Brummell December

DECEMBER 2010

thE littlE BlaCK BooK foR thE City

Rising stars thE City’s nEw shining lights / a-list aCCEssoRiEs / sKiing with olyMpiC RaCERs üBER-luxuRy sERviCED pRopERtiEs / nEw CREativE talEnt / 2011’s top tiMEpiECEs

Breguet, the innovator.

Inventor of the Tourbillon, 1801

With the Classique “ Grande Complication ” Tourbillon Messidor wristwatch, Breguet reinvents its most spectacular invention, the tourbillon, designed to compensate for the effects of gravity. Held between two sapphire crystals, the tourbillon floats weightless inside its carriage, while the sapphire dial offers a transparent vision of the complex proprietary movement and its meticulous hand finishing. History is still being written … www.breguet.com/inventions

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PanoMaticCounter XL

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Contents | bRUMMeLL 09

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by Andy Gilmore

show Media brummell editorial 020 3222 0101 editor Joanne Glasbey Art Director Dominic Bell Chief sub editor Chris Madigan Designer Hillary Jayne sub editor Sarah Evans Picture editor Juliette Hedoin Fashion Director Tamara Fulton styling Assistant Pop Kampol senior Art Director Ciara Walshe Creative Director Ian Pendleton Managing Director Peter Howarth Advertising & events Director Duncan McRae duncan@flyingcoloursmarketing.com 07816 218059 showmedia.net brummell@showmedia.net

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Andy Barter; Chris Floyd

Brummell is designed and produced by Show Media Ltd and distributed with Financial News. All material © Show Media Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. £5 (where sold).

Foreword Far from putting on the old sackcloth and ashes this season, David Charters will be celebrating the City’s success in 2010 Money no object A stylish Chopard wristwatch that converts into an equally beautiful pocket timepiece

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brummellmagazine.net Colour reproduction by Fresh Media Group, wearefmg.com Printed by The Manson Group, manson-grp.co.uk

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news An African cruise with contemporary style; the new pashmina; Paul Smith at Claridge’s and more Alpine racing Taking on your rivals, and Olympic racers, at the City Ski Championships in Italy travel Polar explorer Tom Avery is your off-piste guide on a new corporate ski weekend Luxury property London’s latest serviced apartments are hitting six-star levels of luxury Communications The luxe mobile in a class of its own After the City The former equities trader who now deals in £15m properties

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the City’s rising stars Eight of the bright lights in Financial News’s list of 100 young talents currently lighting up London’s financial world Game shooting There have been very few grouses in the shooting season, but no shortage of grouse Watches The pick of the latest timepieces from the world’s finest watchmakers Accessories Beautifully designed homewear, shoes, jewellery, leather goods and pens Young creative talent Along with the financial industry, the creative sector is seen as the great hope of the UK economy. Meet four promising talents

by George A selection of the most interesting – and rarest – whiskies available this winter

FOREWORD | bRUMMELL

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Can’t keep a good man down While heaping opprobrium on bankers has become the UK’s favourite blood sport, one practitioner refuses to condemn a sector that has fought back magnificently in such a short period of time Words David Charters Illustration Paul Blow

Does anyone remember irrational exuberance?

I certainly do. I spent most of the Nineties and the first part of the Noughties being irrationally exuberant. That may explain why I have eight children and two divorces. Or is it the other way around? Either way, in those days we were positive, confident and, above all, successful.

So, when the music stopped, those of us who were nowhere near the hi-fi and couldn’t possibly have pressed the wrong button felt more sinned against than sinners. One of the least reported aspects of the credit crunch is how unfair it was on the City. For the more than 90 per cent of us who could hardly spell sub-prime let alone knew what a CDO was, it really sucked.

We were no less hard-working or talented than before, but suddenly the foundations on which everything was built were cracking and close to collapse. If you take some of the previously great institutions that crashed – RBS, say – my guess is that fewer than a hundred people had any connection to what went wrong or ability to stop it. But everyone at the firm paid the price. In fact we all did.

Now we’re pariahs, and people who would not have the drive or talent to survive five minutes on the trading floor feel entitled to lecture us on our pay. In fact, everyone has an opinion and, on the back of a wave of indignation various regulators are salivating, not least those outside the UK who see the chance of levelling London down, even if Paris or Frankfurt will be the last places to benefit.

It would make terrible tabloid reading because bankers make such great targets, but in fact almost everyone who works in the City had nothing to do with the credit crunch.

But say that outside the Square Mile and you’d better duck before the outraged response.

Of course we all knew. We were short-termist, selfish and greedy, and if we didn’t know what was going on then we should have done and anyway we were all complicit. And look at the result – not so smart now, are we?

As my teenage daughter says, whatever. I share some of the anger and the indignation, but I reserve it for the geeks with PhDs in subjects I don’t understand who played computer games with our balance sheet, adding zeroes until they found they couldn’t do so any more and, when it hit the fan, there wasn’t a Restart button. But the rest of us? We’re innocent.

Proof of our innocence is the way the talent has resurfaced from the firms that failed.

Lehman Brothers exists by another name at other firms. Whole chunks of its equities business were saved by smart people who saw value and ability and sped to take it over and harness it while bullets still flew around them.

Of course we do ourselves few favours by the way we keep our heads down and mumble apologetically about the need for a new morality and tougher regulation and generally flagellate ourselves for being bankers.

So if everyone else is keeping their heads down, let me put mine above the parapet.

I’m proud of the deals I’ve done and the clients I’ve helped. I look at businesses and projects that have been financed, the growth that has been underpinned by what we did, and I feel good. We went into new markets in new ways and we provided access to capital for people who previously did not have it. We worked very hard, but we also played hard. Oh, and we were also very well paid. Just ask my ex-wives.

And we are extraordinarily creative and resilient. Already the City is bouncing back, finding new revenue streams and businesses and starting to prosper with almost indecent

We worked very hard, but we also played hard.

Oh, and we were very well paid. Just ask my ex-wives

haste. Shouldn’t we pause and beat ourselves up some more first? What about therapy? Surely we still have ‘issues’ that need to be addressed?

In my view the issues are what other people have with us. Success, especially material success, still sits unhappily with many people in this country. It is okay to make a fortune kicking a football around or miming on stage, but fortunes earned on a trading floor or in a corporate finance team room are different. We don’t deserve ours, even if we do work the kind of hours that would kill the average civil servant.

Which brings me to the bonus round, and to the annual celebration of talent and success that used to typify the City. An awful lot of people have worked extremely hard over the past year. They did not ease off on the throttle and coast in the knowledge that their firms were likely to come under pressure not to pay them the way they used to. They fought hard and stayed competitive, because that is how they are. And they got results. Profitability in investment banking is not where it was pre-crunch, but it is nevertheless almost embarrassingly high for an industry that has been brought to its knees and put through the wringer. Say what you like, you can’t keep a good man down, and you shouldn’t want to.

Awful things went on in banking. Mistakes were made on an epic scale, and the UK paid a terrible price. But perspective and a sense of justice require us to move beyond a simplistic, knee-jerk response and reflect on the huge numbers of talented, hard-working people who are still talented and hard-working and who can best prove the value of the City to this country by continuing as they always have.

I shall have my tail up this Christmas.

It has been a hard year, but nothing like the previous one, and it does feel like we’ve turned a corner. Are we wiser and humbler? Of course.

But we still have things to celebrate.

David Charters’ latest book ‘Where Egos Dare’ is published by Elliott and Thompson, £6.99

Money no object | bRUMMeLL

Double take A versatile timepiece evokes the heritage of an illustrious manufacture Choosing between a wristwatch and a pocket watch often presents the more adventurous horolophile with a quandary – but now the ever-innovative house of Chopard has created a timepiece that switches effortlessly from one format to the other and looks equally ‘right’ in either case.

The white gold L.U.C Louis-Ulysse ‘Tribute’ has been produced to mark the brand’s 150th anniversary and boasts a number of interesting features, not least of which is a nifty cradle base into which the 49.6mm diameter watch snugly fits to enable it to be worn on the wrist.

A simple quarter-turn, however, unlocks it from the base so that it becomes a pocket watch.

The basic idea was conceived in 1912

by Karl Scheufele, the grandfather of Chopard’s current owners, but has only now been put to use and just 150 examples of the Tribute will be created. Number one of the series was sold at Christie’s last month for more than £36,000, but you can get one of these instant classics on your wrist – or in your pocket – for £26,690. chopard.com Words Simon de Burton Photography Tif Hunter

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Über-luxury serviced apartments, weekend skiing and the ultimate mobile phone

Wood works David Linley’s love for working in wood started in his childhood, and his experiences at Parnham House, School for Craftsmen in Wood inspired him to set up the Linley business. A quarter of a century on Linley has established a reputation for creating distinctive crafted pieces of the highest quality, offering gifts and accessories, collector’s items and bespoke design services.

Items for the home – classic and contemporary – include leather, glass and crystal pieces, as well as the signature wood work: boxes, picture frames and the Anniversary fruit bowl (pictured).

There are also accessories for shooting trips and picnics, among elegant and functional gift ideas for you or lucky recipients. davidlinley.com african Queen Is it a floating wilderness lodge?

Or a Manhattan cocktail bar?

The Zambezi Queen, a gorgeously converted casino boat, redefines the African safari by injecting serious contemporary cool into the wilds of the Botswana-Namibia border – and then floating it down the Chobe River, dubbed ‘the Galapagos of Africa’. So, as well as herds of elephant outside your bedroom window, you can expect clean linear design, floor-to-ceiling glass and Dean Martin crooning ‘Volare’ while you sup single malt on funky leather sofas. With room for 30 guests and excellent scoff and vino, the Zambezi Queen travels with small satellite boats for epic tiger fishing and close-quarter game encounters.

