The Classicist: The Stylish World of Spirits & Luxury Hotel Guru Martin Miller
Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, The Classicist

As befits a Brit who has his very own brand of gin, Martin Miller is more than just an entrepreneur; he's a bon viveur and connoisseur of everything from antiques and historic houses to leggy women, fine spirits and elaborately coiffed canines. The self-described "gypsy who never settled" began building an empire as a schoolboy in England which led to an estimated $40 million fortune and the birth of Martin Miller's Gin. Having sold his antiques guide business for a tidy sum, in 1999 Miller hit on the idea of creating a super premium gin better than anything else available at the time; developing the perfect gin regardless of "practical, fiscal or even geographic limitations" became something of a fixation, hence the spirit's slogan: "born of love, obsession and some degree of madness."
Miller's is a top drawer London dry gin made from ten carefully balanced botanicals that's transported 1,500 miles to Iceland following traditional copper pot still distillation to be mixed with the purest spring water on the globe. The result is a potent spirit with a strong citrus nose and taste, notes of juniper and a clean, soft finish. A Westbourne Strength variation ups the ABV from 40% to 45.2%, bringing the juniper to the forefront along with spicier notes and the same soft finish. Both bottles are stunning. That degree of good taste and craftsmanship extends to Miller's small empire of boutique luxury hotels in renovated historic structures, the first of which he opened to house his burgeoning collection of antiques.
Miller's four UK properties echo the eccentricity and artistic sensibility of their creator; showcasing his "maximalistic" approach to decor, they're positively overflowing with antiques and finds from his lifelong adventures. Here's a rundown [cont'd]:
Charles Dickens wrote in 'David Copperfield' in 1850, "Punch, my dear Copperfield, like time and tide, waits for no man ... His recent despondency, not to say despair, was gone in a moment. I never saw a man so thoroughly enjoy himself amid the fragrance of lemon-peel and sugar, the odour of burning spirit, and the steam of boiling water, as Mr Micawber did that afternoon. It was wonderful to see his face shining at us out of a thin cloud of these delicate fumes, as he stirred, and mixed, and tasted, and looked as if he were making, instead of a punch, a fortune for his family down to the latest posterity."
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Among the innovative new spirits we're finally finding time to catch up with is 





Tucked into a barn in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, Berkshire Mountain Distillers is quietly making a new line of craft liquors.
We recently had a chance to try
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