2009 is a special year for both Johnnie Walker Black and Selfridges who are both celebrating 100 year anniversaries.

In order to mark this auspicious occasion Bloom has designed a limited edition bespoke Johnnie Walker Black bottle with a leather label in Selfridges’ signature Pantone 109 yellow.

Only one hundred such bottles, each individually numbered, will be available exclusively at Selfridges, perfectly priced at £100.

Add this little something special to your liquor cabinet and I’m sure you can find something to toast to soon.

Expensive and opulent pet accessories abound for those who wish to spoil their furry friends including where they rest their fluffy heads at night.

The Dog Pod by designer Glenn Ross is no exception offering contemporary design with a comfort and utility. Constructed from bent ply wood which curves in a “C” shape holding a removable and washable faux fur pad, the Pod surrounds your pooch and comforts it into sweet slumber.

Size wise I’m not sure if they only accommodate lap dogs or big beasts but I appreciate the sleek design which will easily blend into any home’s surroundings.

Choose from a variety of finishes including maple, cherry, wenge, and bamboo or aluminum for an extra $100 on top of the $730 price tag.

France’s esteemed Chateau Cheval Blanc is auctioning off rare vintages right from the cellar through Sotheby’s next month. On June 17 at Sotheby’s London, collectors can get their hands on over 1,000 bottles from nearly a century of vintages including the 1921, 1928, 1947 and 1949 being sold by the chateau. Each comes in an original wooden case. Older vintages (1900 to 1976 )were recently re-labelled and re-capsuled at Cheval Blanc. Some of the older bottles have been recorked and sometimes topped up with a wine of the same vintage over the past few decades. Serena Sutcliffe MW, International Head of Wine at Sotheby’s, is quoted in the press release as sayiing: “We are honoured to be offering this unique collection of Cheval Blanc that has never before left the cellars at the Château. Cheval Blanc is a wine like no other. It has opulence, finesse and enormous originality.”

The various lots includes a number of verticals including one of over 30 bottles covering 60 years from 1905 that is estimated at £15,000 – 20,000. Château Cheval Blanc dates from 1832 when the first part of what is now the Cheval Blanc estate was acquired from the Figeac estate. The won medals in the London and Paris International Exhibitions in 1862 and 1867 that are still displayed on the labels today. Château Cheval Blanc is one of only two St Emilion Châteaux to be awarded the top Class A classification. No matter what the economy may be doing, I suspect wine collectors will be coming out of the woodwork for this one.

Google has decided to let more U.S. advertisers use trademarked terms in ad text on search result pages as of June 15. For advertisers who want to promote the top brand names through Google keywords, the change being made by the search engine company is an opportunity but owners of prestige brands don’t see it that way. They see use of their terms in Google’s “Sponsored Link” ads is a trademark violation.

Under the old policy if a company wanted to advertise the brands they sell they may not have been able to use specific keywords. But now while that advertiser can promote brands he sells this also opens the window to all sorts of attempts at fraudulent advertising and the selling of counterfeit merchandise. According to Bloomberg, Google has said it will still “perform a limited investigation of reasonable complaints about use of trademarks in ads.” Google’s website instructs trademark owners to go after the advertisers themselves.

For luxury brands the keywords may not be as much of a problem as Google’s own native search results. Do a search for Louis Vuitton and online retailers selling “replica” bags are right there on the front page, no advertising required. Louis Vuitton parent company LVMH has already taken on Google in French court over a long and involved trademark- infringement lawsuit in Europe which is ongoing.

London’s Heathrow Airport seems to be the spot if you want to wile away a layover in a luxury airport lounge. The latest comes from an alliance between Delta Air Lines and the Air France KLM group. The two-level minimalist styled lounge features a spa, restaurant, wine bar, oxygen bar and entertainment hub. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reports that the lounge has an indoor “living wall” made up of over 60 types of plants which is located near various seating areas. Weary travelers can sit in full-body massage chairs, use personal computers, take a shower or grab a nap in a daybed.

Heathrow Airport also has a lavish British Airways airport lounge and Virgin’s Heathrow clubhouse is more like a resort with a Cowshed spa that includes tanning booths, a Bumble and bumble hair salon, a pool, cinema, cocktail bar and a business center. The airport boasts a variety of restaurants including one by Gordon Ramsay and shopping that includes Burberry, Versace, Hermes and Cartier.

