My friends, welcome back to another edition of my weekday-ending recap, The Friday Read, where we touch on a little bit of everything -- menswear very much included -- in a way that's a little bit different than the process here at The Style Guide the rest of the week.
You see, if you keep up with me on Instagram, you know that I wear a lot of hats among my many freelance writing pursuits, from covering the best sneakers for GQ to writing about the best new Scotch at Maxim and keeping up with all things fall style within the confines of this site (and others).
And as with my trip just last week to El Tesoro Tequila to try a stellar lineup of excellent new tequila, I once again hopped a flight -- this time, a longer, trans-Atlantic flight to follow the story and the spirit.
The itinerary and the goal this time around? Trekking to historic Highclere Castle -- a real-life castle and yes, the actual home of acclaimed TV and film series "Downton Abbey." Not bad for a weekday work trip, right? Among other adventures, the trip took back the curtain on the excellent Highclere Castle Gin, a bottle that absolutely belongs in your bar cart (and one that's often priced at below $30 in the United States).
There's much to love about Highclere Castle Gin, which actually launched much more recently than one might expect -- just before the pandemic hit, in fact. It was founded in part by entrepreneur Adam von Gootkin, who dreamed up the idea for the spirit and brought it to life with the help of the castle's own Lord and Lady Carnarvon. Your average back-bar gin backed by a massive corporate conglomerate, this is not.
And yet, the gin tastes just as historic and acclaimed as its larger counterparts, with centuries of pedigree backed up by its namesake home. Along with two days spent tasting gin and wandering the grounds of Highclere Castle, a stop in London (at the Other House Kensington) and an excellent gin pairing dinner at The Stafford London was in order. In The Stafford's historic wine cellar, fellow writers, influencers and supporters of Highclere Castle dined on some stunning dishes (again, follow me on Instagram for real-time action).
We tried a forthcoming new expression (more to come soon!) and chiefly, trekked the iconic and instantly recognizable grounds -- shoutout to my traveling companion, drinking buddy and formidable writer Brian Freedman.
The Highclere Castle Barrel-Aged Gin was a particular highlight, with unexpected smoke and citrus notes thanks to aging in Armagnac barrels (among other processes). The best part is, you can get Highclere Castle Gin online and in nine countries, and all at a remarkably low price. How's that for a visit that's worth hopping on a plane across the ocean?
It's trips like these, ones where I get to experience exceptional spirits in a wonderful atmosphere -- all while wearing some of my favorite menswear and carrying my favorite luggage for travel -- that drive home that I positively love what I do when it comes to my many freelance writing pursuits.
On that front, you can assuredly look for much more on my trip very soon at sites like CoolMaterial.com, where I've got a couple stories in the hopper just yet. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a restful weekend back in Brooklyn, where "flannel shirt weather" continues to creep in slowly but surely.
As always, you can expect a series of weekend style posts incoming talking all about the best fall menswear. Stay stylish, stay thirsty and thanks for reading, my friends!
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