Cocktail hour will never be the same again. An 11-day trip, including the four-day cruise, and tented river camps in Botswana and Zambia costs from £4,695pp. balesworldwide.com

Mr Smith goes to Claridge’s A new star in the Mayfair retail firmament is the recently opened Paul Smith women’s wear shop, which can be approached via Claridge’s lobby or from its own frontage at 49 Brook Street, adjacent to Claridge’s Ballroom entrance. The boutique sells a carefully curated selection of women’s catwalk pieces, shoes, bags, jewellery and accessories, some of which will be exclusive to the new store. Claridge’s Art Deco design is reflected in the boutique, with its Thirties Murano glass chandeliers and black lacquered cabinets. paulsmith.co.uk

Shooting cuffs Expert in luxury clothing, Zilli is launching a tailor-made shirt service in its London, Paris and New York boutiques. Recognised for the excellent quality of the materials used in its collections, Zilli uses over 300 exclusive fabrics for the shirts, originating from the most extraordinary quality ‘Giza 45’ cotton from the Nile Delta, known for the length of its fibres. Five different shirt styles are available, and the client selects from nine collar styles, six pocket styles, and 13 cuff styles – and the house can adapt sleeve measurements to accommodate the wearing of a watch. In Zilli’s ateliers, shirts are created by hand with nine ultra-fine stitches per centimetre for increased resistance. In all, an extremely high level of skill produces timeless, tailor-made shirts. zilli.fr

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Living the life Super-lux travel is bubbling away nicely again.

Witness London’s latest £10,000-plus suites and now the new €100,000 escape at the Kempinski Barbaros Bay in south-west Turkey.

Covering four guests, it includes private jet travel from your local airport, chopper trips to Ephesus and Istanbul, speedboats around the Gokova Gulf, Six Senses spa treatments and top-notch golf. Oh yes, and you’ll get seven nights in the Presidential Suite which includes rooftop terrace with whirlpool overlooking the Aegean, 24-hour butlers and private limo. In short, the good life; the very good life. kempinski.com

Well-dressed whisky In a happy partnership, iconic brands Chivas Regal and Christian Lacroix recently unveiled Chivas Regal 18 Year Old by Christian Lacroix, combining the luxury and fun of the Parisian fashion house’s haute couture creativity and the craftsmanship of luxury Scotch. Lacroix was inspired by Chivas Regal’s history and matched it by creating a gold stamped and embroidered bottle, decorated with a laser metallisation technique, housed in a mirrored treasure box. In a limited edition of 3,000 bottles, it’s a collector’s item – and a highly attractive (not to say delicious) one too. chivas.com; christian-lacroix.fr

Timeless design Bottega Veneta – master of understated, unusual, refined and functional design – has just introduced its first watch, produced in collaboration with renowned Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux. Designed for both men and women, the BVX, executed in a suite of soft browns, has a quiet, organic sensibility that belies the precision and detail of its construction. The result is a timepiece that represents personal luxury, ‘with many small details designed solely for the wearer’s pleasure’, as Tomas Maier, Bottega Veneta’s creative director, describes it. £9,800; bottegaveneta.com

Soft touch Stylish women are now over the pashmina and coveting the Casha poncho. With all the benefits of the pashmina and none of the drawbacks (draughty when the ends unravel), it’s elegant and versatile. It’s made in Nepal from 100 per cent cashmere from the Capra Hircus, or cashmere goat, which lives high in the Himalayas and develops a short and fine downy undercoat.

When turned into fine textured fabric, it provides luxurious softness and incredible warmth. Available in midnight black, warm beige, ocean grey, vibrant purple or leopardskin print, there are many ways to wear it and use it – as a coat, as a cover-up, or as a blanket and pillow when travelling.

When fully open, the Casha poncho forms a perfect 70x70cm square and is so light you won’t even notice it when carrying it in your handbag. £130 (£150 for the leopardskin print); casha.co.uk

Slender splendour Piaget, the leading luxury watchmaker and jeweller, has just opened its UK flagship boutique at 169 Bond Street.

The first stand-alone UK store houses the full range of Piaget’s watch and jewellery creations, from the classic series to extraordinary complicated collections and exceptional high jewellery pieces. Piaget is known as the specialist of ultra-thin movements and complications, such as the Altiplano, the world’s slimmest automatic watch, above.

Both jewellery and timepieces are created in Piaget’s fully integrated manufacture in Switzerland. piaget.com

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beaumonde | ski racing

Competitive edge Every March, a section of the Square Mile decamps to the Italian Alps to play at being Alberto Tomba for the weekend After another ‘early’ night, race day naturally arrived in a fog. But it was a real one. Some competitors decided that, rather than try to emulate Italian ski hero Alberto Tomba by crashing past the gates in a whiteout, they’d indulge in another of his passions at the food tent, catered by La Maison Vieille de Giacomo, Heston Blumenthal’s favourite Courmayeur restaurant.

However, many of the entrants are former national team racers, used to dealing with poor conditions.

And the rest are simply too competitive to back down.

Of the ex-racers, the Schumacher of City Ski, Merrill’s Einar Johansen graciously gave way to young gun Jan Zajackowski of brokerage GFI; while Peter Beardshaw led Accenture to the team victory. Filippo Guerrini Maraldi of RK Harrison topped the table in the Lloyd’s Cup, one of the business sector categories that’s fought over with equal parts determination and laughter.

Packages to the Championships, 17–20 March 2011, from £696pp (3-star hotel) to £896pp (4-star), including flights, transfers, ski pass and race fee. momentumski.com Words Chris Madigan

downhill racer inferno race, mürren Nearly 16km long, with uphill sections, the 68-year-old Brit-run Swiss race (22 Jan) is hellish. inferno-muerren.ch LsH ski challenge, courmayeur The property investment sector’s answer to City Ski, sponsored by Lambert Smith Hampton, 22 Jan. lshskichallenge.co.uk ski club dual slalom, Tignes A fun, late-season race for teams of four, open to anyone in Val d’Isère or Tignes on 6 April. skiclub.co.uk/skicalendar

Andrea Fieschi

Courmayeur’s proximity to Geneva via the Mont Blanc tunnel means that on many a Thursday evening in the winter, there will be people arriving from the City of London ready for an excellent dinner at the Terrazza, followed by drinks in Bar Roma till closing time.

Those people are not usually on the first cable car of the morning. But the City Ski Championships, in its 12th year, is an exercise in burning the candle at both ends. It’s a social weekend, but the winning matters.

Rivalries over the years between the likes of Accenture and RBS (absent last year, for obvious reasons) have been fierce. Hence financiers heading in full-race Lycra (what the anti-City press might call a fat-catsuit) to train with the likes of former Olympic downhill champion Tommy Moe or Alain ‘The Highlander’ Baxter.

Before Saturday’s main event, a testing giant slalom, Friday saw a relay for teams going head-to-head on parallel courses. Sadly, this was not won by former F1 world champion Damon Hill’s charity team HALOW, due to one journalist’s persistent falling. Commentator Matt Chilton of Ski Sunday revelled in that.

20 beAumonde | trAvel

Off-piste adventurer

poler, explorer Expedition leader turned ski guide Tom Avery skins up an off-piste ridge in Verbier. Below: luxury chalet No.14 Verbier

An Alpine corporate weekend trip with one notable difference: your guide has skied to both Poles

There are snowy chasms on either side, ice-caked peaks above and miles of frozen wilderness separating you from any hint of humanity. In such exhilarating, but truly dangerous terrain, it’s reassuring to know that the man ahead of you has spent more than 10,000 hours with his feet strapped to a pair of skis.

He’s tumbled into crevasses and knows how to get out of them, has survived frostbite and snow blindness; he’s fallen through ice into the Arctic Ocean and come out unscathed to lead the fastest ever surface journey to the North Pole. By any standards, Tom Avery isn’t your average ski guide. He isn’t your average man, full-stop.

His latest project is a step out of the ordinary for him, albeit more conventional for most. Based in Verbier, where Tom worked and trained extensively before completing his trips to both Poles on foot (he is one of only 41 people to have accomplished such a feat), Verbier Exclusive is a winter sports company with a difference. It provides ski chalet holidays aimed primarily at the corporate market and specialises in the ultimate long-weekend adrenaline blow-out.

‘Verbier is the corporate ski capital of the world,’ explains Tom. ‘You can leave your office at 5pm on a Thursday, take a flight from City airport and be at the resort by 10.30pm (the nightlife doesn’t get going till midnight). You have three days’ hard skiing, leave at 5pm on Sunday, and you’ve only taken one day off work.’

Verbier’s high-altitude runs, with glaciers and boundless off-piste opportunities, are ideal for adventurous skiers. As Tom says: ‘Although Verbier is a popular resort, it’s so extensive that you can take a lift to the top of the 3,300-metre Mont Fort, ski off the back of the mountain and you won’t see a lift, a piste, a hut or trace of anyone else for hours and hours.’

Verbier Exclusive, which Tom co-runs with David Pearson – a Verbier veteran of 18 years – has three properties, catering for groups of 10 to 26 people.

Each chalet features an almost obsessive attention to

uncommon verbs the lodge Richard Branson’s flagship foray into the world of winter sports.

It has accommodation for 18 guests, an indoor pool, a gym and a spa. Perfect for über-pampering.

From £58,000 a week; oxfordski.com detail. There is a 24-hour driving service, spa facilities, Michelin-star level chefs and, with prior booking, Tom to guide parties through the mountains.

Verbier Exclusive’s newest property, No. 14 Verbier, has just undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Avery says, ‘You won’t find anywhere else in Verbier with this many bedrooms and these levels of style and service.

We’ve used the team that did Richard Branson’s The Lodge, but now they have five extra years of know-how.’

