Idaho joins ranks of the nanny states

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While Mayor Mike Bloomberg is busy trying to extend his nanny-state proclivities by banning sales in New York City of sugary drinks of 32 ounces or more, the entire state of Idaho is being protected from imagined offense by a Utah distiller.

Here's the story:

Because the majority of the populations of Utah and Idaho practice the Mormon religion that long ago allowed polygamy, the Idaho Liquor Control Division (ILCD) has decided that the Utah-manufactured Five Wives brand vodka has the potential to offend. Thus, the vodka has been banned from Idaho.

A letter signed by Howard Wasserstein, deputy director for procurement, distribution and retail for the ILCD, says, “We feel (the) Five Wives vodka concept is offensive to a broad segment of our population and will not be carried.”

 Odgen's Own Distillery, maker of Five Wives, reportedly has been in touch with the attorney who won a 2011 suit that overturned a Michigan ruling that the Flying Dog Brewery's Raging Bitch Beer was offensive and could not be sold.

Curiously, a Utah-brewed beer named Polygamy Porter is available in Idaho.

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Maker's Mark gets court seal of approval

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The first time I visited Maker’s Mark bourbon in Loretto, KY, I was invited to dip a just-filled bottle in the distillery’s iconic melted red wax.

In my enthusiasm, I plunged the neck of the bottle into the molten vat a bit too vigorously, and wound up with dripping wax coating the neck, half the bottle and my hand up to the wrist. My face was as red as the wax.

That embarrassing moment has always stayed with me, so when I saw a legal decree involving the wax seal, it naturally caught my attention.

From now on, if you see a whiskey with a dripping wax seal on its and it doesn't say Maker's Mark on the label, you may be seeing something illegal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the red, wax seal that covers the stopper on bottles of Maker’s Mark bourbon is a protected trademark that must be used exclusively by that brand.The ruling follows a lawsuit in which Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. sought to prevent a similar seal from being used on bottles of Jose Cuervo tequila.

It's not the use of a wax seal, per se, that is the problem. Lots of distillers use wax seals -- Knob Creek, for one, and even Cuervo for years. Rather, it is the design of the seal that Maker's Mark worries about.

Until 2001, Cuervo bottles had been crowned with a straight-edge seal, then the design was changed to an uneven style that made the wax look as if it were dripping down the bottle neck, a la Maker's which was trademarked in 1985.

Judge John Heyburn II of the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ruled in favor of Maker’s Mark on the dual points of infringement and trademark validity. This was upheld on appeal at the Sixth Circuit.

In their ruling, the three appeal judges noted: "The company has bottled bourbon for commercial sale under the Maker’s Mark name, and has used a red dripping-wax seal on its Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles, since 1958. Maker’s Mark -- and craft bourbon generally – garnered national attention when The Wall Street Journal published a front-page article about the bourbon, the red dripping-wax seal, and the family behind it ['Maker’s mark goes against the grain to make its mark,' by David P. Garino, 1980]."Furthermore, the appeal judges noted, a 2002 Business Week report declared the dripping-wax seal "one of the most recognizable branding symbols in the world." Six years later, the "CBS Sunday Morning" show referred to the factory process for applying the feature as the "famous dip in red sealing wax."

These findings, said the judges, "support the district court’s ultimate conclusion regarding the breadth of market recognition of Maker’s Mark’s trademarked, red dripping-wax seal."

Also, the judges wrote, "There is more than one way to seal a bottle with wax to make it look appealing.

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World's largest gin collection in UK hotel

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Duplessis (l) accepts the award.

OXFORDSHIRE, England -- The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock has officially been proclaimed the holder of the largest collection of gin in the world.

A Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator visited the hotel to count the 161 different varieties of gin stocked by the hotel bar as a crowd of guests and employees looked on for the entire 45 minute inspection.

Jeremy Duplessis, hotel general manager, said, "It's absolutely fantastic to be crowned a world record breaker. We have been building on the collection for three years and have picked up gins from all corners of the world -- from Holland, Spain, the U.S.A. and Germany as well as Britain, home of the famous London Gin, so it's great to have our efforts rewarded."

The hotel also stocks some of the world's most exclusive gins. For example, a bottle of Vincenzi 1950 comes in at US$348; a single glass of Burnett's White Satin 1960 will set drinkers back US$30; and, a seven-course dinner paired with gins is US$116.

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Minnesota's first distillery open for business

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Panther (top) and Grinager

OSAKI, MN -- Panther Distillery, the first -- and only -- legal distillery in the state -- has opened for business.

The distillery, founded in 20120 by Adrian Pather, took two years of planning, work and obtaining state permits to officially open.

He and head distiller Brett Grinager will host the public at a grand opening event set for 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday this week.

The Panther Distillery team uses a 500-gallon copper still and fresh, local ingredients from area farmers. They now are barreling their signature whiskies, which will be aged for two years. Meanwhile, they're producing a clear, unaged spirit called White Water Whiskey. A gin, a rye and a rum are planned as well.

The distillery is located at 300 East Pike Street. Its website has other details.

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NY's newest distillery making gluten-free vodka

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Just a decade ago, craft distilleries were practically non-existent in New York State. Now, with 22 it is behind only California and Colorado in the number of them.

The newest is the Adirondack Distilling Company, which is making an unusual product after recently receiving its state license.

The microdistillery is located in Utica, where distiller Jordan Karp is making gluten-free vodka from locally-grown corn, quite different from most craft vodkas which are made from wheat or other grains.

Karp told a local TV interviewer he and co-founders Bruce Elwell and Stee Cox "did a lot of research, took a few classes, visited some distilleries and what started out as an idea two years ago is very close to completion.

