clear that this place is steeped in history.

Casa Barú rum has been officially launched outside Panama - in the UK - at the impressive Lucy Wong subterranean cocktail bar in London’s Fitzrovia.

Produced in the heart of the Chiriqui Highlands, whose rich volcanic soil and rainforest climate provide ideal conditions for creating the spirit, Casa Barú uses only locally grown artisanal sugarcane, distilled in traditional copper pot stills and aged in carefully selected oak barrels, with no artificial additives or sweeteners used anywhere in the process.

Lotus has enjoyed a strong start to the decade with the Emira, Eletre, and soon-to-launch Emeya receiving positive feedback from current and prospective owners. However, Lotus is looking ahead with an ambitious new release: its design manifesto, called The Lotus Theory.

I have written about the House of Hazelwood extensively before. On this occasion, I thought it would be interesting to interview Jonathan Gibson, a director of House of Hazelwood to find out how they curated this, their third, extraordinary collection of whiskies. My tasting notes are below the interview. 

Roughly how many barrels were tasted before selecting the whiskies included in this collection?

Bentley has launched its first four-door supercar - the new Flying Spur, now in its fourth generation after almost two decades of defining the ultimate luxury performance vehicle.

Launched initially with the performance-focused Speed model, the new Flying Spur is built around Bentley’s new Ultra Performance Hybrid, endowing it with an extraordinary breadth of capabilities.

Hennessey Special Vehicles, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer, has announced plans to build its most engaging, physical and driver-focused hypercar to-date, the Venom F5-M Roadster: the world’s most powerful manual production car.