Avery has given lectures all over the world, including at the Royal Geographical Society. It’s a far cry from the days when he worked for Arthur Andersen.

He shrugs: ‘It just really didn’t work out – I realised quite quickly that I wasn’t born to be an accountant.’

However, his 18 months in the City gave him an insight into how precious time is and how important it is to make the most of it. He gives talks to guests of Verbier Exclusive, sharing his knowledge of climbing, exploring, fund raising and getting out of tight spots.

‘Expeditions will always be in my blood,’ he maintains, ‘but now I’m married and a father, I needed to find a more responsible way of supporting my family.

Verbier Exclusive is the perfect way to combine my love of the mountains with work.’ verbierexclusive.com Words Eloise Napier

Chalet Septième Ciel It is seventh heaven indeed – it takes you and 13 guests away from everyday life and pops you into a rarefied world of haute luxury far removed from the noisy bustle of central Verbier, but still close enough to be convenient.

From £14,950 a week; skiverbier.com Chalet Spa verbier This property has a wine cellar to make angels weep with longing.

Combined with fabulous modern art, contemporary interior design and more entertainment technology than Harrods, it has enough gizmos to keep everyone happy – whatever their age.

From £16,000 a week; chaletspa.com

Abercrombie & Kent has been perfecting the art of tailor-made travel for nearly 50 years. For the ultimate in service and experience please call

0 8 4 5 6 1 8 2 1 67 or visit us in Harrods abercrombiekent.co.uk

our guide had told us to expect a surprise around every corner.

Turns out deserts have corners.

22 beAumonde | property

First service For true high-end living, prestigious London addresses now offer their residents full concierge facilities Evenings at home are a chance to relax and let the worries of the working day drift away.

And if you live in one of the high-end serviced residential developments which are proving their popularity in central London, you can let someone else take those worries away.

Imagine being looked after as if you were in a hotel. Meals brought to your door, and your freshly washed and pressed clothes waiting for you when you get home. That sort of concierge living has a history of very short-term lets aimed mainly at tourists. But now these are a viable option for cash-rich individuals who don’t have time to spare.

Competition in central London is fierce.

Two key sets of housing are due to complete

within four months of each other, on either side of Hyde Park. One Hyde Park, adjacent to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Knightsbridge, is the biggest name in the bunch – and the most expensive. At least one penthouse at the top of the four towers – designed by Richard Rogers’ architectural practice – was reported to have been sold for £140m, making it the world’s most expensive apartment.

A stroll to the north side of leafy Hyde Park will locate you on Bayswater Road, where a row of listed 19th-century terraced homes, more recently a hotel, is being developed. The Lancasters is a luxury residential redevelopment set to finish next year, and the views of Hyde Park are not the only plusses.

Most of the main reception rooms feature five-metre high ceilings with period cornices and fireplaces. The service element is provided by a 24-hour concierge operation, an underground spa, swimming pool and gym, along with the option for valet parking, personal shoppers and housekeeping.

As you might expect, the apartments are decorated in a lavish style. Residents will be offered electronically moving shelves in the fridges, hand-painted murals, African-style chandeliers made of buffalo horn and horsehair and a private landscaped garden complete with palm trees and sculptures. And of course, 270 of the windows look over Hyde Park, right on the doorstep. Mark Cherry, director of

grAcious living Occupants of luxury apartment buildings such as One Hyde Park, left, and The Lancasters, this picture, have access to services from in-house staff round the clock

Very wealthy people want to live in their own homes but get the same level of service as a hotel

Minerva, developer of The Lancasters, says he is confident about the popularity of these luxury homes despite the economic situation: ‘This is the very top end of the market – and we’ve got a lot of international buyers wanting to buy in London at the moment.’

Inevitably this high-end living comes with high-end prices. Apartments at The Lancasters have an average selling price of £10m. The first phase of two- to four-bedroomed apartments were priced between £2m and £4m. To snap up one of the townhouses at The Lancasters is likely to set you back around £40m.

One high-end serviced apartment already completed, offering views over Hyde Park, is The Knightsbridge, which is under the management of Hyatt International Hotels.

The development describes itself as ‘a new benchmark’, and certainly until the two competitors cropped up at either corner of Hyde Park, it did hold a special part of the market. Developed by a Hong Kong developer prior to handing it over to the Hyatt, this pilot residential scheme proved that there was space in the market for UK developers to get involved.

The Knightsbridge housing offers 191 apartments, seven penthouse apartments set over two storeys, and seven mews houses set among landscaped gardens, with extensive spa and leisure facilities. On hand at all times are therapists, masseurs and personal trainers, plus a 24-hour gym. A full concierge service attends to residents’ needs, from catering services to flower arrangements to booking theatre tickets. The concierges can also advise families with children on babysitters and live-in childcare where needed. There is also 24-hour portering, housekeeping, cleaning, laundry repairs and home maintenance.

Despite the UK housing slump and the need to tighten belts, residential agents are not concerned about the effects on this corner of

the market. ‘Very wealthy people want to live in their own homes,’ says James Thomas, residential director at Jones Lang LaSalle, ‘but get the same level of service as a hotel – on-site catering, for example.’

And the recession has not dampened the trend for superprime. Research from agency Savills shows that just over £1.1bn worth of properties valued at more than £10m were sold in central London in the first three quarters of 2010 – 80 per cent of the amount for the same period in 2007, the peak of the market.

In terms of the ultimate service offer, though, the outstanding property is One Hyde Park. It’s Europe’s first residential development incorporating The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, and offers the same level of flawless and discreet service as that of the longestablished, luxury hotel company. A team of dedicated Residences staff is available around the clock to provide security, concierge services and spa treatments. Additionally, residents can make use of household, valet and parking services as well as the facility to order meals from any of the restaurants or room service from the adjacent hotel, to be delivered to their apartment. There are also squash courts and golf simulators, a 20-metre pool and an entertainment space which includes an 18-seat private cinema and a private party suite that can accommodate 150 guests for drinks.

Opening its doors next year, One Hyde Park heralds a new residential offering in the capital, and the trend for concierge living looks like settling in long-term.

One Hyde Park, The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, SW1; onehydepark.com.

The Knightsbridge, 195-100 Knightsbridge, SW7; theknightsbridge.com.

The Lancasters 75–89 Lancaster Gate, London W2; thelancastershydepark.com.

Words Helen Roxburgh

24 bEAUmondE | commUnicAtions

cArdinAl vErtU Clockwise from left: the Constellation Quest, with its sapphire keyboard; Vertu’s principal designer, Frank Nuovo; the ceramic ‘ear pillow’

Smarter phone The hi-tech functionality and service that is an integral part of Vertu’s latest luxury handset puts it in a class of its own As a manufacturer of luxury mobiles, Vertu – the niche subsidiary of Nokia Corporation – doesn't do things by halves. Since it was founded in 1998, Vertu has created a total brand concept blending high craft, high technology and high service to establish three distinct collections (Signature, Ascent and Constellation) that stand apart. ‘Luxury technology is very simple,’ explains president and COO, Perry Oosting. ‘It should make your life easier, be reliable and robust, and not innovate for the sake of innovation.’

To its existing stable of premium phones we can now add the innovative Constellation Quest, the company’s first QWERTY handset, and an obvious assault on the business phone hegemony of RIM’s BlackBerry family.

‘I actually started with the keyboard,’ says Frank Nuovo, Vertu’s principal designer. ‘I knew from the beginning that I wanted sapphire and I

wanted it to be tactile. The sapphire keys feel great and won’t scratch. Plus we can put any colour we want behind the keyboard, which makes it very versatile visually.’

‘The leather panelling gives it a softer, less formal sense,’ Nuovo continues, ‘then there are these back tips [the studs on the reverse of the phone] that provide protection against wear, and have a tactile registration in your hands.

In some versions we have even cut ridges in the leather so your fingers fit perfectly.’

It isn’t merely the Quest’s design that appeals. Everything on this phone has been designed to exceed expectation, from the 320dpi display (with ambient light sensor to conserve power) to the sealed stereo speakers (for distortion-free playback). Then there are the twin LED camera flashes, the subtle home-screen appointment wheel, the ringtones recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra,

and that Wall Street-style news ticker running along the bottom of the screen.

Four microphones (two of them directional and noise-cancelling) ensure conversations are crystal-clear, and a peerless Wi-Fi hotspot detector that works in tandem with the phone’s 3G antenna to give you the best roaming access. An expandable 32GB SD card, meanwhile, offers plenty of storage space for work documents, music, video and photos.

Unlike other forward-thinking phones, the Quest does not have touch-screen functionality – but this is part of Vertu’s strategy of giving the customer what they need, rather than blindly following the latest trend. ‘Touch is the future, but in my opinion there is not yet the technology that gives you the tactility for high email usage,’ Oosting argues. ‘Touch is still not as fast, or as easy, or as pleasurable as using keys.’

It’s important to note that while other luxury phone marques (the likes of Gresso, Mobiado and Goldvish) might produce handsets that satisfy the level of high design or premium materials you’d expect in a phone costing thousands – rather than hundreds – of pounds, none offer the level of consumer lifestyle services pioneered by Vertu.

It isn’t just their fêted concierge button.

There are also the city guides (automatically calibrated to your current location), not to mention Vertu Select – short-format articles tailored to your personal interests, beamed directly to your phone and often linking to special Vertu experiences, from private wine tastings to exclusive destinations.

‘Vertu Select is a relevant service for the hectic lives we’re leading,’ Oosting underlines.

‘There are two things that are unique to this.

