One Step Beyond Beer. Gladness Lager-like Ale From Madness.

The beer from bands trend continues with a new brew from the chart-topping Ska band Madness. The beer, described as "A lager that's an ale" was brewed in conjunction with Growler Brewery (formerly Nethergate) in Essex.



Gladness is 4.2% alcohol and a combination between an ale and a lager- or as the band's publicity calls is “A lager that’s an ale – that’s totally mad.” It is brewed using local Maris Otter malt, a traditional ale variety, and Tettnang and Saaz hops, which are usually associated with European-style lagers. The blonde beer is said to be highly refreshing with a lovely subtle hop flavour and aroma, reminiscent of a pilsner.



above: Paul Gower, left, head brewer at Nethergate's Growler Brewery, Madness frontman Suggs, center, and keyboard player Mike 'Monsieur Barso' Barson celebrate the launch of the band's official beer, Gladness

Named after a line in their well-known song "Madness", the beverage will be stocked at 800 venues, owned by Nicholson's Pubs, across the U.K. for the next three months.

Buy Madness Music

Goût de Diamants' One Off Champagne Bottle With 19 Carat Diamond and The Limited Edition Salmanazar Bottle of Bubbly.

Prodiguer Brands enlisted the help of luxury designer Alexander Amosu to help them create the world's most expensive champagne bottle for their luxury bubbly, Goût de Diamants (Taste of Diamonds) which launched in 2006.




Mr Amosu hand crafted the packaging from 18ct solid white gold weighing approximately 48gsm of solid gold centered by a single flawless deep cut white diamond weighing 19cts. The label is also handmade in 18ct solid gold and weighs approximately 36gsm, handcrafted and engraved with the client's name (unknown). The bottle is valued at almost 2 million dollars; $1,867,000.00 USD  or £1.2m


above: Alexander Amosu's instagram photo of the empty Goût de Diamants £1.2m bottle

Commenting on the design, Alexander Amosu said: "The bottle already has a distinctive look with its natural design, all I had to do is bring it to the next level of ultimate luxury."




The Goût de Diamants everyday bottles are hand-finished by a single craftsman with over 40 years experience. The Bottles for each of the four vintages come with a hand-applied pure pewter engraved label set with a brilliant cut Swarovski Crystal (The Rosé crystal is appropriately pink and the Brut, blue.).




In house, Shammi Shinh, said: "We wanted to take it one step further and create a one off masterpiece for one of our private wealthy clients and we are very pleased with the results."

The Limited Edition Salamanazar Bottle:


That's not the only special bottle for this bubbly, which is only available to the trade. They have also announced the exclusive release of their limited-edition 9-litre Salamanazar.

A delicious naturally aged Brut cuvée is bottled within. Each stunning bottle takes over 100 man hours and is completely hand finished by our very own master craftsman. An array of beautiful diamond cut Swarovski stones have been used to create this masterpiece.



This is the first limited-edition bottle ever released by Goût de Diamants, making it the ultimate celebration gift. Only 10 bottles exist worldwide.

About The Champagne
Not just a pretty bottle, Goût de Diamants Champagne was awarded the ‘Champagne Best Taste 2012′ by Champagne Business News.



Goût de Diamants is a handmade luxury champagne from the Chapuy family run estate in the beautiful village of Oger, France, made with 100% rated Grand Cru grapes.

The Goût de Diamants Prestige Cuvées
Brut Diamond:

Rosé Exquisite:

Blanc de Blancs Diamond:

Vintage Diamond:


Even their high grade corks that are so sophisticated they have a patented composition:



Goût de Diamants Champagne cannot be purchased in liquor stores, but is now stocked in several high end bars, clubs, hotels and restaurants in over 10 different global locations, from the UK to Africa to Dubai.


Goût de Diamants Champagne

Smart Marketing: Wines For Dummies. Actual Wine, Not Books.

By now we all know there are several published Wines For Dummies books. From Italian Wines to Reading Wine Labels, the Wiley brand offers many ways to get to know your vino. But now, they sell actual wines. That's right, bottles of Wines For Dummies. Not fine wines, mind you, but basic 10$ bottles of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti for the novice.



Graced with the familiar looking labels, the wines are a brilliant marketing idea as an offshoot of a well established brand. They may not be the sort of thing you'd bring to impress a date or a dinner party host, but are a fun way for the beginner to explore the basics of the fermented grape.






