Latest news with #Belvedere
Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Lasso Motel 18 Year Wins Best American Whiskey Award
An Ascot Award was presented to all the 2025 winners with the best spirits. Lasso Motel 18-Year American Straight Whiskey was named the best American whiskey by a panel of judges during the 2025 Ascot Awards. Lasso Motel was also named the Best in Show Ultimate Winner — No. 1 among all entries — in the annual competition recognizing the world's best spirits. Sixty judges also selected the year's best scotch, rye, Irish whiskey, agave, rum, vodka, brandy and liqueur. Dallas-based Dynasty Spirits produces Lasso Motel 18-Year American Straight Whiskey, and online retail prices begin at $129.99 for a 750 milliliter bottle. The 121-proof whiskey, with a mash bill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley, is aged for 18 years in used bourbon barrels at the Midwest Grain Products Distillery in Indiana. Dynasty Spirits says the taste starts 'with rich notes of new oak and moves into buttery toffee and sweet sugar-maple before finishing with dried apricot.' Bourbon and spirits expert Fred Minnick, who founded and runs the annual competition, says the win by Lasso Motel 18 Year American Straight Whiskey represents a whiskey trend during the past few years. 'The best whiskey coming out of America is no longer just bourbon or rye whiskey,' he says. 'Blends of straights, light whiskeys and creative finishes have been getting better every year, and Lasso Motel is indicative of that.' Belvedere 10, named the best vodka in the Ascot Awards, and Armand de Brignac champagne sponsored a private party in London in February that was hosted by Marc Jacques Burton and Machine Gun Kelly. (Photo by Max Cisotti/for The Rex Rooms) The spirits deemed best by the judges this year are: There were about 1,000 samples of spirits entered in the competition. The samples were blind-tasted and graded on a 100-point scale based on a series of criteria related to appearance, aroma, taste and finish. Top scores in each class of spirits advanced to a championship round where Minnick and an expert in each specific class blind-tasted the samples and choose a champion during a live streaming event. The ASCOT Awards debuted in 2021, when Minnick founded the American Spirits Council of Tasters. He has written seven books and plans to next year release a new book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man's Life.
Tom's Guide
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
This crime thriller starring Daniel Craig and Tom Hardy just arrived on Paramount Plus — and it's a must-watch
Looking through all the new shows and movies on Paramount Plus this month, a name jumped out at me: "Layer Cake." Now, that title might not be familiar to you. The 2004 crime thriller made a whopping $11.8 million at the box office. But it features a lot of names you're probably familiar with. It stars Daniel Craig, pre-James Bond, as a cocaine dealer who hates violence and just wants out of the game. One of his associates? A young Tom Hardy. There's also Michael Gambon, who you probably know best as Albus Dumbledore from the third through eighth "Harry Potter" films, but in this movie is a ruthless crime lord. And it's all directed by Matthew Vaughn, doing his best Guy Ritchie impression before he'd go on to make "Kick-Ass" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service." So if you're looking for something to watch after the epic "MobLand" finale or just need a great movie to watch this weekend, here's why you need to check out "Layer Cake on Paramount Plus. As I already mentioned, "Layer Cake" stars Daniel Craig as XXXX, a successful cocaine dealer who wants out of the coke business and to retire to a quite life. There's just one problem: his boss. XXXX works for Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham), who needs some things done before our lead can enjoy some peace and quiet. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. First, Jimmy needs our otherwise unnamed protagonist to find Charlie (Nathalie Lunghi), a drug-addicted runaway with a connected father. He also needs a drug deal completed with the Duke (Jamie Foreman), who is offering up $1 million in ecstasy tablets to Jimmy. Of course, none of this goes to plan, and now XXXX is having to navigate the layers of London's criminal underworld to get the job done and get out. Daniel Craig has many iconic performances under his belt at this point. The handsome and deadly James Bond, the brilliant detective Benoit Blanc and a dancing diva in Taika Waititi's Belvedere vodka advertisement, just to name a few. But his performance in "Layer Cake" might be my favorite of them all. It's a perfect blend of wit and being cool under pressure. In many ways, it's similar to the performance he'd later give in 2006 in "Casino Royale." His performance in "Layer Cake" is sometimes even cited as why he was cast as James Bond in 2005, though others say EON Productions had their eyes on Craig as early as 1996. Still, the performance in "Layer Cake" is slightly more grounded than the one Craig gives in his first Bond movie, and not quite as bleak as the one he gives in "Quantum of Solace." It lacks the cockiness of Bond, while still making sure the audience knows Craig is the smartest man in the room. Yes, others in this movie are well worth watching — Gambon is particularly excellent, and Hardy, Sienna Miller, Colm Meany and George Harris are plenty good — but it's still Craig who steals the movie from the beginning and never lets go. "Layer Cake" is also, simply put, a great crime thriller. If you like Guy Ritchie movies or Matthew Vaughn's other work, then you'll easily find yourself enjoying it. And it has a killer soundtrack that's almost worth the price of admission on its own. There's no reason not to check it out now that it's available to stream on Paramount Plus. Stream "Layer Cake" now on Paramount Plus Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately:
