A selection of fine whiskies from around the world to buy now. Most are not peaty whiskies (apart from the Lagavulin), but more akin to a fine cognac,  easy on the nose and palate, with a soft mellow flavour.
Ron Butlin , former Edinburgh Makar / Poet Laureate sums it up best with this beautiful poem.
Wring the Scottish rain clouds dry;
Take sleet, the driving snow, the hail;
Winter twilight; the summer's sun slowed down
to pearl-sheen dusk on hillsides, city-roofs,
on lochs at midnight.

The last year has been all about women and their underlying strength, which was reflected in the clothes, hair and make-up looks seen on the runways in Paris, London, Milan and New York. With animal prints, leather and cowboy fringes dominating the runways, the power woman is back this autumn - seen most evidently in the '80s silhouettes which had something of a revival (think bold shoulder lines and nipped in waists).

Pulling out on to a main Surrey road in the Ferrari 488 Spider could not be easier as everyone spots the car from a mile away and lets you out immediately. It’s like having a special pass that says you never have to wait at a giveway. The Ferrari is pretty in matt opaque white and people just enjoy seeing it curve around the corner and swiftly accelerate away.

L’Hotel in the Rue des Beaux Arts on the left bank in Paris is utterly exceptional, the perfect bijou, boutique hotel. We pulled up in the opaque white Ferrari 488 convertible right outside the door, popped the front trunk and handed our bags over to the concierge. The entrance is discreet and easily missed, but once inside there is an impressive hall that extends past the front desk, though the bar, into the restaurant and ends in the exterior garden with its wonderful scalloped fountain.

The Victoria Palace Hotel is just off the Boulevard Montparnasse, behind the FNAC in the Rue Blaise-Desgoffe. It is an ideal location and laid back pied a terre close to the Jardins de Luxembourg, the Cartier Modern Art Museum and Odeon with all its fabulous restaurants and bars. It has a terrific parking space, which is a huge plus when you arrive in a Ferrari 488 Spider. The parking is at ground level next to the hotel and there is plenty of room.

Best New Watches: Chopard Mille Miglia 2018 Race Edition

In a recent case, the Supreme Court in London (which is the highest court in the UK) was asked to decide on a matter in which a reference, given by a bank to its customer, was entirely incorrect. It is common for a party to ask a bank to give their opinion on the financial standing of another party, as part of a commercial transaction. Playboy Club, who asked the bank for an opinion on one of its casino gamblers via a third party, claimed that the bank had been negligent and sought compensation.  

Doesn’t it feel like watch brands emerge on Kickstarter like sand on the beach? They are all jostling for position with taglines like “revolutionary design”, “affordable luxury” or the promise to “disrupt the industry”. With Alpina successfully launching their latest smartwatch on Kickstarter, they demonstrated the crowdfunding potential for established watch brands.

The Ferrari 488 Spider in Italian opaque white (or Bianco Italia Opaco) with the Nero (black) interior is refined, almost discreet for a hyper-car. Glamorous without being flash, with curves in all the right places. The matt white keeps it low key so you can appreciate the curvaceous wheel arches and sinuous body without sunglasses. The elegant lines convey stately sports car sophistication. So it should as this mobile masterpiece comes out at £335,197 with the extras.

Let’s face it, most Rosé wine cannot be made for people’s pleasure.  It is a surprise if it is well made which is a good starting point but character rarely features.  No wonder some people say they do not like wine.  They should be saying that they do not like badly made wine which so frequently can be applied to Rosé.  We visited a major winery in Sancerre and were shown around by a rather arrogant young member of the family who explained where the grapes were grown for each of their wines.  When it came to Rosé, he was very dismissive and said they were grown on their north facing slopes