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Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Copper Pot Stills At Woodford Reserve Brad Japhe In 1996, Woodford Reserve opened a visitor's center as part of its bourbon distillery. The low-key operation amidst the horse farms of Versailles, Kentucky, offered souvenirs, specialty bottles, and daily tours of the whiskey-making process. While that might not seem like anything special now, back then it was nothing short of revolutionary; booze-tourism simply didn't exist at the time. "The success of that decision led other distilleries to follow our lead," says Chris Poynter, brand spokesman. "T oday the Kentucky Bourbon Trail gets more than 1 million visitors annually, and growing. This combining of tourism and bourbon -- which we call bourbonism -- has been great for our distillery and the state of Kentucky.” While most of these outsized operations exist along the rural edges of Bluegrass Country, a new wave of liquid is swelling up inside the big … [Read more...] about Kentucky Bourbon Trail 2.0: Louisville Positions Itself At The Center Of American Spirits

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When founder Kerry Fitzmaurice was preparing to open Pure Grit BBQ, her plant-based BBQ and fast-casual eatery in New York City in the spring of 2019, the proliferation of COVID stopped her in her tracks and delayed its debut. After she spent a year researching the menu, conducting market research, and refining her cooking and smoking expertise, she decided to maintain her momentum by bottling its sauces and rubs to get it off the ground. She turned to Hell’s Kitchen Hot Sauce, a bottler, to help produce it. The sauces are still on sale at the restaurant and produce about 10% of its overall revenue. That launch boosted Pure Grit BBQ’s brand name after articles appeared in The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar and the lifestyle company GOOP. Fitzmaurice raised the capital to open its retail location in May 17, 2023 from one main friend from elementary school in Greenwich, Ct and tapping her own funds. She also brought … [Read more...] about Vegan Pure Grit BBQ Opens In New York City After A Four-Year Delay

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Istanbul has its share of grand, gorgeous palace hotels, dripping with crystal chandeliers and bedecked with inlaid marble. So it’s refreshing to find that the Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus —for all of its understated opulence—is not one of them. Rather, the architects at Singapore’s HBA Architecture and interior experts at New York’s Tihany Design took inspiration from a more humble sort of Ottoman housing, the traditional yali houses that line the shores of the Bosphorus river. That makes sense because its setting at the water’s edge—making it one of just a handful in the city that have that kind of access—is one of its main selling points. Not only is the river beautiful and one of the most fascinating in the world, with Europe on one side and Asia on the other, but also it’s convenient. The hotel’s pier makes it easy to get downstream to the historic city center, upstream to the fashionable Bebek neighborhood and … [Read more...] about Understated Luxury In Istanbul: Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus Hotel

Bank of England, London (File image: Reuters) The Bank of England raised interest rates by half a percentage point Thursday as it sought to tame double-digit inflation that is fueling a cost-of-living crisis, public-sector strikes and fears of recession. The bank’s monetary policy committee voted 7-2 to push its key rate to 4%, approving the 10th consecutive rate increase since a post-pandemic surge in the world economy and Russia’s war in Ukraine drove inflation to 40-year highs. Economists suggest this may be the last big rate increase for Britain’s central bank as inflation begins to slow. “The extent to which domestic inflationary pressures ease will depend on the evolution of the economy, including the impact of the significant increases in Bank Rate so far,” the bank said in a statement. “There are considerable uncertainties around the outlook.” The U.S. Federal Reserve has already started tapering its response, boosting its key rate by just a … [Read more...] about Bank of England hikes rates by half-point to tame inflation

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin In Maui, life revolves around the beach. The $5.5-million plantation-style residence in Wailuku on Hawaii’s second-largest island takes full advantage of its oceanfront setting. The 4.5-acre property at 490 and 497 Lilihua Place was custom-built in 2020 to maximize access and views. The beach lies right outside the backyard, a perfect location for surfing, kitesurfing, standup paddling and just kicking back and watching sunsets. “There’s big wave activity out there that’s just amazing,” says listing agent Brad MacArthur of Hawaii Life. Love horses? There’s plenty of room for equestrian activities too. Views abound inside the elevated main house. “As soon as you walk in the front door, all the glass around the hall showcases the ocean view,” MacArthur says. There’s not a bad view from any window in the five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom home. The property also has a one-bedroom cottage with a private entrance. The main … [Read more...] about 4.5-Acre Oceanfront Maui Property Hits The Market For $5.5 Million

