Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch Whisky Unveils Rare 1975 Expression

Auchentoshan, Scotland’s only triple distilled Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has released a rare limited edition of the 1975 expression exclusively to travel retail. With only 500 bottles in existence, only the lucky few will be able to savour this rare, cask strength non-chill filtered Single Malt, which has been aged in hand-selected, north American bourbon casks for over 38 years.

Following on from the success of the first batch released in the domestic market in 2011, this second release of the vintage has been matured for an additional year giving it its particularly fresh, dewy fruity qualities. It becomes part of a series of superb vintage releases from the late 1970s including the 1979 sherry matured and the 1974 bourbon matured.

Presented in a premium slate grey double fronted box, both the carton and the bottle deliberately retain a subtlety and understated luxury best reserved for higher aged vintage releases. Once opened the box reveals a stunning design using barrel staves. Labeling is minimal with both the name and label appearing slimmer to reveal the liquid as the true hero. The neck of the bottle is also clear exposing the natural cork. The date of bottling is written on each of the bottles.

Auchentoshan triple distils every drop meaning the spirit produced reaches 81.5% ABV, significantly higher than most distilleries in Scotland. The lightness of the liquid enables it to absorb every characteristic it is exposed to in the cask. It is this smooth distillate paired with the carefully selected oak casks that gives Auchentoshan an unmistakably light and fruity flavour.

Auchentoshan Master Blender Rachel Barrie says “Having spent an additional year maturing in the highest quality North American bourbon casks, the 2013 bottling of Auchentoshan 1975 allows the drinker to experience the complexity and ripe, developed fruit flavours associated with a whisky of this vintage.’’

Tasting notes:

To the eye: Copper gold.

To the nose: Ripe, sun-drenched fruits: pears, figs and honeydew melon.

To the palate: Papaya and pink grapefruit, with baked pineapple and almond cake.

The finish: Subtle notes of white grapes, elderflower & almonds.

There will be 500 bottles available globally in a range of international airports priced at £500+ with an ABV of 45.6%.

For more information visit Auchentoshan.co.uk

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a whisky enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Announces Adriatic Crossroads Trip

The sea lanes of the Adriatic have been crossed and recrossed for millennia—notably during the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires and the Venetian Republic. The archaeology, art, and architecture of the Adriatic coast reveal a complex, often contentious, history. Next year, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center invites travelers to join scholar Dr. Don McGuire in an exploration of this cultural crossroads in a two-part trip: Adriatic Crossroads.

In Part I of the trip (June 26–July 5, 2014), Crow Canyon will lead an exploration of the cultural riches of northern Italy, from Ravenna to Venice to Udine. A highlight of the trip is a visit to the archaeological site of Aquileia, one of the most complete ancient Roman cities of the Mediterranean.

Part II (through July 14, 2014) begins in northern Italy, and then passes through Slovenia into Croatia, exploring the Dalmatian Coast down to Dubrovnik. Archaeological highlights in Croatia include Bribirska Glavica, a site that preserves thousands of years of history, and spectacular Roman ruins in Pula and Split. (You may sign up for either part, or combine the two trips.)

Along the way, travelers will enjoy some of the finest scenery, food, and hospitality in the Mediterranean.

Dr. Don McGuire, a noted scholar of classical civilizations, archaeology, and Mediterranean history, will lead the trip. Dr. McGuire is an adjunct associate professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He has a Ph.D. from Cornell University and has led scholarly tours through Turkey, Greece, and Italy.

For more information or to sign up for the trip, e-mail travel@crowcanyon.org; call 800.422.8975, ext. 136; or register online.

About the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

The not-for-profit Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, located near Cortez, Colo., conducts long-term, multidisciplinary research into the ancestral Pueblo Indians of the southwestern United States and provides experiential education programs for adults, teens, and children. For nearly 30 years, Crow Canyon has also offered domestic and international culture and archaeology tours.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Newark Black Film Festival Calling For Entries in 2014 Paul Robeson Awards

Paul Robeson

Newark Museum’s acclaimed Newark Black Film Festival Paul Robeson Awards is now seeking entries for its biennial competition. The competition recognizes aspiring filmmakers and honors the spirit of Paul Robeson, who was an activist, performer and athlete. The entry deadline is Feb. 21, 2014.

