The bottle of Glencadam single malt shown above has an interesting history. It hidden behind a trap door during the Prohibition era and then found in the 1950s during renovations of a home in Washington state. It was most recently in Sweden and will end up in Edinburgh on November 12 when it is auctioned off by Bonhams during their whisky sale. The bottle of Old Pot Still Scotch Viking (Glencadam) is estimated to sell for £3000 and £5000. Martin Green, Bonhams' Whisky Consultant, describes the bottle of Old Pot Still Scotch Viking (Glencadam) as "one of the rarest early 20th century malt whiskies to appear at auction in recent years." This is Bonhams first sale dedicated to just whisky and is one of four to be held in Edinburgh each year. Bonhams will hold four Whisky Sales per year in Edinburgh, beginning in November 2008. Other whiskies to be sold in the sale include a bottle of Balvenie 1937 (estimate £3,000-5,000), Macallan Select Reserve 1948 (estimate £2,000-2,500) and a 50-year-old bottle of Springbank (estimate £2,000-2,500).

[via The Scotsman]

Akvinta Vodka bills itself as the first Mediterranean luxury vodka. The vodka was developed by Adriatic Distillers, . which owns a distillery and production plant in the Imotski region in Croatia near the Adriatic coast. The Moodie Report recently mentioned that the brand has secured a listing on board Virgin Atlantic Airways and was introduced to the Virgin Atlantic Airways Clubhouse at New York JFK Airport in April. A new cocktail called the 'Stoic Virgin' will be served in the Virgin Clubhouse and at London department store Harrods. Currently Akvinta is available in England, Ireland, Italy and Croatia.

Brazilian collector, Claive Vidiz has brought the world's largest collection of whiskies back to Scotland. The collection numbers 3,384 bottles, and took Mr. Vidiz over 35 years to assemble. Now the collection has been bought spirits maker Diageo which has in turn loaned the collection to the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile next year. The bottles are currently stored in a high security location in Scotland, after making the 6,500 mile journey from Sao Paulo on a container ship. At the Scotch Whisky Experience, a museum, shop and restaurant next to Edinburgh castle, the whiskies will be displayed in a custom made vault. BBC News quotes Mr. Vadiz as being very happy that his entire collection has found a home without having to be split up.

A new Hawaiian vodka has hit the market and uses Maui Gold pineapple juice as its base. The Pau Maui vodka is 80-proof and the pineapple taste disappears during the filtration process. It is only the second Hawaiian vodka. Ocean Vodka, which launched a couple of years ago features organic grain from Idaho and desalinated deep ocean water from the Big Island. Pau Maui vodka is currently only available in Hawaii.

[via Dowd's Spirits Notebook]

Here at Luxist we've mentioned Louis XIII Cognac a bunch of times but the pricey brand has recently unveiled a new artistic collaboration with designer Christophe Pillet to create limited-edition collection of items including a crystal glass, a silver illuminated serving platter, a crystal candleholder and a display case. When patrons of certain high-end restaurants throughout the world order Louis XIII, it will be served alongside Pillet's collection as an enhancement to the presentation. They may also be made available for purchase through some fine retailers. Louis XIII is made from grapes grown in the most fertile region of Cognac, which are then distilled, blended, and aged up to 40 to 100 years and bottled in hand-blown Baccarat crystal.

As my colleague Deidre Woollard reported earlier, the product tie-ins to the upcoming James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, are beginning to hit the market.

The latest is from famed French champagne house Bollinger, founded in 1829. Bollinger has been featured in Bond films as 007's favorite celebratory tipple since Moonraker back in 1979.

Conceived by French designer Eric Berthès, the lockable steel bullet-shaped case engraved "Bollinger 007" holds a magnum of Bollinger's Grande Année 1999 champagne.

Packaged in a wooden box, the whole weighs over 50 pounds and costs about $5,800; only 207 numbered Bullets will be produced.

[via Born Rich]

No home bar is complete without stylish glassware, trays, and other accessories (like this leather-bound martini shaker, $295) to enhance your presentation and round out the mood of luxurious relaxation. Ralph Lauren has quite the collection of home accessory items for the kitchen or home bar that utilizes classics like crystal and stainless steel and modernizes them with the rugged and sophisticated masculine energy of leather accents. Serving trays, glassware, decanters, a lead crystal ice bucket with leather handle ... there's something for everybody. $195-$395

I agree with what acquire had to say -- very 007.

Next up in the celebrity liquor game, country star Kenny Chesney. Chesney is partnering with Constellation Spirits to create a new premium rum. The rum isn't set to come out until the first quarter of 2010 and it won't be branded with Chesney's name. He will however play a role in marketing and developing the rum. It will be advertised at his shows and Chesney may even work it into a song. Rum is considered a natural fit for Chesney since he spends a lot of time in the Virgin Islands and many of his songs have a beachy feel.

A new James Bond movie is set to open and let the tie-ins begin. Smirnoff Vodka has announced a partnership with the new movie, Quantum of Solace, which is set to open in November. Starting in October a Smirnoff Black limited-edition stainless steel cocktail shaker that holds a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff Black vodka will pop up in duty-free shops at airports worldwide. Smirnoff isn't new to Bond movies, the brand first appeared in Dr No in 1962. The Quantum of Solace and The Black Martini are the newest Smirnoff cocktails, although I think ordering a Quantum of Solace might be a bit of a mouthful when out at the bars.

