And Son's Ed Ruscha Made in California Chocolate Bar.

It's nice to be able to occasionally provide commentary on something entirely uncomplicated.  The And Sons's Made in California chocolate bar is an excellent example of precisely that.

The bar itself is made from blood orange olive oil from Sonoma County California, mineral rich sea salt from Tomales Bay California, and Peruvian dark chocolate from Napa Valley.  It is housed in a sun yellow cloth bound box which reproduces Ed Rusha's often reproduced "Made in California" work, and the bar itself has the relief of the West Coast of California's topography.

Therefore this is a very simple luxury chocolate bar with strong ties to, and associations with, California. Whether this will have any value beyond the nice box seems unlikely.  Chocolate isn't known for its longevity, but at least you get to experience something fairly uncomplicated, and quite simple in respect of the delivery of its idea.

Available from mid December with no info on pricing, and a wait list for notification on availability.

 

Rimowa Cocktail Case Severely Overvalue Silverplate.

 

We were all set to write a scathing critique of the new limited edition Rimowa cocktail set, poking fun at the individual ridiculousness of its components, and how foolish anyone might be to consider it.  But the wind was really taken out of our sails when we noticed that it's sold out.

Brevity is the soul of wit, and so we will simply observe the following;  A number of individuals chose to spend £4,300 on an aluminium case, silver plated cocktail shaker, and to silver plated jiggers, and silver plated stirring spoon.  

We love luxury goods. that's what this little blog is about.  However, a sterling silver cocktail shaker set from Asprey can be had for £5,150, just £800 more, and a Demi-Shaker in solid silver for only £2,150.  This isn't merely overvaluing Silverplate, it's faintly ridiculous.  However, it sold out, so more fool us maybe.

Anish Kapoor Limited Edition Remy Martin XO Cognac adds nothing

 

Celebrity collaborations, as we have often noted, are either pointless cash grabs, or particular and specific expressions of a creator and a brand.  The new Anish Kapoor Remy Martin XO Cognac falls firmly into the first camp, being at best pointless, at worst insulting.

According to Kapoor in a press release for this collaboration Remy Martin has special associations for the artist, as their father often drank it, and it had connotations of sophistication which that they wanted to express this with their collaboration. We can't help feeling they failed.  There really doesn't seem anything to distinguish this release from the standard XO, other than the rose gold coloured top, and slightly smoothed bottle shape. 

You really get the sense that LVMH's marketing department sent a couple of emails to Kapoor's team, and a fee for their name was negotiated, after which a few designs were sent over, one of which Kapoor gave a nod to.  Nothing makes this stand out from normal XO, and other than the price, which appears to be about a 15% premium on standard XO at £195 a bottle, it's pretty forgettable in our view.  

ST Dupont jumps on Branding Change Bandwagon with Bland Serif Logo

The ceaseless march towards dull conformity amongst luxury brands continues, with ST Dupont's quietly introduced new logo.  

We have lost track of the amounts of brands that followed Hedi Slimane's Dior, then Saint Laurent Paris, rebranding.  Yet the amusing thing that these lemmings rushing towards the cliff edge fail to understand is that it's not a smart move.  Homogeneity is precisely what consumers are attempting to move away from by purchasing luxury goods.  By adopting a stale Serif look because SLP"s stock went up just makes your brand look boring.

While the Arnault family's entire progeny seem to think it's a great idea, as demonstrated by them removing every ounce of originality in everything they touch.  Other companies realise their error and revert.  For example, we wrote of Burberry and Saint Laurent Paris returning to the classic logo.  Albeit in the most confused way possible. (Burberry article here, and SLP article here)

So it comes then to ST Dupont.  Who scrapped the elegant calligraphy of a logo that can be found on lighters for over 100 years, and opted for the standard Serif mundanity.  In fact, we dislike this even more, as it has an annoying ST orphaned to the left of a large bold "Dupont".  It makes the logo look more like it's a collectible for the Dupont chemical company than a lighter from the storied smokers brand.  

Sadly this new logo has already made its way onto lighters and products in their catalogue.  So it's a good chance it will be around for a while.  Until they realise their error and go back to the only one that worked.  If it aint broke, don't fix it.  A saying "Dupont" might need to reconsider.

 

Morley's Pop-Up At Standard Hotel London in Heinz Morley Launch Promotion

 

Luxury hotel group The Standard are hosting a pop-up limited edition fried chicken restaurant with Morley's chicken branding.  