Winners will receive special recognition, a film screening and a cash award during the Newark Black Film Festival, a six-week summer festival held on Wednesday evenings in Newark, starting June 25, 2014. The Newark Black Film Festival is supported by Bank of America.

“The high caliber of films submitted to the Newark Black Film Festival Paul Robeson Awards is astounding,” said NBFF Chair and Charter Member Gloria Hopkins Buck. “The judges for the Robeson Awards are dedicated in choosing films that represent the festival’s mission, while engaging our audience with inspiring and intriguing films. It is an awesome responsibility to select films that represent the African-American and African Diaspora experience.”

To be considered for the 2014 Paul Robeson Award, films submitted must be deemed non-commercial “independent” films that were released since January 2011, with the understanding that the filmmaker had control of the completed work. The categories to enter films are long and short narrative, long and short documentary, experimental and animation. There is a $40 entry fee of each submitted film. The entry form can be obtained here or by emailing nbff@newarkmuseum.org.

The NBFF, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2014, is the longest longest-running black film festival in the United States. Since its introduction in 1974 by the Newark Museum, NBFF has provided a forum for hundreds of emerging writers, directors, producers, performers and patrons of black cinema and has attracted abroad audience from throughout the northeast region. More than 794 films have been screened to an audience of more than 176,600 adults and children.

NBFF co-presenters include New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT); The Newark Public Library; Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey/Newark; and City Plex 12, all in Newark.

Stay informed about the 2014 Paul Robeson Awards and the Newark Black Film Festival by following the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/newark.museum or Twitter at twitter.com/newarkmuseum; or by visiting NewarkMuseum.org.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a tequila enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Justin Bieber Gives Aid to Typhoon Haiyan Victims in the Philippines

In a news report on Explore Talent, it was said that the singer went to Tacloban City after his concert in Australia. Tacloban is one of the areas in the Philippines that was gravely affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Bieber gave out T-shirts and toys to the kids in two school shelters in the city, played basketball with some of the boys and sang to them.

Based on a report released by New York Daily, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on November 8. It led to over 6,000 fatalities and left almost 2,000 missing. The super strong typhoon brought in a storm surge that nearly leveled out villages and towns in the central area of the country.

“It was like were not hit by the typhoon, like Yolanda never came,” was a young girl’s sentiment when she was interviewed by TV 5 Manila about her feelings upon finally seeing the young pop star.

Bieber sang some of his hit songs, as well as several Christmas songs, during his impromptu concert for the kids in one of the school shelters he visited. Before his visit to the Philippines, the singer asked his fans to contribute to the campaign for the Typhoon Haiyan victims. All of his efforts are to go to UNICEF and two other aid agencies. UNICEF is planning to use the funds they get from Bieber for better nutrition, education, sanitation, vaccinations and clean water.

According to the young pop sensation, his surprise visit to the Philippines was the “last stop and the most important one” of his Believe global tour. He even took to Twitter to say that his visit to the country was “the most touching trip” of his life.

Bieber is just one of the many local and international showbiz personalities who are lending a hand in the campaign of rehabilitating the Philippines.

This news report is from Explore Talent, the Internet’s largest resource of auditions and casting calls for actors, models, musicians, dancers, and production crew since its debut in 2003. It has a unique cast match technology, which is the most advanced entertainment-based technology of its kind that matches a talent’s attributes against tens of thousands of job postings every day. This technology sends casting email alerts and posts auditions and jobs directly on talents’ profiles, thus saving members’ hours of tedious searching time. Explore Talent has over 7.9 million members and over 60,000 auditions, castings, and production jobs listed daily, which is 40 times more than any other site.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

The Top 6 Local Breweries in San Diego

Earlier this month, the travel and tourism experts at SanDiego.com looked to find the best local breweries in San Diego. “With so many local breweries in San Diego we wanted to see who was doing it right,” says Erica James, tourism expert and editor at SanDiego.com. “We wanted to see what made these breweries unique to create such deliciously crafted beers.”

Pour me up a cold one! These San Diego local breweries are mixing things up, and putting the big time craft beers to shame. Using old fashioned techniques and special processes with fresh and unique ingredients, these beers just have something special that makes the mouth water.

