Compass Box, the no-nonsense artisanal Brit whiskymaker whose ambrosial offerings we first told you about last year, has just come out with a new bottling of its limited release Hedonism Scotch in time for a certain Hallmark holiday.

Hedonism is a blend of rare old Scotch grain whisky — traditionally low grade, unmatured stuff made from wheat or corn added to malt whisky to make the major brands of blended Scotch. However, when properly aged in oak, Scotch grain whisky can achieve its own delectable character, albeit of a much lighter, honeyish, toffee-like variety; a before-dinner Scotch if you will.

Compass Box bottles the stuff when it can find enough mature grain whisky—20 years old on average—in good oak casks. No easy task, but we’re certainly glad they bothered.

Dethroner

Liquors have been touting their history for a long time (since 1847, in fact), but it’s rare to come across an ad that makes the past look like so much fun. In this print spot, Canadian Club—or, more accurately, Chicago’s Energy BBDO agency—points us to a bygone era of thin black ties, hair wax, and formal dinner attire. The tag says “June ’65,” and the gentleman in the swim trunks is sporting some decidedly counter-cultural shagginess, but otherwise the look is Goldwater-chic.

Except, perhaps, for that pair of legs on the right.

Drinking at home can seem too casual, or worse, anti-social, but all you really need are the right accoutrements.

This ice-crusher—a Mad Men-style relic resurrected by American Chateau—is a touch of welcome anachronism. We certainly won’t miss the industrial rumble of a refrigerator’s ice crusher. Instead there’s a soothing ritual to add to our bartending repertoire, as well as a sleek reminder of a time when stainless steel still had futuristic panache.

Plus, it crushes a lot.

Stainless Steel Ice Crusher [American Chateau]

Yes, champagne at New Year’s has gotten a bit tiresome, but don’t switch to controlled substances just yet—Veuve Cliquot has hit on a way to brighten things up.

We’ve always loved the mandarin orange label on the bottles, which the company calls yellow for some reason; they’re so damned natty. Someone we know (cough, cough) once even had his dining room painted to match. To celebrate the House of Cliquot’s 130th anniversary they’ve just released a limited edition 3-liter “Yellowboam” (a play on Jeroboam), equivalent to four regular bottles.

More on the extravagant hand-crafted vessels »

Would you pay $30,000 for a bottle of Scotch? The folks at Christie’s are hoping somebody will at what is certainly an auspicious occasion: the first auction of rare spirits in New York since Prohibition began in 1920, taking place this Saturday at their Rockefeller Center HQ. Read more »

We know you’ve been meaning to acquire all sorts of esoteric Scotch knowledge so no one laughs anymore when you try to pronounce “Islay.” There’s a way to look like you know your way around the Inner Hebrides however without losing sleep over it. Compass Box, a no-nonsense artisanal Brit whiskymaker, bypasses the mumbo jumbo in favor of a simple statement expressing the character of the spirit: take our favorite from their core range, the smoked-out Peat Monster.

Now Compass Box is broadening its offerings on our side of the sink…

As Anthony Powell noted, books do furnish a room; here at Kempt, we believe bottles do too. The good-looking ones, that is—keep your shelves well stocked with both and you’ll never lack for something to read or drink. But tequila has so far lagged behind the rest of the spirits world when it comes to attractive packaging…