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A testament to the vision of the Fuente family, the Opus X is a cigar that redefined the possibilities of Dominican tobacco, a puro born of a stubborn determination to cultivate wrapper leaf in soil once thought unsuitable. It remains a benchmark of power and complexity.
The Gun RoomIn the world of fine guns, one name stands as a benchmark for craftsmanship and sporting elegance. A recent visit to the Royal Berkshire Shooting School to pattern a new Purdey sidelock offered a fresh appreciation for a design perfected over a century and a half.
Grand HotelsOn the western shore of Lake Garda, a former Austrian hunting lodge offers a vision of Mitteleuropean grandeur, refined over a century of attentive service and framed by the dramatic beauty of the Lombard shore.
CigarsNamed for a devoted patron, the Cuban Churchill is more than a format; it is a declaration of intent, a commitment to an evening of deliberate contemplation and evolving, sophisticated flavour.
EscapesA journey through the Scottish Highlands aboard the Royal Scotsman is a lesson in the art of slow travel, where the landscape itself becomes the main event and the train a moving study in Edwardian grace.
Grand HotelsIn a city with no shortage of grand hotels, Le Bristol distinguishes itself not through revolution, but through a quiet, confident evolution of Parisian elegance. It remains a bastion of civility and a benchmark for service on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
GastronomyIn the quiet hills of Axpe, a singular vision of Basque grilling has redefined the relationship between flame and food. It is a place of elemental truths, where the purest flavours are coaxed into being by a master of embers.
Palaces, palazzos, and pied-à-terres.
horologyMechanical poetry on the wrist.
motoringCoachbuilt classics and modern grand tourers.
gastronomyContinental restaurants worth a detour.
cigarsThe rituals of smoke and amber.
escapesQuiet corners of the old continent.
gunroomBest guns, great estates, and the etiquette of the field.
dissentWhere I push back against the direction of things.
Chet Baker · 1954
The most persuasive argument ever made for doing absolutely nothing before dinner.
Soundtrack To…: Soundtrack to a Weekend in Lake Como
The Sunday Night FilmThe most beautiful film ever made about wanting to be somebody else.
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
The greatest novel ever written about a class watching its own sun go down.
The Old Man and the Sea — Ernest Hemingway
The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov
Casino Royale — Ian Fleming
The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald