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As you might expect, this time of year is pretty busy for all drink writers, and I for one have a desk of samples to taste through. This seems to pale into insignicance though compared to the sheer amount of Whisky Cask investment firms adverts I am being fed on social media. I urge you to avoid these and the promises of great returns unless you have specialist expertise. It is not regulated, casks are often vastly overpriced and you may not even own the cask you think you have bought. Buyer beware. 

On to this editions tastings:-

Audi, In a stroke of creative genius that amply demonstrates their spirit of adventure, sponsored the 2023 Queens Cup Balloon Race.

Definitely one of the most exciting and thrilling races I have ever covered. Imagine a fusion of rally car driving, classic yacht racing, Georgian airships and three-dimensional chess and you have a rough idea of the Queens Cup Balloon Race. Now throw in a massive sprinkling of great British eccentricity and a dash of those magnificent men in their flying machines and you're there.

We decided the best way to get the measure of the Range Rover Evoque Hybrid was to take it on a few adventures. First, we cruised down to Brighton Marina for a long jet ski safari with the amazing team at Lagoon.co.uk. See our review of the superb Jet Skiing experience at Brighton Boating Lagoon Watersports. https://www.lagoon.co.uk/course/stag-and-hen-grou…

Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands nestled off the African coast, is renowned for its rich and captivating history.

The story of Tenerife dates back to prehistoric times when the Guanche people, believed to have arrived around 200 BC, established their presence on the island. The island derives its name from Chief Tinerfe, who divided the land into nine areas for each of his nine children, which still exist today as the municipal areas of Tenerife: Taoro, Guimar, Abona, Anaga, Tequeste, Taraconte, Icode, Daute, and Adeje.

When the Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo was delivered to my door, I was not quite sure what to make of it. So I parked my preconceptions and drove around as many different types of roads and areas of the English countryside to get to grips with this conundrum.

The Quattroporte Ferrari engine is, of course, its USP, a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with a whopping 580 bhp. Maximum output is at 6750 rpm, which delivers its best roar too. The 21-inch wheels and rear-wheel drive are firmly aimed at those that love driving. 

The Jaguar F-Type R 75 is a refined luxury two-seater sports tourer, but is it fast, comfortable and stylish enough for the £103 K price tag?  We took it gallivanting around Gloucestershire, staying at the Tewkesbury Hotel for a little golf and fine dining to find out.

The R 75 comes with the 5.0 litre supercharged V8 with 567 bhp powering from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h) and an automatic ZF 8 speed gearbox. Its 4.47 metres long, 2 metres wide, weighs just under 1.8 tonnes and does around 26 mpg.

Wiesmann is launching the first all-electric convertible two-seater sports car, 'Project Thunderball', a bespoke luxury retro styled classic coachbuild on a modern powertrain.

I leapt on a plane to Düsseldorf for the inaugural launch at the Wiesmann factory in Dülmen. The factory itself is straddled by a giant gecko, 15 metres tall and over 110 metres long, the brand logo signifying that the car sticks to the road like a gecko sticks to walls.

The drive to Bruichladdich on the isle of Islay is nothing short of beautiful. Twisty roads, stunning coastal views, and if you are lucky, fine weather. But I don’t recommend you drive, opt for a taxi instead from the town of Bowmore and enjoy what this exciting distillery has to offer - incredible whisky. 

The drive from The Torridon Hotel to Murrayshall Country Estate was nothing short of spectacular, if at times happily slow, for all the right reasons. Where else is your progress in the magnificent McLaren 720s hampered by a wild Stag? Having driven the McLaren for hundreds of miles already, it was still exhilarating driving this supercar. At times blended in with the far-reaching sky in tonal colour and could easily become invisible in low-lying Scottish mist and rain.

Our final stop on the McLaren 720S International Excellence Magazine Tour was The Roseate Hotel in Edinburgh. They have free parking so we pulled the supercar around the back of the imposing detached Jacobean manor and ambled into reception.

McLaren 720S Scotland Tour.