"Our vodka will go from farm to bottle in two weeks. We hope our sales will help local farmers as well and again the money that people spend here stays here."

The company is using Herkimer Diamonds, a locally-mined, semi-precious quartz, to filter the vodka, made in a custom-crafted German still.

Its spirit, under the brand name ADK Adirondack Vodka, will debut in liquor stores in the region this fall as well as being sold at the distillery, on Varick Street in the former Metro building.

The company is setting aside the first 1,500 bottles of its inaugural batch. Details on how to reserve one are available on the website.

Plans call for eventual production of Varick Bourbon and Black Diamond Gin, the latter using Alpine Bilberries.

REMINDER: The new Hillrock Estate Distillery in Ancram, Columbia County, opens to the public this Saturday. See my earlier stories here and here.

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Thomas Phifer's Modern Steel and Glass 8,800 Sq. Foot Taghkanic House Is Still On The Market.

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Looking for a unique modern house about 2 hours outside of New York? This beautiful, exceptionally designed 8,800 square foot home was designed by architect Thomas Phifer, a previous design partner of Richard Meier's, and is available with or without a renovated farmhouse and 150 additional acres.




Built in 2001, the home has 6 bedrooms, 6 full baths, 3 half baths, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor), a state-of-the-art kitchen, a screening room, a tennis court, a bocce ball court, a three bedroom guest house and most noticeably, an 1,800 square foot glass and steel pavilion.







The swimming pools and tennis court:






Despite looking like a glass structure into which anyone can peer, the majority of the home's living space consists of hidden subterranean chambers. A 7,000 sq.ft. substructure contains the 6 bedrooms, study, media room, kitchen, breakfast room, wine cellar, refrigerated cheese room, indoor pool and service area.

Kitchen, livingroom, a bedroom and the media room:






The grounds were designed by the modernist landscape architect Dan Kiley, whose projects include New York City’s Lincoln Center, the Chicago Botanic Garden and the St. Louis Gateway Arch.







The property rests unobtrusively on a hill, is sited to view the landscape from all directions and positioned to receive both east and west sunlight. The house celebrates the contrast between classic contemporary interior spaces and the Arcadian landscape.


The guest house:


The land itself is protected by conservation easements and is in an area of permanently open land with inviting trails for riding and walking through the countryside. The centerpiece of the property is a beautiful and exceptionally designed 8,800 sq.ft house which was featured in Architectural Record, April, 2003.




The farm buildings and farmhouse are separated from the area of the main house by cattle grazing pastures which stretch out from the house and grounds.



Riding, fishing and winter skiing are also close by, as are nearby Hudson and Rhinebeck which offer fine shopping and dining.

The home, known as the Taghkanic House, is being offered by Heather Croner Real estate and Sotheby's International Realty.

The house was originally listed in 2010 with an asking price of $9.75 million. Now it is being offered as two options: $6,750,000 or at $8,250,000 with an additional 150 acres and the renovated farmhouse.

images courtesy of Phifer.com, Sotheby's International Realty and Heather Croner Real Estate

PropertyID: 4252990
MLSID: Taghkanic

Oh Yeah, For $950 I Can Sit On Ryan Gosling's Face! Or Any One Of These 11 Sexy Celebs.

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Celebrity Photographer and designer Jennifer Graylock offers limited edition Art Chairs of Mid-century design with seat covers featuring her exclusive photographs of eleven sexy famous personalities.

The bentwood inspired chairs are signed and numbered and for sale at $950 each.

Sit On My Face Ryan Gosling (or as I affectionately call him, "The Gos"):



Sit On My Face George Clooney:



Sit On My Face Sofia Vergara:



Sit On My Face Ryan Reynolds:



Sit On My Face Angelina Jolie:



Sit On My Face Brad Pitt:



Sit On My Face Jennifer Lopez:



Sit On My Face Katie Holmes:



Sit On My Face Barack Obama:



Sit On My Face Anna Wintour:



Sit on My Face Lady Gaga:



About the designer and photographer:
JENNIFER GRAYLOCK: Art, Celebrity, Fashion Photographer and Creator of FaceChairs.com.

Renowned fashion and celebrity photographer Jennifer Graylock has had her work featured in most well known fashion and entertainment magazines; and shot campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. And now, the highly sought-after photographer is now combining her fashion, celebrity and fine arts background to create the first installment of her Face Chairs Art Series Collection. These iconic chairs are Graylock’s humorous intent to give fans, and non-fans alike, a chance to have their very own celebrity moment.

The “Face Chairs” Art Series Collection will features Jennifer Graylock’s most acclaimed celebrity and fashion icon photo picks. Each chair is then paired with a mid century-inspired bentwood chair, carefully restored, and emblazoned with exclusive photos from Graylock’s topical collection.

“In creating this limited edition, signed, art statements, I select and carefully restore visually interesting vintage and modern designer chairs in a variety of shapes and pair them with celebrity images from my collection shot at pivotal moments in each figure's life,” said Graylock.

“Face Chairs” is a true expression of Graylock’s art that combines her world-class photography and love of furniture design and restoration. Her roots in furniture design extend back to helping her grandfather restore and craft furniture when she was a young child. The collection takes a creative laugh with each celebrity to become part of his or her fans home.

Graylock unveiled her first iconic pieces at RAPT art&design in Naples, Florida, where she featured Oscar winner Angelina Jolie’s now notorious “leg pose” and Oscar nominee George Clooney immediately after learning of his Oscar nomination, creating international buzz from fans and non-fans alike as well as the celebrities she’s captured.

Buy them here

Jennifer will also create Custom chairs for you featuring photos of any member of your family, friend or pet. To order yours today, call: 917-803-8619 or email: YourFace@FaceChairs.com

all images courtesy of Jennifer Graylock