Table of contents for February 2024 in Robb Report

IT’S SAID THAT with age, one becomes more oneself. To which you might reply—sure, what other choice is there? The more intriguing idea is whether the same applies to Scotch. The answer, in a dram, is yes. Highland Park’s 54-year-old single malt, the oldest and rarest whisky it has ever produced, manages to tell the distillery’s whole story in a sip, bringing its varied personalities together like clans at a feast. But to comprehend how master whisky maker Gordon Motion achieved such harmony, you first have to understand where Highland Park starts. And that means understanding Orcadian peat. Peat, the fuel that gives Scotch its smoke, is no more than thousands of years’ worth of compacted plant matter, which renders the character of any peat a reflection of the local…

Japanese snow is the stuff of legend. In an average winter, freezing Siberian winds scoop up moisture from the Sea of Japan and blanket the country with over 30 feet of cold, bone-dry powder— famous in the ski community as “Japow”— making it one of the snowiest places on the planet. There are around 450 ski resorts across an island nation roughly the size of Montana, and during good winters lodges such as Nozawa Onsen, Kiroro, and Geto Kogen can get over 900 inches. If you’ve never skied here, picture charging through beech forest, bouncing down pillow lines in chest-deep Japow as crystallized white smoke billows toward the sky, and you’ll soon grasp the appeal. But there’s more to shredding Japan than staggering volcanic landscapes and the world’s most beautiful…

Ahead of the Curve Icon 4×4 Back in 1996, Jonathan Ward anticipated the demand for meticulously restored Toyota Land Cruisers when he founded TLC4X4 along with his wife, Jamie. His Los Angeles–based Icon 4x4, launched a decade later, was similarly early to the spare-no-expense restomod market, predating a number of high-profile outfits including Singer Vehicle Design. Which might suggest a man keenly attuned to trends, yet the 53-year-old former actor insists the business was sparked by a simple case of creative restlessness. “I sequestered [with] a key employee in a 1,200-squarefoot part of our old shop in Van Nuys, locked the door, and played killer music,” Ward recalls. With the goal of working a nagging idea out of his head, he transformed a Toyota FJ40 into a rigorously executed and…

Yachting has long been synonymous with escape, but owners today are increasingly opting to engage instead, by employing their explorer vessels for humanitarian missions. Consider Texas billionaire Toby Neugebauer, chairman of Crestmoor Advisors, who’s preparing his 180-foot Purpose for a five-year global journey next month. Having recently undergone an extensive refit, Purpose will be used for both charter and charity, allowing guests the option to get involved with philanthropic aid, from relief efforts to educational fieldwork. “The aim is to leave each destination better than we found it,” says Neugebauer, who plans to join the expedition for eight weeks. “I can’t imagine us doing a trip where we’re not doing something constructive.” Other causes close to Neugebauer’s heart include disaster recovery, female empowerment in developing nations, and strengthening families—all of…

FIELD NOTES In an admittedly wildly unscientific study conducted over the past 25 years, we believe we’ve uncovered something of an enigma—Spain. To elaborate: When asking oenophiles about Spanish wine, we tend to hear mention of just two (yes, two) esteemed producers: Vega Sicilia and Pingus. Now, this pair of outstanding Ribera del Duero wineries are certainly deserving of their collective accolades, but the fact that savvy drinkers can name fewer than a handful of elite winemakers from the fourth-largest (by area) European nation is… just weird. Home to over 100 wine regions, Spain produces red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines across the entire quality and price spectrum. Just two, Rioja and Priorat, have received the highest designation, D.O.Ca. (which translates to “denomination of qualified origin”), a step above the…

It’s not uncommon to hear that once you’ve skied in Alaska, anywhere else is bound to be a letdown. And it’s true that, after hitting slopes all over the world, my first taste of Alaska’s gravitydefying mountains about a decade ago delivered the most epic day of snowboarding I’d ever experienced. But that high came to an abrupt end with a mediocre steak dinner at a Best Western sports bar. Being dropped by helicopter on a knife-edge ridge and carving fresh tracks on pristine 40-degree inclines may have been mind-blowing, but the next year I opted for the Alps. The apex of big-mountain skiing, the 49th state should be on every enthusiast’s go-now list. Yet for many snowobsessed travelers, an ideal day requires more than steep runs and deep powder.…

