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Glenfiddich’s Grand Series of luxury whiskies are defined by their combination of the very oldest and finest single malt whiskies in the distiller’s inventory with cask finishes that bring in flavors from other cultures—like ex-Awamori casks from Japan, or in this case, French Bordeaux wine casks.

I traveled to the Glenfiddich distillery in Speyside, Scotland’s whisky heartland, to taste the new Grand Château in the very warehouse where whisky was aged. Matured for a total of 31 years, the single malt spent 22 years in American oak casks and then nine years in the French oak Bordeaux casks where they gained new vibrance, a richer flavor, and a long and elegant finish. 

With red wine notes overlaying what is already a rich and extraordinary classic single malt, Grand Château delivers a wide flavor profile that ranges from vanilla to slightly savory oak, spice, and nuttiness, into a spectrum of bold, fruity aromas and hints of ripe, dark berries. Unquestionably indulgent, the Bordeaux influence has the added benefit of allowing it to pair beautifully with food. While wine-cask finishing is popular in whisky making, finishing in Bordeaux casks specifically is rarer. 

“Knowing when Grand Château was ready was just a gut feel,” says Brian Kinsman, Master Blender at William Grant & Sons, Glenfiddich’s family-owned parent company. Kinsman has a background in chemistry but says that while the scientific part of the process is important, knowing when a whisky is right is more about gut factors like smell and feeling. He was already in his current role when the Bordeaux casks first became available, in the kind of “momentary opportunity in time” he says makes for the most unique whiskies. Kinsman says he was not looking for the casks when the opportunity crossed his path. 

“We started looking at the casks, speaking to the coopers, nosing them, and thinking what might work,” says Kinsman, calling it one of the “little serendipitous moments” that he is constantly on the lookout for. “There was never a master plan,” he says, “because it genuinely started as an experiment and then it goes on for years, and then you eventually make that gut decision that ‘This feels like a pretty damn good whisky to bottle.’” 

Making this choice of when to bottle is always “an educated guess,” says Kinsman, and “The older that it gets, the more important it is that your guess is right.” For whisky this mature, every one of the casks in Grand Château was one he knew. That’s because while he can’t check every cask of younger whiskies, for those that stick around long enough, “gradually every cask becomes known to us, and you say, that one feels like a vintage.” 

When a fellow journalist pointed out that selling a 31-year-old Scotch is not nearly as profitable as selling two 15-year-old batches back to back, a Grant family member who joined us for the tasting quipped back with a grin: “We don’t make it because it’s profitable,” said Kirsten Grant Meikle, a fifth-generation family member. “We make it because we can.” 

This point, for Kinsman, is one of the best perks of working for a family-owned company. “The ability to not worry about the bottom line is huge,” he says. “Economically, it doesn’t always make sense, but if it’s the right thing to do, we’ll do it.”

Knowing when to bottle a whisky this special is Kinsman’s domain, but when it came to choosing a bottle worthy of it, Glenfiddich partnered with artist André Saraiva to create two limited-edition packages for Grand Château. One has a bright and whimsical watercolor print inside the box, and the other (limited to just 24 available in the U.S.) are “Artist Editions” with the artist’s signature motifs on the outside of the box. $2,100

One of the most covetable, affordable and stylish watch collaborations of the past few years is ready for liftoff once again, as luxury watchmaker Omega teams up with Swatch for their latest MoonSwatc release.

The Omega x Swatch ‘Mission to Earthphase’ Moonswatch joins an already-impressive rotation of MoonSwatch timepieces starting November 2nd, and at $325, one imagines it’ll sell quickly. A map provided by Swatch shows upcoming availability at 21 stores across North America.

Elsewhere, enthusiasts have had luck tracking down other MoonSwatch timepieces in locales like London, Amsterdam and Paris. On luxury resale site StockX, the full collection of the first run of the Omega x Swatch partnership fetches more than $3,500, and other editions of the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch resell for as much as five times the original asking price. Prices for new timepieces tend to hover between about $280 and $500, according to StockX.

The soon-to-be-envy-inducing Earthphase is another clever play on a famed Omega timepiece, this time with some highly desirable bells and whistles. It features a moonphase indicator, a jaw-dropping feature in its own right on a sub-$400 watch, and a first-of-its-kind ‘Earthphase’ indicator rounds out the dial handsomely.

The Earthphase indicator breaks new ground in the watchmaking business, using UV ink to help the oceanic portions of the Earthphase stand out via a blue glow beneath UV light. The curious dial design rests on a functional black Velcro strap and is housed within a grey 42mm Bioceramic case for durability and a lightweight feel.

The moonphase disc rotates in the 2-o’clock subdial, while the Earthphase rotates within the 10-o’clock subdial. The dial also boasts a grainy texture reminiscent of the Moon’s surface, and the battery cover housing its quartz movement is complete with an imprint of the foot of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon.

It’s but the latest and greatest entry in a catalog that’s proven a smash hit. The Mission on Earth Moonswatch brought the buzzed-about collaboration back onto shelves if briefly earlier this year, drawing on intergalactic style inspiration. A limited-edition “Snoopy” Moonswatch also caught the attention of collectors this past spring.

No word yet on how many units are available of the latest Omega x Swatch collection, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll go quickly. Secure yours accordingly.

As southern Europe heats up and lines grow longer at landmarks from Paris to Pompeii, vacationers are turning their gaze to the cooler climes of the north. A recent report by the European Tourism Commission found short-term rentals increased by 37 percent in Norway, 32 percent in Sweden, and 24 percent in Finland. Yes, the cheaper and more satisfying vacay is in the north, and no city is further from the beaten track than Helsinki. It’s the home of the Lonkero, the national drink, and it’s where the word “sauna” comes from, the kind that involves birch branches for whipping.