Indian Joe Brewing - indianjoebrewing.com Their logo, “Native owned. Native grown.” says it all. The Brewery was named by its owner Max, after his Great Uncle Joe and his Native heritage. All of the fresh ingredients used to make the variety of beers at Indian Joe Brewing are local and native grown. Their beers are some of the most unique with a very wide variety, from a Blueberry Hefeweizen to a delicious Chai Stout, American Indian Pale Ale to an American Indian IPA, or even a Chocolate Hazelnut Porter. The atmosphere is extremely welcoming and fun. Another unique thing that Indian Joes Brewery does is they have a different local food cart that comes in each day to serve up some tasty grub!

Poor House Brewing Company - poorhousebrew.com Poor House Brewing Company offers great local craft beers that they brew in-house with their "Breaking Bad" looking 3 barrel brewhouse operation. Everything was built and designed by founders Chris Finch and Alanna Scheer. The tasting room atmosphere has a very unique, unpretentious and rustic vibe. Many compliment this design, saying that it feels like drinking in a garage with best friends. The bartenders are all female craft beer geeks looking to share all things beer with guests. They harvest their own cascade hops right out the front doors which are in full bloom right now. They are currently using their own hops to 'fresh hop' their house IPA called Experimental Batch no. 6 IPA. On the 30th of every month, brewed exclusively for 30th street Chris makes a beer with 30 different hops called 30 Hop IPA which tends to be a favorite around the neighborhood. Other hyped house brews include: Clusterfukk IPA (single hop), Davy Jones Double Stout (imperial stout aged in rum barrels), Tournay (Belgian Ale aged in Chardonnay barrels for 1 year), Mr. Romoto coffee stout (stout brewed with cafe moto coffee beans).

Prohibition Brewing Company - prohibitionbrewingcompany.com A craft brewery offering specialty brews, flavorful food and a casual atmosphere for guests to enjoy a brew. Prohibition Brewing Company opened 2 years ago on 11/11/11 and ever since then they have been growing at a great rate alongside many other North County breweries. Offering many local favortites as well as their own, including, Hef U Up, Oatmeal Stout, Dirty Blonde, Pale Ale, Cali IPA, Ruby Red, SBA, and Black Double IPA.

Rip Current Brewing - ripcurrentbrewing.com Starting out as home brewers, Rip Current Brewing is unmatched in San Diego for awards as a 3 time winner of Brewing Machine (top SD homebrewer, CA Homebrewer of the Year and Ninkasi award for Top Homebrewer in the World). They have a very broad range of award winning beers and their priority is variety and choice offering 15-20 different brews on tap, and a single tap that rotates daily offering a unique small batch beer. As homebrewers they learned the importance of water. Most breweries in town use the same water for all of their beers, but not Rip Current Brewery! With an in house water treatment center, each and every beer has its own grain/hop recipe as well as a water recipe. This has a great impact on the final taste of the beer.

PB Ale House - pbalehouse.com A world class micro brewery and restaurant situated right near the beach in Pacific Beach, CA. Their handcrafted beers are brewed in house and on tap, also featuring other great beers on tap for patrons. The food is delicious, with a very friendly staff. PB Ale House has a wonderful rooftop open air bar area to sit down and appreciate the beautiful weather in San Diego while checking out the amazing views.

Lightning Brewery - lightningbrewery.com Jim Crute, the owner of Lighting Brewery and a chemist, has been making beer since his college days in 1982. Now he has turned his passion into a career with some of the finest craft beers around. Over the years Jim has tried it all and has refined his craft with classic beer styles that master brewers have been calibrating for centuries. While other breweries may add taste and flavors in a speedy method by using additives, Lightning Brewery does it the old fashioned way by nature with time, with the most difficult fermentation and lagering processes. In just the 6 years that Lightning Brewery has been around they have won 30 nationally recognized beer awards, including a coveted Best in Show!

Grab your friends and head down to one of these six awesome breweries in San Diego. We suggest getting a flight and trying them all! Find out what type of beer is your favorite!

SanDiego.com is one of San Diego’s oldest and busiest travel and tourism websites, known as the local authority for all things San Diego. The author of this article, Erica James, is a native San Diegan who truly believes that there is no place more fun and exciting than beautiful San Diego!