Mint
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
5 incredible optical illusions that challenge how you see the world
5 incredible optical illusions that challenge how you see the world| In Photos 5 Photos . Updated: 26 May 2025, 12:23 PM IST Share Via Optical illusions reveal how our brains interpret visual data and fill in missing details — sometimes incorrectly. Science still cannot fully explain why certain illusions trick our perception. 1/5The café wall illusion makes straight lines between staggered dark and light blocks appear curved due to how our brains perceive contrasting colours. Named by scientist Richard Gregory after a Bristol café, the effect disappears when colours with lower contrast are used. (Pinterest ) 2/5The Penrose triangle is a famous impossible object illusion that cannot exist in 3D space. Lionel Penrose popularised it in the 1950s. Dutch artist M.C. Escher famously incorporated such impossible shapes in works like Relativity and Belvedere. (Pinterest ) 3/5The checker shadow illusion shows that squares A and B are the same colour, despite appearing different due to a shadow effect. Created by Edward Adelson in 1995, it highlights how our visual system interprets context to process images. (Pinterest ) 4/5The Necker cube is a multistable shape that can be perceived from multiple viewpoints due to the lack of visual orientation cues. (BBC Science Focus )
Irish Examiner
10-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
'Demonic monster' and child abuser fathered secret baby while in Jesuit Order
A high-profile celebrity priest named as a child abuser in a recent report by the Jesuits also fathered a secret child, the Irish Examiner can now reveal. Pedophile priest Fr Kevin Laheen was one of 15 deceased Jesuits named in the damning report on sexual predators within the order. Dubliner Danielle Meagher-Collins, whose grandmother Dolores Meagher gave birth to a boy fathered by Fr Laheen, said she is breaking her silence "to strip away the veil of secrecy" and in the hope that other abuse victims of Fr Laheen will come forward. She described Laheen as "demonic monster and very manipulative". The baby boy, also named Kevin, was born in a private nursing home at 17 Earlsfort Terrace on July 3, 1966, and forcibly taken from Dolores Meagher by the nuns who ran the home. He died a number of days later. Danielle told the Irish Examiner how Fr Laheen "infiltrated our family by manipulation and coercion". Danielle said her beloved grandmother Dolores, a famed opera singer and member of the Irish National Opera, 'never recovered' after the little boy's death. Young Danielle Meagher-Collins with her grandfather John Meagher, granny Dolores Meagher, and grandfather Pat Collins. Baby Kevin's birth certificate states he was born on July 3, 1966, but there is no death certificate for the child other than one burial document from the cemetery archives. The cause of death is listed as 'prematurity', but the exact date for his death was not recorded. His funeral was on July 7, 1966, at 10.55am. Fr Laheen, who was a high-profile priest in Dublin in the 1960s and worked at a number of private second-level colleges including Belvedere and Gonzaga, was approaching his 50s at the time of the pregnancy. Dolores Meagher was in her 20s. She was married to John Meagher, with three children, when she became pregnant. 'Obsessed' Speaking for the first time about baby Kevin, Danielle said: 'Fr Laheen was obsessed with my grandmother, and he followed her everywhere — from the National Concert Hall, and then on tour." 'He then fathered baby Kevin with my granny. The little boy was taken away at birth and died a week later." She said the despair suffered by her grandmother "was not just about the death of the child, but also the circumstances surrounding the child being taken away immediately by the nuns". "She was screaming for them to give the baby back to her." She always spoke to me about him [baby Kevin], and the hysteria would start again about the nuns taking the baby off her. I picked her up off the floor so many times, she was broken Dolores Meagher was married when she gave birth to Kevin, but Danielle says the baby was accepted by the family. "My grandfather knew and the marriage carried on, everyone knew. It just seemed to be accepted that he was born and died," Danielle said. 'My granny and granddad were the best of friends, there was never any animosity. 'My grandfather was a devout Catholic. I actually think that Fr Laheen commandeered the family and said this is what is happening. It was an abuse of power. 