Hip luxury lifestyle brand Jhung Yuro has created an exclusive new limited edition sneaker for world renowned cognac house Hennessy. Dubbed the Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top, the brown and cream (like the bottle) sneaker is made from soft full grain leather with a suede tongue and vamp, napa pigskin interior and a croc embossed overlay and strap. It also has a non-marking rubber midsole and crepe rubber outsole with a leather logo patch. Only 500 handmade pairs of the limited edition shoe will be available for sale beginning Dec. 1 for $300 at Jhung Yuro's (pronounced "young Euro") website. Each pair will come packaged in a custom lizard skin embossed shoebox with a braided rope handle. The cognac is extra.

Courvoisier is selling off the very last sets of its rare bottles designed by famed Art Deco artist and fashion illustrator Erté 20 years ago. The legendary cognac house commissioned the seven bottle set from the Russian-born artist for its extraordinary blend of precious Grande Champagne cognacs, some dating back to 1892. The last remaining sets which had been held in reserve will now be sold for $10,000 apiece; only eight of them are making their way to the U.S. market in November and can be pre-ordered here . Each of the seven bottles' designs represents a different facet of the cognac making process:

Vigne (Vine) shows the importance of the soil and environment to the grapes produced to make cognac.
Vendanges (Harvest) celebrates the passion of perfection for which Courvoisier is best known.
Distillation illustrates the process of distillation as a woman riding a volatile giant peacock.
Vieillissement (Aging) symbolizes the aging process as a robed female emerging from darkness.
Degustation (Tasting) shows the blending process of the cognacs.
L'Esprit du Cognac (The Spirit of Cognac) interprets the cognac spirit as a woman standing majestically surrounded by grapes.
La Part Des Anges (Angel's Share) symbolizes part of the aging process where some of the spirits' volume is lost through evaporation.

Wine lovers have their pick of bottle of the month clubs but for whisky lovers, there is The Director's Cut for members of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in England. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a membership group which bottles only single casks from a range of 125 malt whisky distilleries. Each month, Society's Directors, Paul Miles, Kai Ivalo and Anne Griffiths, get together to personally hand-pick a bottle from a selection of the very best single cask, single malt whisky. The Society bottles around 20 different single casks each month so this alleviates the decision process and can expose subscribers to whiskies they have never even heard of or thought of trying. Members tell the Society the amount they wish to spend per bottle, either £50 or £75 and after 12 months members will receive an extra bottle as a thank you.

Rachel Roy is in the news again, and this time it's not because of the dough that she and husband Damon Dash owe. Roy has teamed up with vodka maker Grey Goose, which commissioned her to exclusively design and create a signature cocktail dress to be worn by the brand's spokesmodels at select Grey Goose-sponsored events across the country. The dresses will be labeled "Rachel Roy exclusively for Grey Goose Vodka." Grey Goose was the official title sponsor of the Rachel Roy Spring 2009 Fashion Presentation earlier this month during New York Fashion Week, and the partnership also will include trunk shows and store openings.

The cocktail dress will resemble a classic silhouette with clean, modern lines. Made of stretch wool for structure and ease of movement, the design will include a feminine draped neckline and an element of fluidity in the back detailing. (See gallery.)

Roy's creation is "derived from the classic heritage and discerning taste of the luxury vodka brand," according to Grey Goose. Roy notes, "In keeping with this tradition, my design matches the timeless fluidity of the little black dress, with a hint of the iconic, signature blue to capture the effortless elegance of this occasion."

In addition to joining with Grey Goose, Roy has jumped on the green bandwagon by designing eco-friendly clothing, which she will continue to selectively incorporate in seasons to come. Roy will donate 100% of the proceeds to Orphan Aid Africa, an organization that aims to help orphans in Ghana.

[Via Grey Goose and BlackVoices.com]

Maker's Mark, the top shelf Kentucky bourbon that traces its roots all the way back to 1780, just celebrated September's demarcation as National Bourbon Heritage Month during the 17th Annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival down South. The storied whisky maker isn't resting on its laurels however; they also just kicked off an admirable new campaign to encourage people to vote in the upcoming elections with a 16-city cross country bus tour and two new special limited edition bottlings featuring red, white and blue wax seals.

The story of Maker's, which is handmade in small quantities using water from a spring-fed lake and a mash consisting of corn, barley and winter wheat, goes back to 1870 when third generation Scottish-Irish immigrant Robert Samuels arrived in Kentucky. A farmer by trade, Samuels began making whisky for himself and a few friends. His grandson T.W. erected the family's first "commercial" distillery at Samuels Depot, the family farm, in 1840.

Fast-forward 100 years and the story takes an unexpected turn. T.W.'s great-great-grandson Bill Samuels Sr. was not overly fond of the "secret" family recipe - so he literally burnt it and sold off the distillery, which had become overly commercial. He then spent several years experimenting with different grains until he developed a entirely new bourbon recipe based on locally grown maize (corn), malted barley and soft, red, gentle winter wheat - as opposed to the traditional and harsher grain, rye.

If regular Belvedere isn't quite strong enough for you you can soon test your mettle with Belvedere Intense, a new luxury 100 proof vodka. Belvedere Intense will sold at international airports including London Heathrow Terminal 5, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Warsaw Frederic Chopin, Hong Kong International, Singapore Changi, Sydney, New York JFK and Buenos Aires Ezeiza and sells for 45 euros. It's described as having notes more often associated with whisky such or cognac such as "crème caramel, dark savoury spice, and rich bitter chocolate." It is double filtered through charcoal which gives it the increased alchohol content and it comes in black bottle with silver trees that looks like a negative of the original bottle.