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a beer enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Contemporary Art and Artists Arrive in Palm Springs During Modernism Week February 2014

Palm Springs is known for design, style and luxury. In February, thousands arrive to explore the best of these through fine art, architecture and modernism events. The hottest show in February for fine art collectors, buyers and aficionados as well as the museum curator audience is The 3rd Annual Palm Springs Fine Art Fair (PSFAF) taking place February 13-16, 2014.

After its first two years, the Fair has already become a must see for collectors and fans of Contemporary Art. A veritable pop-up museum of modern art valued at over $100 million from over 60 international galleries will be presented in the exhibit hall at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The extraordinary exhibition curates a dynamic review of works by artists including Karel Appel, Le Corbusier, Henry Jackson, Frank Stella, Raymond Jonson, Pablo Picasso, Kenneth Noland, Jennifer Bartlett, Chul Hyan Ahn, David Middlebrook, and many more.

With recent art auction house sales breaking records in New York for contemporary art, coupled with the frenzy of buying at Art Basel Miami week, it appears this genre has a renewed popularity. “This is Contemporary and Modern art that is alive and in the moment,” says producer Rick Friedman, “Collectors perceive that art is not only beauty, but also as an alternative investment.” Palm Springs Fine Art Fair is the hottest ticket on the Fine Art winter circuit not only because of the beautiful destination, but also because of the quality of the art, the artists and the excitement of what’s in the show.

One piece that will be dazzling the audience will be Steve Maloney’s Ride-em-Cowboy, a sculpture created from a Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter and a Long Horn Steer. “Palm Springs is bigger than life and we felt Steve’s piece captures both contemporary and future,” continues Friedman.

The larger-than-life-size Ride-em-Cowboy is a decommissioned bone yard chopper, engine-free yet structurally sound, dressed to the hilt inside and out with thousands of colored gemstones; old cowhide chairs; authentic Longhorn Steer skull; iPad with virtual flight simulator; Swarovski crystal chandelier; a built-in high-polished lapped and riveted aluminum bar inspired by a vintage Airstream trailer; hand-war-painted Indian Motorcycle front fender lights; yards of LED lighting strips; and vinyl cowhide wrap exterior. “The use of repurposed materials creates a familiarity and allows people to relate to the work in a personal way. Steve is unafraid to bombard our senses – and our sense of humor. It’s great to see contemporary art that makes people smile,” says James Carona, owner of Heather James Gallery.

The exhibition also includes expert panel discussions that are standing room only. “Whether you are buying your first piece or have a collection that is museum-worthy, the panels are there to inform and create dialog about art, collecting and the artists represented,” says Friedman.

Tickets are on sales at PalmSpringsFineArtFair.com. The VIP Black Card pass provides exclusive access to the Opening Preview Party. General admission is $25. The Palm Springs Fine Art Fair is produced by the Hamptons Expo Group of Southampton, New York. They produce 4 other events throughout the year: ArtHamptons, ArtAspen, The Houston Fine Art Fair, and Silicon Valley Contemporary.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a wine enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Daniela de Jesus Is The New Face Of Maybelline New York

Maybelline New York announces that Mexican beauty Daniela de Jesus, has been signed to the brand as a spokeswoman. Daniela joins a notable group of spokeswomen, which includes Christy Turlington, Julia Stegner, Erin Wasson, Kemp Muhl, Shu-Pei Qin, Emily DiDonato, Jessica White, Charlotte Free, and Frida Gustavsson.

"Maybelline New York is delighted to have Daniela with us, representing the positive spirit, cosmopolitan energy, and fashion edge of the brand," says Damien Bertrand, Global Brand President of Maybelline New York. "I have always looked to Maybelline New York for inventive, trendsetting makeup," says Daniela. "I am honored and proud to work with a brand that is loved by women all over the world," she adds.

Born in La Paz, Mexico, Daniela was discovered and signed to Major Model Management in 2005 after participating in her country's national beauty pageant, Nuestra Belleza Mexico. Since then, Daniela has walked the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier, Giambattista Valli, Vivienne Westwood, Marchesa, Mara Hoffman, Betsey Johnson, and Alexandre Vauthier, among others. She has been featured in advertising campaigns for Emporio Armani, Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, and Guess.

Daniela made her Maybelline New York debut in print and television advertising campaigns in late 2013.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.