One is that it’s integrated, so you always have it with you; and the second is that we’re one of the few independent service offerings. Many of the client services today have revenue goals, so they need kickbacks. We don’t seek to make money on our service, and that gives us liberty and independence.’ Hence, via your Quest handset, Vertu will always be able to offer an unbiased recommendation of the best hotel, restaurant, boutique or experience. Which is a rare and reassuring pleasure these days.

Constellation Quest, from £4,610; vertu.com Words Henry Farrar-Hockley

26 beaumonde | after the city

glass act Adam Blaskey photographed at one of Northbeach’s apartments at 3 Queen’s Gate Place, South Kensington

Build factor Swapping equity trades for bricks and mortar has paid off handsomely for Adam Blaskey, MD of Northbeach

Adam Blaskey is a TV property show come to life – or rather, he’s how the usually deluded participants dream they’ll turn out. ‘I fell into developing, in a way,’ he says, ‘because a probate sale came up in the street I lived on in Wandsworth. It was a bit of a punt but I got a passion for it straight away. Sold for about £665,000 and this South Ken property we’re in is on for £16 million.’

Impressively, he manages to say this without sounding like a cocky junior estate agent, but then he’s earned the money. That first property was in 2003, when he’d just left his job as an equity sales trader with UBS. He loved the camaraderie of the trading floor but was less keen on the organisational politics: ‘I was always more entrepreneurial. I’m in charge of my own destiny now, whereas if you’re working for a big organisation there’s not much you can do.’

We’re talking in an apartment in the latest development by Northbeach, the company he set up in 2004. On the top of a four-storey

building in Kensington, it’s the truth behind all those estate-agent phrases: airy, beautifully refurbished, modern fixtures and fittings, would suit a professional couple. This kind of project is his speciality, what he describes as ‘developing smaller boutique properties in the urban villages of London: South Ken, Notting Hill, Chelsea’, preferably to be sold on to an investor.

These are areas where demand always outstrips supply; in South Kensington, he says, it’s by a factor of two or three now, and was seven or eight in the boom years. Clearly, Blaskey, still only 34, was always pretty canny. When he first began working in the area he built up a database of prices by address, so that he would know what a house was really worth when an agent rang up with the next great deal. ‘You’re in it because you want to produce a lovely house,’ he says, ‘but you’re also in it to make money. It’s about that balance, and a lot of people, particularly interior designers, tend to lose sight of that.’

Pitching the décor at the customer rather than himself is just one of the many skills Blaskey had to learn on the job, along with dealing with conservation officers and creating relationships with importers who can get you that black American walnut flooring for £45 a square metre instead of £100. ‘I didn’t have a background in it and you have to develop that creative flair on the way,’ he says. ‘It’s not something you can instinctively know.’

He’s also become an expert in value engineering, ‘seeing if there’s another way of doing the job that brings the same result at a lower cost’. For this, he says, he drew on his time in the City, as he did in his many negotiations with banks and financiers: ‘Being able to talk on that financial, strategic side really helps. They want to know how it works as an investment compared to everything else they could be putting their money into.’

He’s set up a branch of the firm, Northbeach Capital Partners, to bring in private investors.

‘We’re in a climate where not enough houses are being built, demand is high in this area, so it’s a no-brainer for them,’ he says. ‘And we’ve got to find different ways of doing our business.’

This move has meant a step back from day-to-day project management, which he misses, but he’s clearly one for keeping moving.

‘What’s good about this job is that you’re in and out in two years,’ he says. ‘If you’re in a career in a bank, there’s no release. Here, it’s intense from the moment you buy a building to when you sell it, but then you can take a deep breath. And then you can go and look somewhere else.’ northbeachproperty.com Words James Medd Photography Sam Christmas

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Rising staRs | bRUMMELL 29

To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, if you can make it in a downturn, you can make it anywhere. The financial crisis has honed a new breed of nimble young executives for whom uncertainty is normality and dislocated markets present boundless opportunities. And they not only want to be a part of it, they want to run the show in an industry that never sleeps Words Yasmine Chinwala Photography Chris Floyd

How we chose This year marks the sixth annual FN100 Rising Stars, Financial News’s editorial pick of the brightest up-and-coming men and women under 40 working in investment banking, asset management, hedge funds, private equity, wealth management, exchanges, trading or support services to these sectors.

From a long list of more than 300 potential rising stars, assessed by an editorial panel based on their career trajectory so far and potential to reach a position of great influence, the final 100 were selected, eight of whom we profile here. To read profiles of all the FN100 Rising Stars, visit efinancialnews.com/fn100

RISING STARS | bRUMMELL

31

Tina Hasenpusch, 32 Head of clearing and business development, CME Clearing Europe Living in Indonesia between the ages of seven and nine left a deep impression on Hasenpusch, a native German. When her parents returned to Indonesia when she was 17, she relished the responsibility of organising her own life. But rather than the braying of water buffalo, it is preparing for the imminent launch of CME Clearing that is keeping her up at night now.

Derivatives clearing has moved up regulators’ agenda post-Lehman Brothers, and Hasenpusch is well placed to identify where opportunities lie in this rapidly developing market. She started her career at derivatives exchange

Eurex, working at the side of Eurex’s chief executive Rudolf Ferscha, but left in 2005 to write a book on derivatives clearing for her PhD in banking and finance, for which she interviewed nearly 100 industry leaders. She then spent a year on Barclays Capital’s strategy team, including a three-month secondment in New York working on the integration of Lehman’s US business, moving in 2009 to her role at CME. Always looking for a fresh challenge, this year Hasenpusch bought a piano, and hopes that it ‘won't end up just being a nice piece of furniture’ in her home.

32 BRUMMELL | RisinG staRs

Paul Jeffries, 34 Investment manager, Railpen Investments

Maria Gordon, 36 Equity portfolio manager, emerging markets, Pimco

Upon hearing the words ‘railways’ and ‘pensions’ uttered in the same sentence, most people could be forgiven for yawning.

But Jeffries is working hard to inject dynamism into one of the biggest pension schemes in the UK, Railpen, which invests the pension pots of 350,000 rail industry employees.

He runs the scheme’s £8bn global equity portfolio, responsible for monitoring the scheme’s fund managers as well as researching and acting upon new investment ideas.

He has travelled the world to conduct due diligence on emerging and frontier market managers as part of a strategy to focus on regional or single country allocations rather than a broad global approach.

As a long-term investor, Jefferies says he is constantly reminded of the wise words of Albert Einstein: ‘The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest.’ He has had sleepless nights worrying about the £18bn scheme’s funding ratio, but his personal interests are firmly aligned to his professional ones – as a future beneficiary of the scheme, he will truly be enjoying the fruits of his labour once he retires.

He also hopes to fulfil a childhood dream of trying space travel.

Gordon, nicknamed ‘Masha’, was recruited from Goldman Sachs Asset Management this year as part of specialist bond fund manager Pimco’s new push in equities. She has been given the daunting task of building its emerging markets business. She comes with the highest credentials – she was a managing director and head of global emerging markets equity strategy at Goldman, overseeing more than $8bn of assets including being lead manager of GSAM’s EM equity fund and BRIC fund, having worked her way up from being a research analyst.

As a child, Gordon wanted to be a heart surgeon. Before moving into the asset management industry, she worked as a reporter for the Moscow bureau of The Washington Post, an experience which Gordon says has had a big influence on her life. She is passionate about her work and says, ‘As an emerging markets investor I have a seat in the front row of history; what can be better than that?’ But she is proud of maintaining a balance in her life, and has no intention of waiting until she retires to do the things she enjoys: ‘Climbing large rocks and visiting small theatres.’

RISING STARS | bRUMMELL 35

Liam Camburn, 32 Director, private equity transaction services team, Deloitte

Adam Gishen, 35 Head of equity advisory, Ondra Partners

An avid sports fan, Camburn credits his senior school economics teacher for diverting his attention from tennis and rugby to the world of business and finance. He trained as an accountant at Arthur Andersen and for the past 10 years has provided financial due diligence for private equity deals. He worked for Andersen, Deloitte and KPMG, then spent a year as an investment manager at mid-market buyout house Rutland Partners before returning to Deloitte in July 2008. He has worked on some of the biggest buyouts of the year, including three for US private equity giant KKR – the €1.3bn acquisition of a majority stake in Nordic software services firm Visma, its €700m investment in Grupo Inaer and the £995m acquisition of Pets at Home.

Despite the delicate state of the economy, Camburn says he’s an optimist on macro issues, and strongly believes uncertainty leads to opportunity. He follows the mantra of ‘getting the basics right and keeping things simple, or you end up building on weak foundations’. He still plays rugby every week, although that is likely to change in the New Year with the birth of his first child.

Taking the leap from a bulge-bracket banking behemoth to a brand new boutique is never an easy decision. But when Gishen was approached last year by Michael Tory and Benoit D’Angelin, former heads of investment banking at Lehman Brothers, he was ready for something different.

Gishen began his career at Panmure Gordon in 1997 and joined Lehman’s equity syndicate desk two years later.

Lehman was the new kid on the European equity capital markets block back then, and Gishen has fond memories of the energy and excitement of building the business. After Lehman’s collapse, Gishen worked at the bank’s new owner Nomura for six months as head of financial institutions ECM, an experience he says was ‘a bit surreal’.

Moving to Ondra, a boutique focusing on capital markets and M&A advice, required him to reinvent himself, but he believes ‘the market is wide open for high-quality sophisticated advice’. He has advised on several high-profile deals, including the £375m flotation of Gartmore, advising private equity firm Vestar on the £440m flotation of AZ Electronic Materials and Prudential on its $20bn equity raising.

simona Paravani, 36 Global chief investment officer, wealth, HSBC Global Asset Management

Django Davidson, 30 Senior partner, Algebris Investments

Emerging from the disappointing childhood realisation that she could never be Pope when she grew up, Paravani gained a scholarship to a school on the border of her native Italy and Slovenia. As part of the programme, she spent time working with refugees of the Bosnian war. ‘The experience taught me to put things in perspective,’ she says.