About an hour outside Dubai’s towering skyscrapers, a select group of journalists gathered in the desert at the serene Bab Al Shams resort to get hands-on with Vacheron Constantin’s latest Les Cabinotiers collection. In the world of high horology, it’s unusual for press to get a preview of unique pieces ahead of clients, but in this case the Geneva-based manufacture was trying to avoid becoming a victim of its own success—again. Last year, every watch presold to clients, preventing any publicity. The goal of the annual collection, introduced in 2016, has been to showcase the type of elite work Vacheron has long done via bespoke commissions, and so the fervent demand (and subsequent lack of press) kinda defeated the purpose. “We are always happy to sell expensive watches, but the…

DREAM MACHINES A DEVOTION TO MOTION Decades before jetliners zigzagged across the planet at near supersonic speeds, a more genteel aircraft ruled the skies, designed to function in harmony with the 71 percent of the Earth that’s covered in water. Amphibious planes were among the first to bring a halo of panache to air travel, and not just thanks to their leisurely pace: Many models, among them the Martin M-130 “China Clipper” and the Sikorsky S-40 “Flying Forest,” remain paragons of aircraft design. It was only after World War II triggered a sprawl of airports that commercial aviation veered from harbors and waterways to more efficient point-topoint solutions, rendering seaplanes all but obsolete. Yet like record players and film cameras, these retro machines are making a comeback, and it’s not…

The story of Bentley’s coachbuilding arm dates back centuries and includes the Mulliner family’s contract to build stagecoaches for the Royal Mail in 1760. In the 1920s, Mulliner became renowned for its rebodied Bentleys, going on to become part of the British marque itself in 1959. Today, most of Mulliner’s work focuses on adding personal touches—a bespoke paint color to match a favorite watch dial, say, or a family crest hand-stitched onto the headrests—to the vehicles manufactured at the factory in Crewe. Approximately 40 percent of new Bentleys now feature some Mulliner modifications, with an average additional spend of $30,000 per car. That’s not to suggest that Mulliner has forgotten its coachbuilding roots. At the turn of the new millennium, it crafted the enormous Bentley State Limousine used by Queen…

DREAM BIG, THINK SMALL. That’s the maxim driving the recent wave of sub90-foot “pocket explorers” that—minus helicopters and massive crews—have similar globe-traversing capabilities of full-size explorer yachts, which combine range and seaworthiness with the potential to live off the grid for days or even weeks. Legacy builders such as Nordhavn, Grand Banks, and Marlow have been joined by newcomers Sirena, Numarine, Bering, Azimut, and others that eschew the 1970s trawler aesthetic for a more stylish, contemporary look. Azimut’s Magellano 60, for instance, pairs a sharp forefoot—for good seakeeping—with large open spaces across the interior and exterior. The 60-footer’s “Dual-Mode” hull allows it to hit 26 knots and achieve a range of 1,020 nautical miles at nine knots. Plus, it’s designed to run on HVOlution biofuel, reducing CO2 emissions by 80…

“Look at it,” Rick Ross says, arms outstretched, head tilted, basking in the brilliant Florida sun. “This is Miami. Beautiful. It’s most definitely for me.” Dressed in a blue Balenciaga tracksuit and New Balance sneakers, his wrist adorned with a rose-gold Rolex “Presidential” Day-Date, Ross has just pulled up to his property on Star Island, the exclusive Miami Beach enclave where Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, and pharmaceutical billionaire Phillip Frost are among past and present residents. The 47-year-old rapper, entrepreneur, and selfproclaimed “biggest boss” is in a buoyant mood—smiling, shaking everyone’s hand, offering puffs of his blunt, and pouring from the bottle of Luc Belaire rosé he keeps near him at all times. (As a nod to his wine of choice, Ross also goes by “Rozay.”) Because the house Ross…