For the uninitiated, Morley's is a fried chicken restaurant franchise primarily found in South London.  There's a long and storied cultural history, and ongoing culture war between North and South London chicken shop brands on which is the best, but on a fundamental level, it's a fried chicken franchise mostly in South London.  It also has a reputation for being very inexpensive, making this pop-up with The Standard seem unusual at first-blush.  That is until you look closer and see that the global megabrand Heinz is releasing a special edition Morleys sauce, and realise this is just a method for Heinz to market their new product in a novel way to customers who would probably never be interested in it.

Sly marketing trick aside, the menu on offer at The Standard's Double Standard bar/restaurant will not be the normal Morley's fare, but luxurious reinterpretations of these.  The chicken being dipped in caviar in promotional images hints at this, and while this seems unlikely in reality, there will be a selection of high-end, luxury, fried chicken dishes for a limited period.  

The pop-up launches tomorrow, August 7 2023, and will run until September 3 2023.

OTHERWARE Pebble Demonstrates How To Truly Move Away From Single Use Plastics With Style.

 

We like to point out the inherent hypocrisy in many moves luxury goods makers display, and few areas display this better than the move towards sustainability.  Dior's reusable straws packaged in expensive packaging made from non-sustainable materials is an example which amused us last year, and these can be found everywhere.  The cynical desire to label things as sustainable in obvious moves to profit from it turns the stomach on occasion.  However OTHERWARE manages to present a genuine effort to combat single-use plastics and the poor alternatives that exist in the Pebble.

Firstly the products it makes are manufactured from recycled CD's, demonstrating from the ground up the commitment to move away from manufacture of plastic.  Next each kit contains every essential tool for dining, spoon, fork, knife, chopsticks and a straw, no sporks here.  And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, these handy-dandy fold up utensils are housed in a stylish little packaged that can clip on luggage and be transported easily.

With the single-use ban in effect, having hygienic single-use utensils which cover all eventualities is more important than ever.  And with collabs with the likes of SHARKITECTURE and Pharrel Williams, why not do it in style?

Supreme "Oreo" Cookies.

We enjoy reporting on Supreme's more controversial releases, such was the famous Supreme brick, and the various other items that they have released over the years designed purely as a middle finger to naysayers.  Each release has become more and more ludicrous, but this time they have released something which is not just consumable, it's edible.

Supreme'e Spring Summer 2020 'accessories' range includes a brick-red, box-logoed, cream filled cookie.  The vibe on reputable sites such as highsnobiety has been to refer to this as an ''Oreo", we are not so sure.  Certainly, it looks like an Oreo, but there's plenty of cream filled circular cookies out there, Fox's Crunch Cream's anyone?

So despite the fact that this is in fact an official collaboration with Oreo's, and they will be double-stuffed, and come in 3 packs, we are calling these "Supremeo's".  And the price for a pack of Supremeo's?  A mere £5 per cookie.  Good luck re-selling this as deadstock in a year.

Starbucks Fragment Design Stainless Steel Bottle

Sometimes a product comes along that you can't actually obtain without considerable effort, but which is just so awesome you want to know about it, and tell other people about it too.  Hiroshi Fujiwara's fragment design has collaborated again with Starbucks, this time, via a stainless steel coffee bottle.

If you ever held back on getting a stainless stele bottle for reasons of lack of interest in sustainability, well then you're just a bad person.  But if it's because you never found one slick and cool enough, look no further.

In 500ml size, meaning it can hold a Grande order, in powder blasted black stainless steel, and with the fragment and Starbucks logos on the side, this IS the one to own.  As an additional novelty, there is also the chance to own branded cups and VIA coffee sachets.  And how much does this cost?  Only £50, not cheap, but quality luxury collars rarely are.

The only catch is, it's only available in Japan, and only by an online raffle, like with high end sneakers.  If you fancy a trip to Japan, or are going, around November 20th, then get up on this action.

MGM National Harbor 24 Karat Cable Car.

Cocktails are one of the many items that get the ultra luxury treatment.  From the Washington DC MGM National Harbor hotel, Beltway Felt Bar & Lounge & Blossom Cocktail Lounge, coems the 25k Cable Car.

As with all the super pricy cocktails, it's all about the sccessories.  The drink itself contains Bruno Mar's award winning SelvaRay Rum, Marie Brizard Orange Curacao served in a gold flake rimmed markiti glass.  The accessory in this case is a 30 inch, 18 karat yellow gold and 36 carat diamond Cuban link chain featuring G vx1 diamonds.

And, to ensure maximum enjoyment for the entire evening, a special edition, signed bottle of SelvaRey Rum, with a bartender all evening to serve it.

The price of such extravagance?  £65,000.

BAPE Night Out BAPE BEER Capsule.