She went on to study economics at Cambridge University and began her wealth management career at Julius Baer in Zurich. She joined HSBC in 2004, becoming the firm’s US chief investment officer at the age of 32 before returning to London last year in the role of global investment strategist.

She was promoted to her current role this summer, assuming responsibility for $50billion of assets under management and a team of 50 around the world.

Outside of her work life, Paravani has published a novel, Parentesi Cubana, runs a website for Italian professionals overseas, and is deeply committed to charity work. On the invitation of Akili Dada, a charity that promotes education among poor women in Kenya, she recently visited Nairobi to meet and speak to girls the charity is working with.

Davidson, named after the Romani gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, grew up in a socialist household. However, even as a young boy he was a contrarian, hatching plans to one day become a Conservative cabinet minister. He spent six years at Deutsche Bank, where he was rapidly promoted to become one of the bank’s youngest ever directors at the age of 27.

He said his biggest achievement at Deutsche was in March last year when he persuaded his clients to buy subordinated UK bank debt – these investments went on to produce a 600 per cent return in 12 months.

In July 2009 he joined financials hedge fund Algebris, covering UK and Asian financial stocks, and he will be co-portfolio manager of a specialist emerging markets fund launching in January. Davidson has been strongly influenced by the rapid shift in power towards Asia, and spent four months there last year. He plans to visit India more often, believing it ‘the most exciting investment environment of any major market’.

He is a keen disciple of Warren Buffett, and aims to ‘read and memorise every Buffett Berkshire Hathaway annual letter since 1962’.

Hair and make-up: Nat Van Zee at Nakedartists.com using Crème de la Mer and Aveda

rising stars | brUMMELL 37

Jeff tannenbaum, 33 Head of European debt syndicate, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Born in South Africa, Tannenbaum had big ambitions even as a child – he knew he wanted to travel, and to do that he would have to be successful. He has enjoyed a rare experience in today’s workplace – he joined Merrill straight out of university and has been working under the same boss, the bank’s head of international debt capital markets and syndicate Paul Richards, since his very first day on the job. In 2007, he became a managing director, aged just 30, and moved with Richards to New York, returning with him to London in June last year as head of financial syndicate.

Tannenbaum was promoted to his current role in March, overseeing the primary syndication and distribution for debt products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

This year, he has been carving out a specialism in financial institutions deals. He worked on the recapitalisation of Lloyds Banking Group using an innovative contingent capital instrument, which is debt that can be converted into equity in a crisis. He has also worked on fundraisings for Rabobank, Nordea and National Australia Bank, and liability management deals for Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander.

38 bRUMMELL | PROMOTION

Home from home London’s first boutique hotel, The Halkin, still offers superb, intimate style and service

sUITE dREaMs Above: the light and spacious COMO suite.

Above right: The Halkin’s Michelin-starred Thai restaurant, Nahm

Sometimes, you might think The Halkin is too discreet for its own good – only because more people should know about the hotel’s many charms and attractions. Tucked away in the heart of central London, in a quiet street in villagey Belgravia, The Halkin has been offering uncompromising standards of service and style for almost two decades.

The first boutique hotel in London, The Halkin – the first of the COMO group of hotels and resorts, conceived, created and owned

by Christina Ong – is one of those word-ofmouth recommendations from insiders that are always trusted. It’s clear that the experience here is one of a home away from home, illustrated by the fact that over 55 per cent of guests are repeat customers, enjoying the inspired yet comfortable modern design, cutting-edge technology and faultless service that only a smaller hotel can consistently provide.

Internationally regarded as London’s most elegant, exclusive and discreet hotel, The Halkin’s location adjacent to Hyde Park Corner means Knightsbridge and Sloane Street, Bond Street and Victoria are all within walking distance, and the City is a swift 15 minutes away by taxi – in other words, an unrivalled base.

The exterior Georgian-style façade of Portland stone and weathered brick gives little hint of the contemporary and innovative interior, designed by Italian architects Laboratorio Associati of Milan. Using the concept of ‘expansion of space’, the design explores this to the limit, from the soaring atrium ceiling of the lobby through to the five upper floors.

Each of the 41 guest rooms and suites at The Halkin is generously proportioned and

individually designed and decorated, furnished in an uncluttered and elegant style, using calm pale cream fabrics and warm Pomelé Sapele veneers. The beds are exceptionally comfortable and the marble bathrooms are luxuriously fabulous. The 17 suites are all generously sized, particularly the four COMO suites.

Each suite features a king-sized bedroom as well as a separate sitting area with a dining table that will seat six, and large conservatorystyle windows fill the room with light. A second bedroom can be connected too.

Central to the original concept for the hotel is the desire to offer guests technically sophisticated services, with control panels to operate lighting and room temperature fitted as standard. State-of-the-art touch-screen consoles, which operate in six languages, are on each side of the bed, and includes an electronic ‘do not disturb’ sign which also mutes the doorbell. All rooms offer complimentary Wi-Fi and high-speed internet access, plus interactive digital TV, including an extensive music jukebox and on-demand moves.

There’s also a well-equipped gym with the latest in Life Fitness exercise equipment.

While The Halkin is minutes away from some of the capital’s best restaurants, The Halkin is home to London’s best Thai restaurant, Nahm, from celebrated Australian chef David Thompson.

The first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star, Nahm serves innovative cuisine and has been responsible for redefining the established perception of south-east Asian food in the West and well deserves the praise heaped upon its exciting and delicious dishes.

For drinks and light food alternatives, The Halkin Bar has always been an insiders’ choice for discreet meetings. Recently refurbished in sophisticated aubergine, cream and earthy brown tones, the bar has introduced a ‘flights of wine’ menu, showcasing winetasting selections as pre-dinner apéritifs or after-work drinks.

To the cognoscenti, The Halkin says it all: elegance, comfort, charming service that anticipates your wishes, with all the personalised concierge services that make you hardly miss your PA. It proves that in hotel terms, small is always beautiful for your home from home.

The Halkin, Halkin Street, London SW1; 020 7333 1000; halkin.como.bz

we break the ice. b e au t i f u l ly

T H E U LT I M AT E M AT C H M A K I N G S E RV I C E

Headquarters: 35 Berkeley Square  Mayfair  London  W1J 5BF  +44 (0)20 7290 9585  www.grayandfarrar.com G E N E VA  B R U S S E L S  M O N AC O  M I L A N  PA R I S  H O N G KO N G  L O S A N G E L E S  N E W YO R K

SHOOTING | bRUMMELL

Firing line You can aim for high-octane shooting all year round, here and across the globe Words Jane Pruden Illustration Simon Pemberton

The Exmoor Emperor may have pipped Shergar to the post for headlines but the big news of the shooting season so far is its success.

Record bags of grouse have been shot on almost every moor, some experiencing their best ever. Top partridge and pheasant shoots are weathering the recession. ‘Premier shoots are doing well, some exceptionally well and others have benefited greatly from reducing their bags,’ says Mark Merison of Strutt & Parker. Even the corporate market is showing signs of a gradual thaw on last year’s freeze.

But the buzz over the elevenses is undoubtedly the phenomenal return of the grouse. Fieldsports magazine columnist and renowned shot, Phil Burtt, says, ‘The long cold winter followed by a dry spring, good grouse management and continued investment has brought fantastic results.’ It has given an

41

enormous boost to the industry and led to increased demand for 2011.

‘There is a lot of repeat business for next year already,’ says Robin Woodward of Woodward Bailey, a personal sporting agency.

‘Thanks, in part, to dedicated owners and the wide use of medicated grit to treat worms, grouse are stronger and healthier than ever.’

It isn’t just leading moors, such as Wemmergill, Muggleswick and Gunnerside, seeing record returns; developments in the Angus Glens, North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales are showing dramatic results too. Availability for a day costing an average of £2,000 per gun is good, but it’s getting snapped up.

Numbers of grey partridge (aka English partridge) are also on the increase in many counties due to a number of conservation projects. Their presence in a drive will add

42 BRUMMELL | SHOOTING

Shooting break For grouse, pheasant and partridge shooting Strutt & Parker Mark Merison, 01635 576905; struttandparker.com Serious Shooting Robert Cuthbert, 01747 851128; seriousshooting.co.uk Dalesport Adrian Thornton-Berry, 01969 663096; dalesport.org Shooting home and abroad Woodward Bailey Sporting International 01780 461128; wbsi.co.uk WhereWiseMenShoot Richard Scrope, 0845 603 1552; wherewisemenshoot.com Bettws Hall 01686 650628; bettwshall.com

more than a flush of excitement as they tighten into coveys at alarming speed. But a driven wild grey partridge shoot is a coveted day by anyone’s standards. Only a handful of top estates have committed themselves to the farming, predator control and management levels needed to secure their survival. It’s no secret that opportunities to shoot them are rare and highly sought-after. ‘It’s dead men’s shoes,’ whispered one agent. ‘And you’ll be paying close to the cost of a grouse day.’

High-octane shooting is addictive; if you’ve had your fill of stratospheric pheasants, quality redlegs and a few wild greys in the UK, or you missed the grouse, look abroad.

Foreign travel will further your fix, extend the season and find the sun. WhereWiseMenShoot offers a two-day back-to-back driven partridge shooting package at La Nava estate in central Spain. ‘It’s sophisticated luxury combined with sport that promises bullet-like birds, “trained” to fly harder and faster than anything we see in this country, that give you truly unforgettable shooting,’ says the firm’s Justin Maxwell-Stuart. The luxury includes a gym, sauna and pool, white-gloved staff and gourmet cuisine. A team of eight guns shooting 500 birds a day will cost from £4,200 per gun, with (non-shooting) partners going free.

