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Brugal’s Limited-Edition Rum Honors its Heritage
One launch in the world of rare spirits is catching our attention. Guided by the steady hand of maestra ronera (master of rum) Jassil Villanueva Quintana, Brugal’s new special-edition vintage combines its special single-cask reserves and signature double aging technique for the first time in the brand’s 134-year history. Named Andrés Brugal, the blend is an homage to the flavors of the Dominican Republic: roasted coffee beans, freshly harvested Cacao, and subtle fragrance notes of dulce de leche and rum cake.
Bottled in hand-blown crystal decanters, each of the 460 bottles in the collection is packaged in a custom display cabinet inspired by the retro traveling cases of yore. Fabricated from American oak, the mini-trunk unfolds into a pedestal of sorts with interior mirrors reflecting the liquid’s amber glow. The surfaces are etched with a world map, a symbolic reference to the peripatetic Brugal founder’s travels from Spain to the Caribbean over a century ago. —Nate Storey
The Marine Life Institute in Saudi Arabia designed by Foster + Partners. Image courtesy of Foster + Partners…
Foster + Partners unveils a coral-like design for Saudi Arabia’s Marine Life Institute.
“Foster + Partners has revealed the designs of the Marine Life Institute on Saudi Arabia’s northwestern coast. As part of Triple Bay development AMAALA, a luxury tourist destination on the Red Sea coastline, the project will accommodate a research center, labs, galleries, and educational spaces to give visitors a glimpse into the wonders of the marine environment of the coastline. Reproducing the forms of coral formations, the building will be the world’s first fully immersive marine institution where visitors can walk underwater, snorkel with rare species and experience a coral exhibit inside the building.” [H/T ArchDaily]
LVMH quarterly profits increased overall, but saw slower growth in the United States.
“LVMH’s third quarter revenues rose 20 percent on an organic basis to $19.3 billion. The group’s fashion and leather goods division, including profit center Louis Vuitton, grew 22 percent, reflecting enduring demand for luxury goods in the face of high inflation and slower macro-economic growth. Growth in the important U.S. market, however, fell to half the rate of the previous quarter, with sales rising 11 percent over the summer compared to a 22 percent jump in Q2. Explosive growth in the U.S. has powered luxury’s recovery from the effects of the pandemic. Despite rampant inflation and rising interest rates that are dampening economic sentiment in the country, the owner of brands including Louis Vuitton and Dior says demand for its products is holding up among Americans, but simply shifting to Europe as long-haul travel resumes.” [H/T Business of Fashion]
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is opening eight renovated galleries.
“At the newly renovated and reopened gallery spaces at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum visitors can lay their eyes on a mockup of the International Space Station and view the historic Wright Flyer aircraft in a new environment. Renovation work began on the 45-year-old museum abutting the National Mall in Washington D.C., in 2018. The project, a 7-year endeavor with a $360 million price tag, is led by Quinn Evans Architects and, when complete, will completely overhaul several parts of the 604,000-square-foot complex. Core focus areas include a redesign of all 23 of its exhibition spaces, recladding the exterior, and modernizing outdated mechanical systems.” [H/T The Architect’s Newspaper]
The Royal Park Canvas hotel in Sapporo designed by Mitsubishi Jisho Design. Image courtesy of the Royal Park Canvas…
Japan’s first-ever hybrid timber high-rise hotel is taking shape in downtown Sapporo.
“Architecture studio Mitsubishi Jisho Design has completed an 11-storey hybrid timber hotel in Sapporo that was designed to use as much local timber and as little concrete as possible. The Royal Park Canvas hotel is located on the island of Hokkaido and was created by Mitsubishi Jisho Design for real estate firm Mitsubishi Estate Group. The architects claim the building is the first hybrid timber high-rise hotel to be built in Japan. It uses a combination of concrete and timber construction methods to achieve the desired height while fulfilling Japan’s strict building standards in relation to earthquakes and fire safety.” [H/T Dezeen]
Büro Ole Scheeren envisions an undulating winemaker’s campus in Wuliangye, China.
“Büro Ole Scheeren is taking to China‘s historical city of Yibin, to design a new ‘Wuliang Interstice’ campus and experience center for Wuliangye, one of China’s leading winemakers. The area is known as the geographical source of the Yangtze River and famed for its rich cultural heritage. Thus, the project will take shape as a celebration of both the area’s wine culture and naturally carved topography. ‘The existing topography of a natural canyon carving the land is extended through two undulating, linear buildings that form a continuous rhythm with the landscape and inscribe an open space of nature and storytelling: Wuliang Interstice,’ Scheeren said in a statement.” [H/T Designboom]
Three U.S. museums commemorate the return of a trove of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
“The National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art, and the RISD Museum held a joint ceremony Oct. 11 in Washington, DC, to mark the return of 31 Benin bronzes from their respective collections to Nigeria, marking the latest milestone in a growing movement to return the looted treasures. The repatriation ceremony took place behind closed doors at the NMAA, where 13 Benin objects have featured in a farewell display for the past two weeks. Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments will now assume ownership of 29 artifacts that were deaccessioned earlier this year, including brass plaques, commemorative heads and figures.” [H/T The Art Newspaper]
Today’s attractive distractions:
Pottery’s punk revolution celebrates filthy ashtrays and condom packets.
At long last, tourists can now climb to the Statue of Liberty’s crown again.
This glass recycler is gradually rebuilding Louisiana’s eroding coastline.
John Walter’s debut NFT collection is tackling the stigma around HIV.
