Editor’s Picks: Cigar Humidor, electric Mercedes and a Glenlivet tasting set
From a pair of stylish new sneakers from Nike to a leather-bound wine notebook from Smythson, this is what we want this week…
Words: Jonathan Wells
As the lockdown trundles on — and we all blot like billy-o with our Coronavirus Cliché Bingo scorecards — brands are starting to wise up and cope with COVID-19. Glenlivet, for example, has this week launched a tasting kit of its celebrated Spectra whisky, which will be guided through a live-streamed show. And that’s not all.
Smythson’s new Mara Hardbound Cellar Book will help you keep a note of your newly acquired bottles of wine, Nike’s latest sneakers will keep you looking stylish during your hour of outdoor exercise and G-Shock’s latest toughened-up timepiece will count the seconds until the lockdown is lifted. Until then, we can but dream — and shop…
Electrifying: Ionic Cars Mercedes Pagoda
You know what it’s like with a vintage sportster. After over half a century or so on the roads, they may still have the style, but the speed was left at the side of the road many, many miles ago. Thankfully, Ionic Cars is taking classics and retuning them to their former automotive glory, with everything from a retro Porsche Targa to the handsome Mercedes Pagoda above in development. And what’s more, everything’s converted to electric.
Cellar’s market: Smythson Mara Hardbound Cellar Book
How’s that wine collection going? In lockdown, you’re probably drinking your stored bottles as quickly as you’re buying them. And, if you are struggling to keep track, forego that next 2016 Côtes du Rhône and instead invest in Smythson’s hardbound leather cellar book. With beautifully gilt-edged, crocodile-embossing and tabulated pages, it’s the ideal way to record every small detail of your big wine collection.
Kick it: Nike Killshot 2 Sneakers
It can be difficult to find a pair of sneakers that are as functional as they are fashionable. If anyone could walk the fine line, however, it was going to be Nike. And it’s walking it in style. These Killshot 2 sneakers have a name only beaten in the cool stakes by their looks; round-toed, flat rubber-soled, laced-up leather and suede kicks all wrapped up in the brand’s signature Swoosh.
Raise a glass: Glenlivet Spectra Tasting Set
For a whiskymaker that has been serving up Scotch for almost two hundred years, Glenlivet has responded to the lockdown crisis commendably quickly. No sooner had we all shut our front doors than the brand launched its Spectra tasting kit. With three expressions, this set pours perfectly with a new immersive digital platform; one that sees drinkers challenged by elusive tasting notes and cryptic hints to ‘decode’ each blend. At the end of your tasting, you’ll be scored on how well you did, and can go on to challenge friends. An excellent distraction.
Hang ups: GJ Home Socialite’s Field Guide Print
If you haven’t yet picked up a print of your favourite Gentleman’s Journal cover — Ryan Reynolds or ASAP Rocky, who will it be? — we’ve got just the alternative. Plucked from the final pages of our issues, we’ve created small posters of our Socialite’s Field Guide Series, taxonomic checklists of London’s most distinctive species. From The Minor Public Schoolboy to The New Yuppie, the digs and observations come courtesy of our editor, Joe Bullmore.
Full house: Timothy Oulton ‘All-In’ Humidor
As the days get a lot hotter, the evenings get a little warmer. So what better time to pour a glass of fine rum and spark up a quality cigar? We’ve got plenty of tips when it comes to buying your stogies themselves, but just one when it comes to storing them. Every self-respecting cigar smoker should have a statement humidor in his home office, and ours is this bold Timothy Oulton offering. Available in four striking playing card designs, it is sculpted from solid African Okoume wood and will perfectly preserve even the most temperamental cigar.
Dive in: Morville Classic Original Swim Shorts
Dare we start planning a post-lockdown escape yet? Why not. And, with a pair of swim shorts as exciting as these, we wouldn’t blame anybody dreaming of splashing into warmer waters at the moment. Morville has taken one of our favourite, most underrated fabrics — seersucker — and flipped it on its head. It’s turned it into a quick-drying, lightweight bespoke blend — one that looks a treat in azure blue.
Rough and ready: G-Shock GA-2110SU Wristwatch
Shocked to see a G-Shock on here? You shouldn’t be. The classic Casio line has produced some of the toughest, edgiest timepieces we’ve ever strapped onto our wrists — and all at unreasonably reasonable prices. This latest model is a khaki-coloured polyurethane marvel; with a carbon fibre reinforced core guard structure, luminescent indexes and an analogue clock.
Page-turner: Assouline Yves Saint Laurent: The Impossible Collection
King of coffee table books, Assouline, has a wonderfully wide-ranging collection of titles. From volumes on vintage cocktails to a book focused on Rolex, it’s a pleasure to flick through them all — and this latest looks to be no exception. Yves Saint Laurent: The Impossible Collection spotlights all of the designer’s classics: the Mondrian shift dress; the tributes to Picasso and van Gogh; the tailored pantsuits and flowing “coup de crayon” draped gowns.
Want more of the best gear money can buy? Check out last week’s Editor’s Picks…
Join the Gentleman’s Journal Clubhouse here.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
Further reading
Editor’s Picks: Grand Seiko watch, Crockett & Jones shoes, Littlemill whisky and My Style Bags watch case
A bigger splash: The best RIB brands on the market