For something less ambitious but just as much fun, he suggests dove shooting in Argentina. Cordoba, with its 100-square-mile radius of land and a sustained dove population of over 23 million makes it the dove-shooting capital of the world. It’s good for partners, too.

While he’s out firing lead into waves of birds

that literally darken the skies as they come into view, she can be riding at a nearby estancia or soaking up the sun in this all-year-round location. Prices for a two-day shooting package for one gun and a nonshooting partner start from $2,000. Both trips include shooting, accommodation in one of two lodges and food but not flights, transfers, cartridges or tips.

And if budget is no object, a landmark birthday needs celebrating or you just have money to burn, Roxtons is now taking bookings for smaller parties as well as exclusive use on the Rovos Rail train in South Africa. ‘It should feature on every sportsman’s “10 things to do before I die list”,’ says John Duncan, director of shooting. The 20-berth train is used solely as a private shooting lodge, travelling from one destination to the next.

You will shoot flighted doves, pigeons, ducks, geese, sand grouse or driven guinea fowl and francolin. The cost for a gun and one non-shooter, excluding tips and international flights, starts from £20,000 per couple.

Back to earth but not without its share of thrills and a plethora of stories, if not headlines: deerstalking from July. ‘Short breaks and single days are outstripping the more traditional full week and lodge-type package,’ says Robert Rattray of CKD Galbraith. ‘The strength of the euro against the pound is encouraging many continental sportsmen to Scotland but the mainstay is still from the UK with many flying up from London for a day or two’s sport.’

The market price for stags this year is in the region of £300 to £330 plus VAT.

Roxtons John Duncan, 01488 683222; roxtons.com Stalking CKD Galbraith Robert Rattray, 01738 456081; ckdgalbraith.co.uk George Goldsmith 0131 476 6500; georgegoldsmith.com Seasons Grouse 12 August to 10 December (in mainland Great Britain and ending 30 November in Northern Ireland) Partridge Shoots vary but from 1 September to 1 February Pheasant 1 October to 1 February Spanish partridge shooting 8 October to 8 February Dove shooting Argentina, all year round South Africa, May to September Scottish stalking Stag stalking runs from 1 July to 20 October (most estates will start stalking in August) Scottish hind From 21 October to 15 February

57 - 58 SOUTH AUDLEY STREET LONDON W1K 2ED +44 (0)20 7499 1801

www.purdey.com

Despite these pieces having been launched at the international watch shows at the start of the year, it’s only now they are becoming available to buy – and it is no coincidence that Christmas is just around the corner. Here is our pick of this year’s crop…

This page, clockwise from top: Omega ‘MD’s Watch’ 1938 Inspired by a doctor's watch from the Thirties, this new column wheel chronograph from Omega’s ‘Museum Collection’ features a retro design complete with enamel dial and ‘pulsometer’ scale designed for checking pulse rates.

The old-fashioned looks belie the fact that the MD’s watch contains Omega’s ultra-accurate Co-Axial movement. £9,310; omegawatches.com Blancpain Villeret Eight Days Manual As an exercise in understatement, Blancpain’s latest manual-wind dress watch is difficult to beat. The exquisite dial is coated in crisp, white enamel, there is a discreet date window above six o’clock and the small subdial below 12 shows the amount of power remaining from the eight-day reserve. Just 75 available. £31,960; blancpain.com Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire If you appreciate micromechanics, this latest addition to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duomètre range should hold considerable appeal. It contains two mechanisms, one to drive the timekeeping function and one to power the ‘complications’ which include date and age of the moon. This yellow gold version is limited to 300 examples. £22,000; jaeger-lecoultre.com Opposite page, clockwise from top: Glashütte Senator Diary Glashütte’s new alarm watch has been designed as an antidote to modern electronic organisers – its mechanical movement can be programmed up to 30 days in advance to provide a 90-second vibrating chime to remind the wearer of special events. £11,500; glashuette-original.com Breguet Type XXI Breguet’s luxurious chronograph has evolved from a model originally made during the Fifties for the French Naval Air Arm. It features a flyback function (enabling the chronograph hand to be stopped and reset with a single push of the button) as well as a 24-hour time display. £12,600; breguet.com Officine Panerai Radiomir This fresh version of Panerai’s all-time classic Radiomir dive model features a case that is two millimetres smaller than the standard watch and made from ultra-light, salt-resistant titanium. Inside you'll find a beautifully made, hand-wound movement that is made entirely in-house at the Panerai factory. £4,700; panerai.com

WATChES | BRUMMELL 45

New faces As this year’s new watches become available to buy, celebrate with an impeccable timepiece that is likely to outlast any market uctuations Words Simon de Burton Photography Andy Barter

46 bRuMMeLL | giftS

Grace and favour We select 30 exquisitely designed accessories – shoes, wallets, jewellery, fragrances – which would make gifts of style and taste, including pieces that will always be the centre of attention Styling Catriona Stirling & Amy Heffernan Photography Andy Barter

HouSe of bAMboo ‘Blow Up Bamboo Collection’ centrepiece, £72, Alessi Left to right: silk bow tie, £50, Hackett; graduated red woven tie, £105, Paul Smith; maroon silk pocket square, £65, Charvet at Selfridges; red and black houndstooth ankle boot, £785, Rupert Sanderson

bUckEt List This page: ‘Valet’ wine cooler, £160, Sebastian Bergne for Skitsch Clockwise from top: ‘High Jewellery Collection’ necklace set with 76 briolette-cut diamonds, price on application, Chopard; ‘To and Fro’ sterling silver cuff links, £275, Alfred Dunhill; marquesa diamond double row ring, £36,100, Harry Winston; black and platinum ‘Starwalker Black Mystery’ fountain pen, £370, Montblanc; cluster diamond earrings, price on application, Harry Winston

PRisM LifE Opposite page: ‘Irregular Shape I’ Perspex triangle, £188, ‘Triangle’ Perspex shape, £218, ‘Irregular Shape II’ Perspex triangle, £218, all Vasa at The Lollipop Shoppe Clockwise from left: English Pear & Freesia cologne, £68, Jo Malone; Iris Ukiyoe fragrance, £140, Hermès; Platinum Egoïste Eau de Toilette, £42, Chanel; Eau de Toilette for Men, Tom Ford, £54

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50 BRUMMELL | gifts

shadow Boxing Opposite: ‘La Stanza dello Scirocco’ fruit holder, £34, Alessi

onE poULtRy ‘Now Isn’t That Lovely’ centrepiece, POA, Stephen Johnson

Clockwise from top left: jewelled gold cuff, £550, YSL at Harrods; yellow mirror leather wedge sandal, £665, Bottega Veneta; 18ct yellow gold Indian pendant set with diamonds & 59.21 Columbian emerald, price on application, Moussaieff; gold barrel cuff links, £110, Thomas Pink; ‘Amber’ snake-print leather continental purse, £295, Smythson

From top: pepper-grey kidskin suede ‘Richelieu Batiste’ men’s lace-up shoe, £570, Hermès; MultiColor Karung Shiny Python Ayers Knot clutch bag, £1,315, Bottega Veneta; purple crocodile wallet, £369, YSL at Harrods; tan ostrich wallet, £450, Alfred Dunhill; ‘Malachite’ men’s leather wallet, £170, Smythson stockists details on page 66

Making it Creative industries are seen as key to the UK’s economic recovery. Some of the newest talents show how they can help Words Simon Brooke Photography Sam Christmas

stitch list This picture, Luke Sweeney, right, with business partner Thom Whiddett at the Thom Sweeney showroom in Mayfair; opposite, Anna Hansen at The Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell

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The creative industries might sometimes seem peripheral and superficial, but consider this: between them they employ nearly two million people directly and indirectly in Britain, according to UK Trade & Investment, and this country has the largest creative industries sector in the world as a percentage of GDP. With the government relying on an innovative private sector to create jobs lost from the public payroll, it will be hoping that firms working in fashion, film, design and food among other creative industries can expand to play their part.

According to a recent paper published by the CBI called ‘Creating growth – A blueprint for the creative industries’, ‘Digital technologies and the growth of the online environment are challenging existing business models… Combined with the impact of the recent economic downturn, this will change the structure of the sector’s future.’ But it adds: ‘If the UK is to rebalance its economy and achieve high growth, the creative sector has a crucial role to play.’

luke sweeney, tailor Recent years have seen a renaissance of men’s tailoring with the return of the suit, the rejuvenation of Savile Row and new tailoring services from designers such as Giorgio Armani. Luke Sweeney has been surfing this new sartorial wave. He started as a teenage apprentice at Timothy Everest and it was here that he met his business partner Thom Whiddett. The two set up tailors Thom Sweeney in 2006 to match the traditional skills they’d learnt with a modern tailoring aesthetic.

‘I love the creative aspect of tailoring,’ says Sweeney, 31. ‘We’re both addicted to fabrics – I can spend ages just looking at and touching different types. The great thing about this business is that you start from scratch when you first meet the customer and talk to him about what he wants and then you create something bespoke for him.’

The two sited their shop, which they funded themselves, in Mayfair, away from Savile Row – even though they’re exponents of its world-renowned techniques. ‘We discovered that this is where a lot of our clients live or work – you don’t need to be on the Row these days,’ says Sweeney. These clients range from fund managers to creative directors and musicians and include football pundit Jamie Redknapp and Laurence Graff of Graff Diamonds.

The Thom Sweeney look is softer around the shoulders than the traditional Savile Row style with slimmer padding here but it also has a defined waist for a sharp, elegant silhouette.