'He was almost like a cockroach in every corner of the house and every generation that passed through that house where they lived in Clontarf. Nobody could get rid of him." The Meagher family headstone in Glasnevin shows baby Kevin's name inscribed on the side. Danielle said she wanted to speak publicly about baby Kevin as it weighed heavily on her mind after reading The Naming of Deceased Jesuits Regarding Child Sexual Abuse Complaints,which was published by the order in February. That report documents how, in 1967, serious concerns were conveyed to the order by a third party about the behaviour of Fr Kevin Laheen when he was giving a school retreat. In 1999, Fr Laheen informed the order that a complaint of child sexual abuse had been made to gardaí about him and that this was under investigation by gardaí. A complaint by a third party, relating to the 1960s but received after Fr Laheen's death, is also referenced in documents. 'There has been 70 years of cover-ups within the order. I dread to think of the number of children that were in contact with Fr Laheen," Danielle said. She said she was "utterly devastated" when she read the Jesuit report. 'What happened in consequence of the complaints? There is no record of any action being taken against Fr Laheen regarding the complaint raised in 1967. Following the complaint made to the gardaí in late 1999, the DPP decided not to prosecute'. The Jesuit Order asked Fr Laheen to withdraw from all public ministry and involvement with minors in 2000. An apology and acknowledgement were issued to the survivors of abuse in the report. 'I am in blind fury' Danielle said. 'People had to have known. Fr Laheen was a demonic monster, he was always in our family, and he was very manipulative." 'Mapping his movements' Danielle has launched a website called The site has a contact form and she is hoping more people may come forward with details about Fr Laheen and his behaviour. "I am gathering and am mapping his movements over the 81 years'. Danielle said she is aware of a number of redress applications made to the Jesuit Order in relation to Fr Laheen. I am most interested to establish patterns and timelines, including the swimming pools he booked for private lessons and the locations he frequented Ironically, both baby Kevin and Fr Laheen are buried in Glasnevin. Baby Kevin's grave is just a few feet from the main entrance. His name is inscribed on the side of the family's large headstone, where Danielle's ancestors are buried, including her granny Dolores, with the inscription: 'Their infant Grandson, Kevin died 3 July 1966." 'This is one of the saddest things you will see in the cemetery, baby Kevin's name on the side of the headstone. He was never a secret in our family. He was never forgotten." Terry Wogan with Fr Kevin Laheen. The high-profile Dublin priest was one of 15 deceased Jesuits named in the damning report on sexual predators within the order. Danielle is asking people passing through Dublin to lay a yellow flower by his grave, 'to diminish the secrecy of his birth'. 'The colour yellow denotes new beginnings and a new chapter," said Danielle. When Fr Laheen's ashes were buried in Glasnevin in 2019, a large number of Jesuits turned up. 'I want to know who knew about baby Kevin in the order? My grandmother had been in hospital for over a week and the medical bill for baby Kevin was quite large. They did not have money by then to pay that bill. So, who paid for it? "The Jesuits were aware of his depravity and chose to move him around, elevating him to a form of clerical of celebrity. He was photographed with Terry Wogan at one point. A full independent investigation is needed into this case.' The Jesuit Order has been asked to comment.
Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Times
LVMH to cut 10% of wine and spirits staff amid luxury slowdown
LVMH's spirits and wine unit is to cut its workforce by 10 per cent as it grapples with the slowdown in luxury spending. Moët Hennessy, which owns brands such as Belvedere, Krug and Veuve Clicquot, told workers this week that the company was planning to reduce its workforce to pre-pandemic levels by cutting more than 10 per cent of its staff, equivalent to about 1,200 employees. Jean-Jacques Guiony, the division's chief executive, and his deputy, Alexandre Arnault, son of the LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, also told staff that the unit's revenues were at 2019 levels but costs had risen 35 per cent, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the job cuts. • From riches to rags: is luxury falling out of fashion? In an internal video seen by the FT, Guiony said: 'This was an organisation that was built for a much larger size of business. People realise … that this [rebuilding sales] is not going to happen anytime soon.' The report said the timeline for the job cuts was not immediately known. The cuts come at a time when the division is grappling with a slowdown in its key US and Chinese markets, which are lagging other parts of LVMH's luxury goods empire, including Louis Vuitton fashions and Moët & Chandon champagne. LVMH has suffered across the board this year, with revenues in its fashion and leather goods division, its largest unit, falling 5 per cent in the first quarter, the third consecutive quarterly sales fall. Moët Hennessy's organic sales in the first quarter fell 9 per cent. Alexandre Arnault was appointed as Guiony's deputy last November to help to turn around the division, a task that will be more challenging with the 20 per cent reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Trump on all European Union goods. Last month, the French wine and spirits exporters group FEVS warned that sales of French wine and spirits were expected to slide at least 20 per cent in the United States because of tariffs. Moët Hennessy's cognac business has been caught up in a trade spat between Europe and China, with Beijing imposing duties on European brandy imports.