The easiest and most accommodating way to get there is on Icelandair with direct flights from New York’s JFK and LaGuardia. A quick train ride from the airport arrives at celebrated architect Eliel Saarinen’s historic Art Deco station in the heart of the city. Just across the street is Helsinki University, where the Art Nouveau-style Old and New Student House used to be. It sat adjacent to the former Hotel Seurahuone, one of the city’s most historic lodgings. Today, they form the five-star Helsinki Grand Hansa, part of the prestigious NH Collection of hotels. Newly opened last Spring, it’s one of the Finnish capital’s finest. 

Featuring contemporary Scandinavian design, its 224 guest rooms and suites begin at 230€ ($258), climbing to 5,259€ ($5,480) for the Presidential Suite which, at 1,722-square- feet, sleeps three and includes all the usual amenities as well as a sitting area and spa access. Outside the windows are stunning views of Saarinen’s singular train station, or artist Felix Nylund’s The Three Smiths, a popular modernist sculpture and famous meeting place just off Aleksanterinkatu, a main thoroughfare bustling with shops and streetcars. Hansa Café Bar & Brasserie offers traditional Finnish dishes like the creamy lobster soup for starters, made with tomatoes, vanilla and lobster ravioli. Vegetarians might try the grilled hispi cabbage with caramelized Jerusalem artichoke puree for a main course. But a heartier option is the grilled beef entrecôte with a mushroom purée, Madeira sauce and fries.

Cocktails are upstairs at the Kupoli bar inside the historic dome-shaped tower. Admire the 360-degree view while sipping exotic potables like the national drink, Lonkero, a gin-based concoction that’s traditionally made with grapefruit soda, but go with the flavor of your choosing. If that flavor happens to be plum, then try the Plumhattan, made with a local sour plum cordial, Noilly Prat dry vermouth and Japanese whiskey. Even better is the Apple & Brown Butter Whiskey Sour combining brown butter-washed Bulleit Rye, local Applejack, sour apple juice, honey and a splash of lemon. 

The neighborhood is a fine cross section of traditional and contemporary Finnish architecture like nearby Oodi Library, which embodies both. Built by ALA Architects and opened in 2018, this glass and steel structure features a wooden facade inspired by traditional Scandinavian design. Open to all, it’s the perfect place for a quiet respite from the bustling city.

Down the street is another modern marvel, this one from the 1930s. The Glass Palace, a boxy design by architects Viljo Revell, Heimo Riihimäki and Niilo Kokko, features Bauhaus style embodying the principles of functionalism. Inside are offices, restaurants and a movie theater, Bio Rex, which specializes in arthouse films. Completed in 1971 Finlandia Hall, clad in Carrara marble, was designed by modernist pioneer Alvar Aalto toward the end of his life. A meeting and event venue, its interior was designed under the German principle of the Gesamtkunstwerk—the total work of art. All the materials—furniture, fixtures and flooring—speak the simple and earth-tone language of nature.

If modernism is not your thing, then stop in at Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Northern and Western Europe. Built in the Russian Revival style and consecrated in 1868, Uspenski was made from 700,000 bricks barged in from the Bomarsund Fortress in Åland after it was demolished during the Crimean War. The Kozelshchyna icon of the Mother of God is among the greatest spiritual treasures of the Finnish Orthodox Church. It was brought from Vyborg to Helsinki during World War II, but was stolen in 2010 and found buried in the Finnish city of Turku a year later after the thief revealed its location.

A block from the Grand Hansa Hotel is the Art Museum Ateneum (the National Gallery), whose permanent collection includes works by modern masters like Picasso, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Munch and Modigliani, as well as local names like Eero Järnefelt, Albert Edelfelt and Ellen Thesleff, whose dreamy use of color brings a haunting perspective to her landscapes and portraits.

A short walk will take you through Kaisaniemi Park and across the Pitkäsilta Bridge, dating back to 1651 when it was made of wood. Now made of durable cement, it withstood the country’s civil war of 1918 as well as bombing raids during World War II. 

Stop at Graniittilinna for dinner or a beer like Finns have done since 1884. It’s where none other than Vladimir Lenin, exiled from Russia, met with co-conspirators in the period before Russia’s 1917 Revolution. His regular table is still there and has been dubbed “the revolutionary table,” the perfect setting for traditional Finnish fare—lamb vorschmack with chilled schnapps, or roast arctic char, fried pike-perch, tender elk or sautéed reindeer.

Now that you’ve taken in the sights, smells and flavors of Europe’s northernmost capital, it’s time to get misty. The name of the spa at Grand Hansa is “Usva” which means “mist,” a reference to the ethereal fog that accumulates over Finnish lakes when cold and hot air meet. Massages, facials and aromatherapy are offered, but there’s no point in coming if you don’t enjoy the sauna.

Choose from three types—traditional Finnish, infrared and steam. The steam promotes respiratory wellness, the infrared boosts heart health and reduces blood pressure, and the traditional Finnish sauna offers lower humidity than a steam sauna and promotes perspiration. And when you’re done, break out the whisks—birch branches for whipping. It’s not just kinky fun, it improves circulation, exfoliates the skin and relieves muscle pain. Finland has consistently topped the UN’s World Happiness Report. And now that you’re pink with pain (the good kind) and dizzy from Lonkero, you might have a better idea why.