‘The most important thing, though, is that the client feels comfortable,’ says Sweeney. ‘More and more guys are realising that you can’t go wrong with a well-made suit, I think. They really like the idea that it’s a one-off and that it’ll fit them perfectly – it just makes them feel very confident walking into a business meeting or a cool restaurant.’

020 7629 6220; thomsweeney.co.uk

Anna hansen, chef With the introduction on restaurant menus of dishes such as snail porridge and sardine sorbet, and the ubiquitous use of liquid nitrogen in the kitchen, the rule-book of food might have been thrown out of the window recently. But chef Anna Hansen manages to push the culinary boundaries while creating something that you’d still actually want to eat.

‘I was sprinkling liquorice salt onto mozzarella the other day and it worked beautifully,’ says the founder of Clerkenwell restaurant The Modern Pantry, who has at least 30 spices on the rack in her kitchen.

Incorporating the little used seasoning into her famous squid ink mash wasn’t so successful but adding clams, chorizo and cod to the comforting black potato dish has worked a treat. ‘My style is probably classic with a twist,’ laughs Hansen, 40. ‘Most of the time inspiration strikes when I’m just about goofing around.’ A native of New Zealand, she came to Britain after college and started her

culinary career the hard way – washing dishes in a restaurant run by Fergus Henderson.

She then went to work with a fellow antipodean, Peter Gordon, the driving force behind the fusion food trend. When she left in 2005 and went about establishing The Modern Pantry she developed this style, creating adventurous dishes such as roast aubergine with yuzu and soy, and peanut panna cotta, kalamansi lime and wasabi jelly.

With the help of a financial backer who allows her to get on with the culinary side of the business, she is now looking for another site in London. But Hansen, a business studies graduate, was initially discouraged from entering the food business by her mother.

‘She didn’t think it was a serious business.

But in fact quite a few members of my family are artistic and for me the great thing about cooking is that you’re creating something that a bunch of people can appreciate immediately.’

020 7553 9210; themodernpantry.co.uk

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Rung by Rung Left, jewellery designer Vanessa Kandiyoti at her London studio; opposite page, Luke Irwin photographed in the window of his Pimlico Road flagship store

Luke Irwin, rug maker

vanessa Kandiyoti, jewellery designer Travel changes people, it’s often said, and for Vanessa Kandiyoti it was a backpacking trip in Latin America which made her decide to give up her law career to pursue a love of jewellery.

‘I kept seeing these beautiful stones and I began to wear some of them when I got home,’ she says. ‘People would always comment on them and ask where they came from.’ It was this reaction that convinced her that she could create a line of jewellery herself that was unlike anything currently available.

Kandiyoti’s pieces’ striking look is in part due to a particular theme – the evil eye. ‘I’m originally from Turkey, even though I lived in Belgium and Sweden before I came to London, and in my culture wearing something with the evil eye is thought to protect you from bad luck and to bring you good fortune,’ she explains.

‘Even people who don’t share this culture or these superstitions are fascinated by them and love wearing jewellery with the evil eye.’

All her jewellery is made in Turkey with

carefully chosen conflict-free stones including diamonds, pink and blue sapphires, turquoise, coral and black onyx which are set in rose, white and yellow gold.

Her legal training has been useful in some ways, she believes. ‘Everything that you do and everything that happens to you can be used in business,’ says the 30-year-old Kandiyoti. ‘I had cash flow problems earlier this year, for instance, and my experience of law and business helped here.’ Her ranges are sold through Liberty, Harvey Nichols and Net-a-Porter, with more to come online next year, although exclusivity and protecting the quality of the product is important to her.

Her father is now her main financial backer and Kandiyoti, whose fans include Giorgio Armani, is planning to expand into the US. She has now begun coaching other young businesswomen. ‘I want to help them but I believe that we can learn from each other,’ she says. vanessakandiyoti.com

His rugs might lie in the homes of Barack Obama and the Prince of Wales, among others, but Luke Irwin is endearingly down-to-earth about his success. This is perhaps because of his rather unusual route into the design business. ‘My career has had a rather scatter-gun approach,’ he says. ‘I was working at Christie’s and then for an antique dealer, so it always had a visual or aesthetic element but, other than that, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.’

It was a chance meeting at a lunch in 2003 with a teenage Tibetan boy whose father was a master weaver that triggered his idea for a business. ‘I wanted to create something to draw people into the antiques shop so I started designing rugs with a crop circle motif. They somehow struck a chord with people and I sold the lot in one go.’

All his rugs are hand-knotted in Nepal using techniques imported from Tibet. With their simple, elegant designs ranging from geometric shapes to modern floral patterns with a naive, craft influence, the style of his rugs is deceptively simple.

The Ikat method, similar to tie-dyeing, is a staple of his collection. The common denominator here is that each product is bespoke and designed after Irwin or his team has met the customer and visited the room in which the rug will be laid.

If he’s unpretentious, that doesn’t mean that Irwin, 43, isn’t passionate about creativity – far from it. ‘After a decade of bling and designer labels, it’s about design now,’ says the Dublin-born Old Etonian. ‘It’s funny how in a downturn good taste actually blossoms.

People are more discerning about what they’re spending their money on.’

Having been given short shrift by the banks, Irwin found a private investor who bankrolled him and allowed him to handle the creative side of the business. The House & Garden award-winner opened his first store in Pimlico Road, SW1, a few weeks ago and over the last six months he has diversified his range to include Persian hand-knotted rugs. He plans to move into wallpaper and upholstery fabrics. ‘I’m with Warren Buffett,' he says.

‘The best time to expand is during a recession.’

020 7730 6070; lukeirwin.com

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bELLa ITaLIa Clockwise from top right: Tabou rings, from £5,000; Sirene cuffs, £22,420 each; white gold chain, £4,155, with Harem pendants, £2,700 each

Beauty and brains Pomellato: the Italian jewellery maker for women of elegance and exquisite taste There’s an Italian fine jewellery name that the most elegant and fashionable Italian women know about – and you should too. Pomellato has, until now, had a low-key profile in the UK, and it’s a secret that definitely needs to be shared. It’s all about unconventional beauty – its ‘face’ is the unique and edgy Tilda Swinton, which says it all – that avoids swagger but has an elegant power, combined with high quality at affordable starting prices.

In Italy Pomellato is known as the insiders’ choice – it has been said that its pieces are appreciated by sophisticated Italian women the way Hermès is by their French sisters. Another high accolade is the fact that Christina Ong, the hotelier and business woman of peerless taste, adored the brand to the degree that she brought it to London and opened its first and only store in the capital, in Brook Street, Mayfair. Ms Ong describes the jewellery as being ‘designed like prêt-à-porter pieces, to be enjoyed every day’.

Pino Rabolini, who founded the company 43 years ago, understood that while clothing brands

were bringing fashion within the reach of most, no one was doing the same for jewellery, which at that point in the Sixties was formal and classic.

He was on a mission to democratise jewellery.

Instead of making very expensive statement pieces to be worn by the exceedingly wealthy at the grandest of balls, he preferred to have his creations worn during daytime, at dinners and the theatre. Women, he believed, should buy the jewellery in much the same way they might choose a dress.

The brand sets the trend in jewellery design; its influences stretch across the whole market. The Nudo ring (from £1,385) features coloured stones like lemon quartz, amethyst, red tourmaline or peridot, cut and set as if a solitaire diamond, with no visible support on the sides. Popularily worn stacked on the same finger, it is a much copied piece. An iconic design is the chain, with near-invisible clasp and crafted flexible links.

Pomellato has something of a cult following, with up to 70 per cent of its business being

returning customers. A key strategy is to launch seasonal collections and keep pricing at a level at which women – who constitute threequarters of Pomellato’s buyers – would think about spending on themselves. There are high-priced pieces, but there are always a large number in the £1,000-5,000 price range.

The brand’s typical customer is professionally successful, independent, not just financially but also psychologically, who avoids the more obvious brands. Alongside Dodo, Pomellato’s young, fun and playful junior brand, is POM POM, a limited, exclusive collection of one-off pieces, with a one-off price range for the unique and collectable.

Described by a fan as ‘Marni meets Missoni’, Pomellato’s design aesthetic is that most attractive melange of elegance and innovation; often luxuriously colourful yet never swanky. It’s said to be addictive: once bitten, twice as pretty.

Pomellato, 35 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HQ; 020 7355 0300; pomellato.com

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ChristMAs At thE rOyAL ExChAnGE Brummell showcases a collection of the finest pieces from nine of its best jewellers and watchmakers from the City’s premier shopping destination for luxury goods, the Royal Exchange Words Sarah Deeks photography Luke Kirwan

OMEGA Invented over 200 years ago, the tourbillon movement is still considered the pinnacle of watchmaking. This year Omega takes this jewel of haute horlogerie into the 21st century by introducing the Co-Axial escapement into the movement. The brand is famous for a pioneering spirit, with six lunar launches, the first ever diver’s watch and the world’s only certified marine chronometer wristwatch among its achievements. Omega Royal Exchange boutique has recently reopened with the brand’s latest interior design concept.

‘De Ville Tourbillon Skeleton Co-Axial’ watch, £71,280; Omega 8 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

monTBLAnC John Lennon would have celebrated his 70th birthday this year. Montblanc has marked the occasion with the launch of a special pen whose barrel is grooved like a vinyl record, and clip mimics a guitar’s fretboard. Montblanc’s Royal Exchange boutique is home to the Swiss brand’s extensive range of writing accessories, fine watches, leather goods, jewellery, eyewear and fragrance.