The humanitarian crisis on the Southwestern border has reached a critical stage. El Paso, Texas, is struggling to handle the influx of migrants. It converted a convention center and two middle schools into migrant housing facilities because the city shelters were overwhelmed, but hundreds of migrants still sleep on the city streets. And the challenge is not confined to the border towns. Hundreds of miles away, New York City, Chicago, and Denver, among others, find their resources strained to address the needs of the migrants. The crisis cries for a solution, but none is in sight. Critics call for securing the border, and deterring the illegal crossers, including giving border patrol authority to immediately expel them, strictly enforcing the immigration laws, and reinstituting former President Donald Trump’s harsh policies such as “Stay-in-Mexico” and separation of children from parents and families. Deterrence has not worked, and the surge of migrants continues unabated. … [Read more...] about Opinion: Border security won’t quell the crush of humanity seeking safety in the U.S.

Written by: Amy R. Remo An upscale membership superstore is rising in three prime integrated estates, where it is set to become a promising complement to these fast-growing, dynamic communities in the south. The construction of of Landers’ branch in Arca South estate is in full swing. Landers Superstore signed an agreement with AyalaLand Estates to open new branches in Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Arca South in Taguig City, and Vermosa in Cavite. This expansion comes at a most opportune time as Landers Superstore will help provide for the growing needs of the communities within these progressive locales. From left to right: SoutheastAsia Retail, Inc. COO Pieter Lukman, SoutheastAsia Retail, Inc. chairman Atty. Lowell Yu, Ayala Land SVP and estate group head Robert Lao, Ayala Land Estates Sr. estate development head Cris Zuluaga Expanding in prime locations “We are thankful and fortunate to be able to operate in prime locations within these Ayala Land estates … [Read more...] about Landers to locate in Ayala Land Estates’ three prime sites

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin In the world of self-driving, the strong leaders are now Google/Alphabet’s Waymo, and GM’s Cruise. Both are headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, and both have thus been keen to deploy in the city of San Francisco itself. No wonder, it’s their hometown. Driving it is a challenge but an important one to handle. On the other hand, it doesn’t snow, though it faces fog. It’s a city that already has many people who don’t own cars, and it was the birthplace of ride-hail, first with the now-defunct Sidecar, then Lyft and Uber. It makes a lot of sense that they both want to be there. Even so, the city of San Francisco and it’s agencies have not been too happy with the pilot deployments of these companies and recently wrote letters hoping to slow them down. This article examines the conflict between the companies and their city, considering not just the particular points of contention, but also what sort of relationship makes … [Read more...] about San Francisco Tries To Slow Down Waymo And Cruise Robotaxi Expansion. Should They Go Elsewhere?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin My grandmother Estelle Craig was a remarkable woman. She was a journalist in the 1940s; a letter to her from J. Edgar Hoover hangs on my office wall. In the 1950s she founded a travel business – World Adventure Tours – that marketed tours via celebrity talks on exotic locales; a signed photo of Sir Edmund Hillary hangs right above J. Edgar. When the Duke of Bedford came to town – presumably to sell tours of Bedford and environs – she got media attention by starting a rumor that he was planning to buy Toronto’s only castle . She loved travel, hobnobbing, and making trouble, in that order. She was also generous. Before she passed away at the age of 103, my kids would send her thank you cards for birthday gifts. Even at that remarkable age she was as sharp as a tack, but had trouble seeing and hearing. My son Leo liked to type his on an electric typewriter, leading to this exchange: Leo: Dad, should I type her thank you … [Read more...] about When The College Of Last Resort Is A Resort

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Wondering whether your Congressperson is actually doing a good job? Is there some type of metric besides number of times the Congressperson tweeted expressions of outrage and used ALL CAPS? Well, it could help to see what’s really happening with the health of people in your Congressional District. After all, improving the lives of people in the district is kind of what a House of Representatives person is supposed to do, right? Say, for example, more people in your District are binge drinking than any other District. You may, in turn, be inclined to tell your Congressperson, “Maybe it’s time to bottle up the rhetoric and figure out what’s going on here” That’s why the new Congressional District Health Dashboard (CDHD) , just launched by a team from the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, can be a useful tool to help separate out the Congresspersons … [Read more...] about New Dashboard Shows Key Health Measures In Each Of 435 Congressional Districts