Drinkhacker reviews each of the wines as follows:

2012 Wines for Dummies Pinot Grigio IGT – A real Italian Pinot Grigio. Mildly tropical and atypical for Pinot Grigio, with a touch of funk beneath the fruit. Not much acidity to speak of, which is unfortunate but unsurprising at this price. Not sure if this is an apropos introduction to Pinot Grigio, but it’s at least a harmless wine on the whole. B-

2011 Wines for Dummies Chianti DOCG – Italian DOCG Chianti for just 10 bucks? Hard to believe, and proof that decent Chianti needn’t cost a fortune. Classic, intense red cherry character is the dominant flavor here, though the nose has some curious black tea character as well. The body is a little tart, a touch too balsamic on the back end, but overall a decent intro to the way Chianti — or at lease Sangiovese — is supposed to taste like. B

2011 Wines for Dummies Chardonnay California – A minimally oaked Chardonnay, this is actually an easy drinking wine with modest melon, lemon, and white peach character. Some vanilla on the back end. Simple, but reasonably appropriate as an intro to California Chardonnay, though a far cry from the more buttery, heavily oaked styles that drinkers are more likely to encounter. B

2011 Wines for Dummies Cabernet Sauvignon California – My least favorite of this bunch, a simple and not very lively Cab that offers a modest plum body, backed with somewhat harsh tobacco and leather notes. It finishes off with a rather unpleasant finish. C



So, if this is your first foray into the world of wine, it's an inexpensive and fun way to learn a little something - and catch a buzz.

$10 each at winesfordummies

Heineken X Ed Banger Records Glow In The Dark Bottle by So Me.

Keep an eye out for this fun limited edition collaborative bottle design representing the dual anniversary of Heineken (140 years) and Parisian Record Label Ed Banger (10 years).



The bottle has been designed by Ed Banger Record's graphic designer and animator Bertrand Lagros de Langeron who goes by the name of So Me. Although it was posted on High Snobiety, they failed to mention the coolest aspect of the design.... it glows in the dark!



To celebrate 10 years, Ed Banger Records is organizing the party of the century, the 1st of March at the Halle de la Villette. 10 years of music, parties, fun and friendship naturally leads us to lend our support by installing a water-bar on site for the revelers.




For the occasion, Colette will exhibit the 12 most significant SO ME album covers in their water-bar, where you can also find Heineken x Ed Banger 140th anniversary collaborative bottles (available as of March 4) and box set (March 20).

The special boxed set has So Me's graphics, acoustic foam and includes the glow in the dark bottle as well as a Lowdi wireless speaker:


Also coming soon: a book (shown below) celebrating the "Work, Family, Party" spirit, with 400 photos selected by SO ME as well as a compilation.



You can pre-order the Heineken X Ed Banger bottle here at Colette.

images courtesy of Colette and Ed Banger Records

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old Unveiled In Special Hand Blown and Sterling Silver Bottle With Stone Closure and Blue Lacquered Box.

Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky has unveiled Old Pulteney 40 Year Old, the oldest official bottling in its line of single malts.

Gabriel Orozco Special Edition Bottles for Casa Dragones Tequila.

Casa Dragones Tequila and renowned artist Gabriel Orozco have collaborated on a limited edition bottle in honor of his mid career retrospective. Casa Dragones Tequila accompanied Orozco on his retrospective tour held in four leading museums throughout 2011, from MoMA in New York City, Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland, Tate Modern in London, to Centre Pompidou in Paris.

“Our collaboration with Gabriel Orozco marks an extremely exciting moment for Casa Dragones as we celebrate Mexican contemporary art and Mexican craftsmanship with the world.” Says Bertha González Nieves, Co-Founder and CEO of Casa Dragones Tequila.



Each crystal bottle is engraved with Gabriel Orozco’s Black Kites motif, based on one of the artist’s most iconic works of art (shown below), and includes Orozco’s signature.



above: Gabriel Orozco, Black Kites, 1997, Graphite on skull, 8 ½ x 5 x 6 ¼” (21.6 x 12.7 x 15.9 cm), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift (by exchange) of Mr. and Mrs. James P. Magill, 1997, ©2009 Gabriel Orozco

Black Kites by Gabriel Orozco, 1997, is a human skull covered in an intricate graphic checkerboard, representing the two sides of life that are constantly at odds; the grid represents rationality and the skull represents uncertainty.



Handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail, only 400 limited edition bottles have been produced and each is signed, numbered and dated by hand.



A close-up look at the etched skull on the limited edition bottle:

A close-up look at the label on the limited edtion bottle:


Artist Gabriel Orozco says, “Casa Dragones accompanied me on my tour, and I was very proud to have the finest Mexican tequila with me to celebrate this important time of my life.”


above: Artist Gabriel Orozco

The limited edition bottle will is at select retailers in the United States, Mexico and London for $1,850. For more information, contact Casa Dragones Concierge at 646-330-4678 or concierge@casadragones.com.

Gabriel Orozco Books and Catalogs