If you’ve got vintage wine to sell your best customers just might be a half a world away. Xinhua reveals in Beijing an auction of fine French wine did very well this week. The auction sold around 1,000 bottles of Bordeaux from famous chateaux ranging from Lafite to Margaux and Mouton. The wines were shipped directly from chateaux in France and are currently stored in Hong Kong. Around 94 percent of all bottles listed were sold with the bulk of the buyers planning to sample them themselves rather than sell or cellar them for investment purposes.

The wines were chosen by French wine expert Claude Maratier and all were given more than 90 points by Robert Parker. After the auction, Maratier told Xinhua that he was “very satisfied” with the result. Given that Bordeaux first growth Chateau Lafite is working on a vineyard in China, the Chinese may be soon producing greater quality wine but for now, their growing appetite for fine wine is Bordeaux’s blessing.

Swiss makers Thomas Prescher and Angular Momentum have organized a special multi-day presentation of some of the most interesting and exclusive independent luxury watch brands out there. Such makers often struggle to get the message out about their watches, but once their timepieces are known, they are often very well received by the watch lover population. By banding together, they draw on each others’ products resulting in what should be a very interesting exhibition of watches and watch makers. The event will take place from June 18 – June 21 at the Angular Momentum Time Gallery (located at Brunngasse 58 in 3011 Bern, Switzerland).

The Time Gallery is a special multipurpose watch store and gallery which is a perfect location to showcase the wonderful watches. Aside from luxury novelties from both Angular Momentum and Thomas Prescher, notable brands will include Svend Andersen, Vianney Halter, Voutilainen, Pita, and Louis Moinet – among a few others as well. In addition to the watches being on display (and for sale most likely) the watch makers themselves will be present during the duration of the exhibit available to discuss their fine timepieces. And excellent opportunity to meet and mingle with true modern masters.

For more information contact Thomas Prescher or Angular Momentum (link to e-mail addresses), or call 41 (0)32 315 28 66.

The owner of the Coco Reef Resort in Bermuda really wants you to buy a painting when you visit a new fine art gallery and restaurant in Paget, so much so that he’ll make your vacation free if you buy some art.

The new Caribbean fine arts gallery will be located in the former Triminghams store on South Road in Paget near the hotel. The Royal Gazette reports that the gallery will have an artist in residence available for visitors to watch working.

The $7 million gallery, wine and tapas bar is due to open soon and will have a lavish look with marble floors, crystal chandeliers and “the most luxurious bathrooms in the region.” As for the painting deal, a minimum purchase will be required. Rates at the Coco Reef start around $450 a night

Now up to 45mm wide (up from 43mm) the Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL beats the older XL in size and design for the look of the sportier version of the standard Riviera watch that wasn’t exactly stuffy to begin with. Complications include a 30 minute flyback chronograph powered by the automatic mechanical Ref. 8834 movement that is likely a modified Valjoux 7750. The dial of the watch is something you’ve probably noticed. Call it skeletonized, call it a “view to the movement,” the dial is actually a black tinted sapphire crystal. The text and Roman numerals are applied directly on the tinted dial in luminant.

The case is PVD coated steel with a cool looking sandblasted look. Everything about it is big from the four large hex screws, chronograph pushers, and massive crown. It is hard to tell in the images but the left side of the case is decorated with vertical cutaway slits (Baume & Mercier says they are meant to remind you of a car grill). The case is also 200 meters water resistant and features a exhibition caseback. Despite what is likely broad appeal, the Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL Flyback Chronograph watch will be limited to just 1000 pieces. A nice action version of the already sporty Riviera Magnum watch line.

The Grande Lakes Orlando Florida resort, which includes both a Ritz-Carlton and a Marriott hotel, as a new offering to tempt adventurers of all ages.

The Grande Lakes Orlando Adventure Course is a large multi-level structure consisting of poles, cables, and platforms laced with 25 traversing and climbing elements. The course is suitable for adults and children over the age of 10.

Adventurers can choose their level of challenge climbing from 15 to 55 feet in the air and navigating through a course with 600-foot zip lines and a 40-foot giant swing.

Packages vary in price from open sessions with up to 30 guests which cost $60 per adult to private adventures in which up to eight people can enjoy the course with one-on-one coaching for $850 for two hours.