HOUSE NOTES
Notes from 105 Piccadilly, Mayfair.
Our editorial wing and candle-lit corner of conversation. This is where the cork comes out and the stories begin to breathe: dispatches from dinner tables, conversations on travel, taste, art, and the odd beautiful mistake along the way. Think of it as the after-hours lounge of House of Decant — and everyone is welcome.
226 articles
- How to Guides
How to Make the Perfect Martini (It's All in the Restraint)
Two ingredients, no garnish to hide behind, and nowhere for a mistake to go. The gin or the vodka, the vermouth, the ice, and the small matter of nerve.
- Insights
Joseph Drouhin: Burgundy's Quiet Genius
A profile of Joseph Drouhin: the Beaune family house, its early move to biodynamics, the legendary Clos des Mouches, and where to begin.
- Advice
Game Season Is Open. What Should Be in the Glass?
A field guide to what to drink with game, from grouse to venison: the red Burgundies, the Rhones, and the leftfield bottle your sommelier keeps quiet about.
- Insights
Penfolds: Australia's Most Iconic Winery, Explained
A profile of Penfolds: the birth of Grange, the philosophy of multi-region blending, the Bin system, and the wines to start with.
- Insights
Cloudy Bay: The Winery That Put New Zealand on the Map
A profile of Cloudy Bay: the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that launched a nation's wine industry, plus Te Koko, the Pinot Noir, and where to start.
- Insights
The Dalmore: Highland Luxury, One Dram at a Time
A profile of The Dalmore: the royal stag legend, the house sherry-cask obsession, the Cigar Malt and King Alexander III, and where to begin.
- Insights
The Balvenie: A Whisky Lover's Pilgrimage
A profile of The Balvenie: the five rare crafts still kept at Dufftown, the invention of cask finishing, and the expressions worth seeking out.
- Insights
Nikka: Japan's Finest, and Its Most Romantic Origin Story
A profile of Nikka: Masataka Taketsuru's Scottish apprenticeship and marriage, the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries, and the whiskies to start with.
- Insights
Moet & Chandon: The World's Most Famous Champagne
A profile of Moet & Chandon: the largest Champagne house, its Epernay cellars, the Grand Vintage philosophy, and the late-disgorged Collection releases.
- Insights
Louis Roederer: The Family Behind Cristal
A profile of Louis Roederer: family-owned since 1776, the estate-grown philosophy behind its wines, the story of Cristal, and where to start in the range.
- Insights
Laurent-Perrier: The House That Bet on Rosé
A profile of Laurent-Perrier: the Tours-sur-Marne house that made maceration rosé respectable, championed zero-dosage Champagne, and built Grand Siècle by refusing to pick a single vintage.
- Events
Five Macallans. Seventy Years. One Night.
Five bottles, one distillery and more than seventy years between the earliest spirit and the night we open it. A five-course dinner at the House on 29 September.