As a special limited edition, BAPE produced a BAPE BEER, in BAPE labelled bottles, and two BAPE BEER tees in black and white. 

Made specially for the Vogue Fashion Night Out event, these are in extremely short supply, if they can be gotten prior to the after market, expect to pay £95 per tee.  As for the Beers, they are more likely to have all been consumed on the night.

Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water.

Exclusive to Harrods come Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water.  The product uses water harvested from icebergs in Kongsfjorden, 1,000 km from the North Pole, 79 degrees north.  The water is made from gently melting ice in a specially constructed machine to capture the water in its purest form, in order to retain the waters natural composition and premium taste.

Priced at £60 per bottle, Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water can only be purchased from Harrods, and the technical expertise involved in harvesting this ice means only two expeditions can be made per year, yielding just 13,000 bottles per expedition, meaning it is always limited edition.

Kreuther Handmade Patron Alquima Chocolate.

Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolates have launched a special edition collection of Patron Alquima chocolates.  This release offers rare, exquisitely sourced ingredients with Patron's finest tequilas.

Each boxed set is hand crafted over three days and features six of Patrons's rarest expressions complemented by ingredients, including pastilla chiles, the cleanest quebec honey, and chesnut confit.  

The hand crafted flavour varieties include the albedo. a luxurious white choclate with Tahitian vanilla, raisins soaked in Gran Patron Platinum, ganache with a sable Breton crunch and Gran Patron Platinum ganache, the nigrarum, a marlbled milk chocolte with salted caramel ganache of Patron Extra Anejo 5 Anos and the cuprium, a shimmering copper-hued milk chocolate filled with ginger and pumpkin spice and a ganache of limited edition Patron Extra Anejo 7 Anos.

Each box of 24 chocolates can be ordered from Kreuther, and costs £800 while stocks last.

Nespresso Christmas Variations.

Considering Nespresso has such a broad range of flavoured options in their line up, it may come as a surprise that they bother to release other limited editions outside of the special limited grand cru's.  However Nespresso's "Christmas Variations" range come out every holiday season.

For 2016 we have Sachertorte, Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel), and Linzer Torte.  All limited editions are available now for a slight premium over the normal capsules, or as a set.

Coca Cola Limited Edition Ginger For The Holiday Season.

Coca Cola may not strictly be a luxury product in-and-of-itself, but it's everyman appeal and over 100 years of heritage have meant that it's red cans and bottles have accompanied the most luxurious settings in the world, as Assouline's special Coca Cola book set showed us.  And as one of the worlds richest companies, when it does something new, it's worth taking notice of.

For the 2016 Holiday season, we present Coca Cola Ginger flavour.  Available in classic only, and with no diet or zero versions set to be released, this will be a fun addition, that can sweeten and warm up your holiday drinks, and make an instant whiskey mac out of a whiskey and coke.

Available now in Australia and New Zealand, with worldwide releases set to follow.

St Erik's Potato Chip Set.

From St Erik's, an exclusive Swedish microbrewery famous for its Pale Ale, comes a boxed set of ultra high end potato chips.  Each chip is delicately made by hand by the talented chefs of the Swedish National Culinary Team to achieve a perfect balance with the St Erik's Pale Ale.

In the brands own words :

“St. Erik’s Brewery is one of Sweden’s leading microbreweries and we’re passionate about the craftsmanship that goes into our beer. At the same time, we felt that we were missing a snack of the same status to serve with it,” brand manager Marcus Friari says in a statement. “A first-­class beer deserves a first-­class snack, and this is why we made a major effort to produce the world’s most exclusive potato chips. We’re incredibly proud to be able to present such a crispy outcome.”

Available now for £45 per box of five chips, a pre-sale of 100 boxes are already sold out, with a new batch to be released in November.

Custom Armand De Brignac Champagne.

Armand de Brignac's signature brut champagne, colloquially known as "ace of spades" burst onto the luxury champagne scene with high profile celebrity endorsements less than 10 years ago.  While the house is an old one, its chief offering was virtually unknown before its shiny gold bottle attracted the attention of the great and the good.

In collaboration with Reserve Bar Champagne Armand de Brignac now offers a personalisation service which allows consumers to customise their own message on a gold or rose coloured metal plaque inside a wooden gift box.

Available for £250 for the Brut gold coloured bottle, and £380 for the pink Rose bottle, both are available now from the Reserve Bar.

Remy Martin Carte Blanche A Baptiste Loiseau.