(From left) ‘Black Mystery’ fountain pen, £370; ‘Star XL’ Automatic stainless steel watch with black guilloché dial, automatic movement, power-reserve indicator, date display, black alligator-skin strap with triple-folding clasp, £1,195; ‘John Lennon Special Edition’ fountain pen, £585; all Montblanc 10-11 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

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BACHET French fine jeweller Bachet has made a name for itself by specialising in natural black and white diamonds, arranged beautifully. The interweaving pattern of the Charleston rings is inspired by the Twenties dance, echoing the flappers of the Folies Bergère. In July 2010 Bachet chose the Royal Exchange as the location for its first boutique outside France. It offers a bespoke service for the creation and design of engagement and wedding rings.

(Clockwise from right) ‘Epicerien Collection’ bracelet, £36,000; ‘Epicerien Collection’ ring, £4,900; ‘Charleston Collection’ ring with black diamonds, £4,000; ‘Charleston Collection’ ring with white diamonds, £4,200, all Bachet 12 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

BULGAri Inspired by the cocktail rings of the Fifties and Sixties, Bulgari has created the Parentesi Cocktail collection. Large, coloured gems are mounted in settings bearing the ‘Parenthesis’ signature of the Italian fine jeweller, a motif based on the travertine junctions from ancient Roman paving stones. Bulgari attracts the City’s elite to its Royal Exchange boutique, where the full Parentesi collection is available.

‘Parentesi Cocktail’ collection ring in white gold, blue topaz and pavé diamonds, £5,250, ‘Parentesi Cocktail’ earrings in white gold, blue topaz, amethyst and pavé diamonds, £5,350, ‘Parentesi Cocktail’ necklace in white gold, blue topaz, amethyst and pavé diamonds, £5,750; all Bulgari 15 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

prOmOtiOn | BrUmmELL

BOODLES Boodles’ iconic Raindance design is now 10 years old, and the signature ring has the honour of a place in the Victoria & Albert Museum in their permanent jewellery collection. To celebrate the anniversary, Boodles’ head designer Rebecca Hawkins created a Celebratory Raindance collection, the delicate diamond designs inspired by water droplets and rainfall. The Raindance Anniversary Collection can be found at the Boodles boutique in the Royal Exchange.

(Clockwise from top) Diamond ‘Raindance Anniversary Collection’ ring, set in platinum, £32,000; Diamond ‘Raindance Anniversary Collection’ tassel earrings, £30,000; both Boodles 2 & 3 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

61

THEO FENNELL British jeweller Theo Fennell has earned a reputation for creating modern pieces that marry classicism with imaginative design.

And this is never more evident than in his Tryst rings, where gold flowers and delicate birds are set to the side of vivid pink and green gemstones. Theo Fennell’s witty and distinctive jewellery has a loyal following in the City of London, and this latest collection is now available at the boutique in the Royal Exchange.

(From top) ‘Three Stone Blossom Tryst’ ring with pink tourmaline and diamond in 18ct white and rose gold, £11,500; ‘Phoenix’ ring with green tourmaline and diamond, in 18ct white and yellow gold, £22,500; both Theo Fennell 4 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

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TiFFANY & CO A Tiffany & Co little blue box is synonymous with craftsmanship, design excellence and, above all, diamonds. The famous jeweller went back to the archives for inspiration for its Key collection, and uses the rarest fancy yellow diamonds to spectacular effect. Only one in 10,000 diamonds is a ‘fancy’ colour and few meet Tiffany’s standards.

Tiffany & Co at the Royal Exchange specialises in fine jewellery and engagement rings, as well as fashion jewellery and accessories.

(From top) Yellow diamond ‘Ornate Key’ pendant in platinum, £28,800; cushion-cut yellow diamond ‘Square Key’ pendant in platinum, £15,900; cushion-cut yellow diamond ‘Flower Key’ pendant set in platinum, £17,500; all Tiffany & Co 9 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

gUCCI Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury brands, and the house has been making silver jewellery for over 50 years. The Silver Collection is sleek and modern, the pieces featuring an elegant heart-shaped clasp for the choker, and the famous interlocking G motif, created from Guccio Gucci’s initials. The bracelet is from Gucci’s Britt collection, named after the Swedish actress Britt Ekland, often seen wearing Gucci in the Sixties and Seventies.

Gucci’s Royal Exchange boutique is the City’s ultimate luxury pit-stop.

(From left) Bracelet with interlocking G motif, £140; necklace with interlocking G motif, £165; both Gucci 9 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

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CARTIER Cartier’s iconic Love bracelet was conceived in New York by designer Aldo Cipullo, and is symbolic of the commitment between two people.

Sleek lines and sparkling pavé diamonds add glamour to the modern design. Founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-Francois Cartier, the fine jeweller opened its first London store on New Burlington Street. The historic Royal Exchange provides a perfect home for Cartier to showcase its precious pieces to a sophisticated City clientele.

(Clockwise from bottom) White gold ‘Love Collection’ bangle, £3,200; White gold ‘Love Collection’ hoop earrings with diamonds, £3,925; ‘Love Collection’ ring in white gold with diamonds and black ceramic, £6,000; all Cartier 1 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

ThE RoyAl ExChAngE BANk, LoNdoN EC3.

Entrances opposite Bank tube, Threadneedle Street and Cornhill. www.theroyalexchange.co.uk

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Amber elixir Take it from a whisky expert– you can keep discovering interesting drams from rare and distinctive distillers

Irish whiskey once ruled the world but it all went wrong in the 20th century and the Irish industry virtually disappeared. One of the few survivors is Green Spot, an Irish pot still whiskey bottled for wine merchant Mitchell & Son of Dublin. The distiller generously shares some of the 6,000 or so bottles made each year with UK colleagues and that means we can enjoy its unique, waxy taste. Real whiskey-lovers speak of this in reverential tones (typical UK retail £37.95).

The survival of Green Spot foretold the revival of Irish distilling, led by Irish Distillers Ltd of Midleton. Its new Redbreast 15-year-old (£65) is a great example of the new whiskeys now coming from Ireland. Like all good Irish pure pot still whiskeys, it is strongly flavoured and assertive, making it a rare treat for the connoisseur of fine aged whiskey.

In Scotland, Highland Park has long been one of my favourites. Occasionally it releases special editions and the latest is its Saint Magnus (£85, directly from the distillery; highlandpark.co.uk/shop). This limited-edition 12-year-old provides an affordable and collectable piece of the distillery’s history.

Smokier than the normal Highland Park, this will really appeal to the ‘peat freaks’.

Compass Box doesn’t actually make whisky. It takes other people’s and, by some

mysterious alchemy, makes it better.

Snap up anything with its label but I particularly recommend the Double Single (£95), commemorating its 10th birthday. As the name suggests, it uses just two whiskies.

Compass Box says, ‘the grain whisky creates a lovely, soft, sweet pillow on which the malt whisky flavours luxuriate’ – and it’s true.

Every year the giant Diageo offers some special releases from its lesser-known malts.

This year, there are nine of these beauties but they’re always heavily demanded by collectors so you’ll need to move quickly to get a bottle of my pick of the collection: the rich, rewarding and elegant Glen Spey 21-year-old (£120).

In 2007, the staunchly independent Glenfarclas released a back catalogue of vintages known as the Family Casks. There are 43 from 1952 to 1994 and, with the dates prominent on the packaging, they make great gifts. But don’t underestimate the whisky.

For the most part, it’s stellar quality and outstanding value (from £120 for the 1994).

Glenglassaugh was mothballed in 1986 but was saved when a Dutch investment group invested over £1m to restart production and picked up the remaining old stock. Working briefly for the distiller opened my eyes to its exceptional quality. Search out the latest 26-year-old (£155) or the very restricted Manager’s Legacy editions. The original owners must be kicking themselves.

The most popular Scotch whisky in the world is Johnnie Walker. Every so often, its blenders are allowed to go wild. This year’s result is The John Walker, a limited-edition blend using rare whiskies from distilleries that operated in the 1800s. Bottled in hand-blown Baccarat crystal, and arriving in a hand-crafted lacquer cabinet, in the UK the John Walker will be available exclusively at Harrods (£2,000; harrods.com).

Finally, Dalmore Trinitas. There are only three bottles of this blend of whiskies, the youngest of which is 64 years old, and it has about as much in common with your everyday whisky as a Bugatti Veyron has with a Ford Focus. Two of the three sold immediately, at £100,000.

Words Ian Buxton

The best sources of rare whiskies include The Whisky Exchange at Vinopolis, thewhiskyexchange.com; Royal Mile Whiskies, royalmilewhiskies.com; Loch Fyne Whiskies, lfw.co.uk; Milroy’s of Soho, milroys.co.uk.

Find more outstanding drams in Ian Buxton’s new book ‘101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die’ (Hachette, £12.99)

Moussaieff Jewellers 020 7290 1536; moussaieff.co.uk Paul Smith 0800 023 4006; paulsmith.co.uk Rupert Sanderson 020 7491 2220; rupertsanderson.com Skitsch 020 7589 1154; skitsch.com Smythson 0845 873 2435; smythson.com Stephen Johnson 07984 419588; stephenjohnson.biz The Lollipop Shoppe 020 7655 4540; thelollipopshoppe.co.uk Thomas Pink 020 7498 3882; thomaspink.com Tom Ford 0870 034 2566; tomford.com YSL at Harrods 020 7730 1234; ysl.com

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Stockists Alessi 0800 783 0907; alessi.com Bottega Veneta 020 7629 5598; bottegaveneta.com Chanel 020 7493 3836; chanel.com Charvet at Selfridges 0800 123400; selfridges.com Chopard 020 7409 3140; chopard.com Dunhill 0845 458 0779; dunhill.com Hackett 020 7939 6865; hackett.com Harrods 020 7730 1234; harrods.com Harry Winston 0207 907 8800; harrywinston.com Hermès 020 7823 1014; hermes.com Jo Malone 0870 034 2411; jomalone.co.uk Montblanc 020 7730 7681; montblanc.com

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