Month: September 2024

An enduring mystery surrounding a body found buried beneath Notre Dame following the disastrous 2019 fire that destroyed the church may finally be put to rest, Le Monde and La Croix International reported.

The remains were found in 2022 encased in a lead sarcophagus, one of two exhumed from the cathedral by a team of roughly 50 researchers with the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) who have worked since 2019 to preserve the site.

After examining the remains, scientists believe they belong to famed Renaissance poet Joachim du Bellay, who died in 1560 at the age of 37. Du Bellay, founder of the literary group La Pléiade, was believed to have been buried near one of his relatives at a chapel in Notre Dame, but the precise location of his grave was never pinpointed.

Further examination from the Forensic Institute of the University Hospital of Toulouse found that the man had suffered from bone tuberculosis and chronic meningitis during his lifetime. Éric Crubézy, a professor of biological anthropology at Toulouse, believes that du Bellay hinted at both conditions in several of his poems.

“He matches all the criteria of the portrait,” Crubézy explained. “He is an accomplished horseman, suffers from both conditions mentioned in some of his poems, like in ‘The Complaint of the Despairing,’ where he describes ‘this storm that blurs [his] mind,’ and his family belonged to the royal court and the pope’s close entourage.”

However, INRAP’s archaeologist and excavation leader Christophe Besnier contests this assertion. “Certain elements do not support this hypothesis: isotope analysis of the teeth indicates that the individual lived in the Paris region or Rhône-Alpes until he was 10 years old. However, we know that Joachim du Bellay grew up in Anjou,” Besnier said.

The remains are set to undergo further testing to determine the exact age at which the man died, but experts warn any definitive answers will be elusive due to the lack of comparative DNA.

Only 10 percent of the floors beneath Notre Dame have been examined, leaving much opportunity for similarly impressive finds. However, those will have to wait. The legendary church is entering its final phases of renovation before finally reopening to the public on Dec. 8.

Blended Scotch doesn’t need a sales pitch. The eminently popular style—which combines both malt and grain whisky components into an approachable whole—accounts for more than 90 percent of all Scotch sales worldwide. Indeed, it is the most widely consumed category of whisky on the planet. 

Yet, amongst a certain subset of connoisseurs (read: single malt drinkers), it’s persistently derided as lesser than. To them, its approachability is regarded as a flaw rather than a feature. It can either be easy to drink or it can be worthy of their critical adoration.

Compass Box is an outlier: it does it both ways. Founded in 2000 by a former marketing director for Johnnie Walker, the brand has a stated mission of “making the world of Scotch whisky a more interesting place.” It accomplishes this one beautiful blend at a time. And this month, its Core Collection is expanding to include two new bottlings that even the snobbiest single malt sippers would have trouble scoffing at.

Want the latest whiskey news, deals, and reviews? Sign up for the Whiskey Wednesday newsletter.

First up is Nectarosity, a 92-proof blended Scotch meant to evoke the aromas and flavors of French pastries. As advertised, it noses like a cinnamon-dusted danish. The palate features brioche, fudge, and a hint of wildflower honey. Ultimately, there’s a syrupy richness to the whisky, reminiscent of what you’d expect from a well-aged single malt. To achieve this result, the whisky makers relied on a series of virgin charred American oak barrels, along with casks seasoned with palo cortado sherry.

Though most blended scotches on the market today can’t (or are not allowed to) disclose the whiskies used in their creation, Compass Box is a champion of transparency. It proudly discloses the main grain in its mix—sourced from Girvan Distillery—as well as the star malt: a rich liquid from Clynelish. Nectarosity arrives on American shelves this month at a suggested retail price of $65 per bottle.

It’ll be joined by a slightly more expensive sibling called Crimson Casks ($75), a veritable sherry bomb that sings with dark fruit and baking spice. Though this one is also bottled at 92-proof, it’s a blended malt as opposed to a blended Scotch. The difference is that it combines whiskies from a handful of single malt producers without the use of lighter grain spirit—the stuff that the self-styled connoisseurs are forever complaining about. 

The other two bottlings in Compass Box’s Core Collection, the unapologetically smoky Peat Monster, and fall fruit-forward Orchard House are also blended malts.

Meanwhile, you’ll find plenty of other blended Scotches across the entirety of the Compass Box portfolio. It’ll never shy away from leaning into the style. And Scotch fans of all stripes, in turn, should never shy away from exploring them. As this brand does its best to deliver on the promise of “more interesting” Scotch whisky, enthusiasts can open themselves up to the same merely by acknowledging the beauty of the blend. 

Related: I’ve Tasted Hundreds of Whiskies. This Classic Luxury Scotch Is the Best You Can Buy

Recent studies have shown your risk of developing dementia could partially be mitigated through smart diet choices. New research pinpoints one compound in particular found in many foods and drinks that could lower your risk of dementia as years go on. 

The study, published Sept. 16 in the JAMA Network Open journal, outlines what scientists found when examining the dietary habits of more than 120,000 U.K. adults between the ages of 40 and 70. They discovered that “those with the highest adherence to a flavonoid-rich diet, specifically intakes of tea, red wine, and berries, had a lower risk of dementia.” That reduction worked especially well in participants with “high genetic risk, hypertension, and depressive symptoms.” 

“These findings suggest that simple dietary changes of increasing intakes of commonly consumed flavonoid-rich foods and drinks may lower dementia risk,” the study concluded. 

Flavonoids are a compound found in a variety of foods and drinks like parsley, onions, blueberries and other berries, bananas, citrus fruits, black tea, green tea, oolong tea, red wine, dark chocolate, buckwheat, and ginkgo biloba. Berries, tea, and red wine in particular stuck out to the researchers in their work. 

“Our findings show that consuming six additional servings of flavonoid-rich foods per day, in particular berries, tea, and red wine, was associated with a 28 percent lower risk of dementia,” study author Aedin Cassidy told The Guardian. 

This should come as welcome news for those looking to lower their risk of developing dementia, especially considering the lack of treatment options after the onset of the disease. 

“Currently, there is no effective treatment for the disease, so preventive interventions to improve health and quality of life—and reduce social and economic costs—should continue to be a major public health priority,” study lead author Amy Jenning noted. 

The findings align with a study published in The Lancet last month that pointed out 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia a person can work on throughout their life, diet being one of them. Still, more research needs to be done as the scientists only found an association between the phenomena and not a confirmation of flavonoids’ purported anti-dementia benefits. 

Given the health benefits of tea, however, it probably wouldn’t hurt to up your intake.