Category: Africa
Essaouira: Morocco’s Exotic Beach Town
Discover the Funky Cool Medina of This Breezy Boho City
Baked by the North African sun and buffeted by a persistent ocean breeze, the Moroccan coastal city of Essaouira lies about three hours west of Marrakesh. But its wave-lashed walled medina, wedged between the wild and windy Atlantic and an arc of modern suburbs, seems to exist in a parallel universe that transcends geographical boundaries.
Essaouira is an improbable mishmash of ancient Arabic and Berber culture, groovy surfer dude vibes, and 21stcentury Boho chic. It’s a mix of bustling souks and high-end art galleries, fishing shacks and sushi bars, traditional hammams and detox yoga retreats…the sort of place where you can take a camel ride on the beach in the morning and visit the organic Val d’Argan winery in the afternoon.
Shops line the Skala de la Kasbah in Essaouira’s medina.
Go With The Grain: Embrace Bain’s
“The end is nigh.” Lovers of malt whiskies have been hearing this for a while now, as growing demand for premium aged spirits allegedly threatens to outstrip supply. But should the rumoured apocalypse ever materialize, at least one unlikely saviour has emerged. A grain whisky. From…South Africa.
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
It’s called Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, and it scooped the title of the World’s Best Grain Whisky at the 2018 World Whisky Awards—for the second time in five years. That’s particularly impressive kudos for a brand which only launched in 2009.
But here’s the real surprise. While Bain’s rests in ex-bourbon casks for just five years before bottling, it’s a smooth, sweet, saucy little sophisticate—a mere babe in the whisky woods that is remarkably mature for its age. Lamb dressed as mutton, in the nicest possible way.