21st ANNNAL CAR OF THE YEAR A Blurring Landscape A logical mind seeks order. Taxonomy within the natural sciences is what allows zoologists to identify species. Even in medicine, doctors use different standardized codes to bill insurers when a patient is “bitten by crocodile” vs. “bitten by alligator.” One can only wish that things were as straightforward in the automotive world. Today more than ever, the lines are blurred when classifying cars; each model can be, and do, so many different things. When Robb Report created its Car of the Year contest 21 years ago, categories such as Sports Car, Convertible, GT, and Sedan were clear demarcations of a vehicle’s purpose and capability. Back then, it was unthinkable that an SUV might out-sport a sports car while being every bit…

THE GOODS THIS MONTH’S WHO, WHAT, AND WEAR After several years of figurative painting's domination of the contemporary-art scene, some of the freshest-looking canvases hanging in galleries and art fairs in recent months have been abstractions. Often encrusted in thick layers, many of these works are dense topographies weighing hundreds of pounds that push right up to the edge of sculpture. All revel in the nature of paint itself. Boding well for its staying power, this new abstraction is emanating from the studios of artists young and old, male and female, in the U.S. and around the globe, so they don’t hew to one style: The happy-hippie vibes of Palm Springs– based Jim Isermann’s half-acrylic, half-rug-hooked flower couldn’t be more different from Cuban Diana Fonseca’s mournful collages of peeled housepaint…

Former tech executive Komal Shah acquired her first piece of contemporary art a little over a decade ago, and by 2014, in her telling, “that crazy, obsessive collector was born.” Along with her husband, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Gaurav Garg, she supercharged her acquisitions and catapulted into the top rung of collectors. Now having amassed more than 300 works, Shah recently published a book on their trove, then mounted a traveling exhibition curated by Cecilia Alemani, who served as the artistic director of the 2022 Venice Biennale. Making Their Mark, on view at the former Dia headquarters in New York through March 23, not only celebrates female artists, who comprise 90 percent of the Shah Garg collection, but goes big by highlighting their monumental works. Pieces by the likes of…

Located in a picturesque lakeside village in the Cotswolds region of England, Thornley Kelham is one of the U.K.’s most assiduous and imaginative coachbuilders. Founded by Simon Thornley and Wayne Kelham in 2008, the atelier took its first car to Pebble Beach in 2014 and has restored several international concours winners since. It’s also creating a unique line of restomods inspired by motorsport and the custom community. First known as a Lancia specialist, Thornley Kelham now has expansive workshops that are replete with various automotive exotica, either fully clothed or stripped to bare metal. On a typical day, you might spot a rally-spec Lancia Stratos, a prewar Bugatti, or a Lamborghini Countach. Classic automobiles are resurrected using traditional methods and tools as well as cutting-edge tech. The process often begins…

Honing athletic skill takes constant, year-round commitment, but try telling that to inclement weather. Thankfully, as elite professionals already know, virtual practice can yield valuable results, refining biomechanics and reinforcing muscle memory along the way. Just ask those who make a living competing in sports as disparate as Formula 1, golf, soccer, and hockey, where these computer-assisted training tools can help provide a winning edge. Whether aiming to be a contender or just a better weekend warrior, you’ll find the following top-of-the-line sims will help keep you at the top of your game where it counts: in the real world. Golfzon TwoVision Golf Simulator There’s no shortage of golf sims, but it was Golfzon that notched Golf Inc.’s Most Innovative Product Award. The TwoVision name comes from the second-generation high-speed…

If you’ve found yourself anywhere near a glass of whiskey in the past five years, you may have noticed a burning sensation rising in your nose and throat. This, we’re told, is a good thing: Across the whiskey world but particularly at American distillers, high-alcohol, high-intensity spirits have taken over. These high-proof bourbons and ryes—often called cask strength or barrel proof—were once just a peripheral curiosity, but in recent years they’ve captured the attention of industry critics, writers, and connoisseurs. The 2023 list of 100 top American whiskeys from influential critic Fred Minnick is emblematic of the trend: Of 100 spirits listed, 87 are 100 proof and up, 49 are 110 or higher, and 18 are at or above 120— which, because “proof ” is twice the amount of alcohol-by-volume,…