During the years he spent perfecting his craft under the tutelage of Remy Martin legend Pierette Trichet, Baptiste Loiseau tasted just about every eau-de-vie that had been set aside by previous cellar masters for their exceptional ageing potential. Now, having been granted “carte blanche” as the Cellar Master of Rémy Martin, he applies his wealth of knowledge to a special blend that is characteristic of the storied cognac house for a limited edition Carte Blanche a Baptiste Loiseau, in partnership with DFS Group.

Handpicked from the Gensac-la-Pallue cellar, the cask chosen by Loiseau reveals a balanced mix of lilac and spicy nutmeg notes, accompanied by intense aromas of leather, incense and black tea. It reportedly boasts a remarkably long finish, which we will be eager to sample.

Peter Sant, Managing Director, Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail, added, “Rémy Martin is one of the best-loved brands of Cognac in the world and has over many generations established an enthusiastic fan base, particularly in Asia. Today’s consumers value heritage, tradition and authenticity, as did their forebears, but they covet also the new, the unusual, the exclusive. We are excited to work with DFS on the exclusive launch of this special limited edition, Carte Blanche n°1, the first expression from our new Cellar Master at the House of Remy Martin, Baptiste Loiseau.”

Available exclusively at DFS Singapore Changi Airport in a handful of numbered bottles, the Rémy Martin Carte Blanche n°1 is a reflection of the Maison with its “Charentes” bottle, complete with a refined coffret encasement. The limited edition premium spirit will retail at £225 nett at DFS until October 2016.

Nespresso Limited Edition Cafezinho Do Brazil.

Nespresso's latest limited edition has been released, and just in time for the olympic closing ceremony, it is a blend of Brasilian coffee's.  Named Cafezinho do Brazil, it is named after Brazilians love of the Cafezinho, a bitter blend of Arabica beans.

The blend features Arabica frim Cerrado Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo and pulped dulcet natural Bourbon from Carmo de Minas and Pocos de Caldas.  This creates a velvety textured cup with an unexpected upp-front walnut and sandalwood fragrance, hints of herbal notes of thyme or rosemary also feature.

Available now in limited quantities, the Cafezinho do Brasil is a premium blend and so is priced at £0.80p per capsule over the normal coffee prices.

Laphroig Lore Edition.

A rich new single malt joins the ranks with Laphroaig’s launch of the Laphroaig Lore, a long-awaited whisky that pays tribute to the Islay distillery’s legacy.

Inspired by the brand’s whisky-making heritage that spans more than two centuries, Laphroaig Lore is a new expression named after long-held knowledge traditionally passed down from generation to generation. This evokes the way the skills and techniques that have been handed down from master distiller to master distiller, accumulating new injections of creativity and visions, while staying true to the peaty character of Laphroaig, to bring the label to where it is today.

For this new addition to the Laphroaig family, distillery manager John Campbell has only tapped on the very best from a range of ex-Bourbon casks, Oloroso Sherry hogsheads and quarter casks to give a distinctive and full-bodied character. The colour of deep mahogany, the Laphroaig Lore is bottled at 48% ABV (700ml) and is available for sale now.

“The result is outstanding,” commented Campbell. “It is the epitome of what one expects from a non-chill filtered Laphroaig single malt whisky, all delightful seaside minerals, smoke, fudge, vanillas and nuts on the nose, exceptionally rich, peaty and a spicy chilli-like bite to taste, then dry and sweet to finish. Wonderfully balanced, it’s our story, bottled, the richest of the rich.”

Remy Martin Louis XIII Mathusalem.

"As old as Mathusalem," as the saying goes; the legend says that Mathusalem was the oldest man to ever live, making this a most fitting edition for LOUIS XIII.

The LOUIS XIII LE MATHUSALEM edition will make new history for LOUIS XIII, the timeless cognac created in 1874 as this is the very first time that a cognac produces a mathusalem edition in crystal.

Each of these decanters is blown by the craftsmen of La Maison Baccarat in respect of a savoir-faire handed down over generations to generations. It requires over 20 master craftsmen to produce. A feat of crystal craftsmanship for a monumental cognac, alchemy of up to 1200 eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which is at least 40 years old, and which historic blend evokes tasting notes and aromas of myrrh, honey, immortelle, plum, honeysuckle, wood bark, leather and passion fruits.

A very limited number will be made, each individually numbered for eternity.

LOUIS XIII LE MATHUSALEM is presented in a luxurious display chest featuring 8 crystal glasses housed in a dedicated case, a serving platter and a pipette, in honour of the ancestral tasting and serving rituals of the cellar masters.

Rare and exquisite collector's items, the first LOUIS XIII LE MATHUSALEM decanters will be available worldwide as of November 2016, after being launched exclusively in iconic department store Harrods as of September for two month, then worldwide, each edition costing £60,000.