Pullman Gallery
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‘The Rake’, November 2016

Craftsmanship

‘The Rake’

Words by Benedict Browne (November 2016)

Invest: Antique Louis Vuitton Whisky Trunk

Behold, Rake readers, this portable whisky traveller case, crafted through the mentality of savoir-faire by luxury house Louis Vuitton, is something every whisky connoisseur should have in his arsenal. Made circa 1980, it’s still in its original, untouched and magical condition.

It goes without saying that Louis Vuitton sits at the very apex of the luxury world and has done so for over 150 illustrious years. The French Maison — now a gargantuan fashion house with endless lines of offerings — started out with a rather more specialist mindset: to produce luxurious, easily transportable and stylish luggage made from materials of the utmost standard, which in turn, met the standards and requirements of Europe’s nobility during the latter half of the 19th century.

This part of Louis Vuitton’s story is rather unassuming, and not only that, it is largely unknown. This is partly due to the monolithic status of the house today and its iconic motif, large stores and concessionaires which have consistently frequented the streets of our world’s cities for such a long period of time. And yet in some respects, not a lot has changed; Louis Vuitton’s products, in particular their leather goods, are still produced in their original atelier in Asnières, just northeast of the centre of Paris.

The Pullman Gallery, founded by Simon Khachadourian in 1998, has become the antiques-go-to for sophisticated and tasteful rakes in search of classics to unusual gems. The store, which sits on King Street in St James’s, has been curated in such a way it acts as a sort of time capsule, and currently has this magnificent antique portable whisky case crafted by Louis Vuitton in their atelier in Asnières circa 1980.

Still in its unused and original condition, this special order antique portable whisky case’s outer is a deep tan grained leather that has been sourced from one of Europe’s finest tanneries, and comes with its original gold plated studs, latches and lock, complete with the original key. The drop-front exposes the deep green Alcantara suede interior — which is a suede-like material, usually found inside luxury cars, that is as durable and lasting as animal products — which caters to the tools inside which allow you to enjoy a lovely dram accompanied by three friends, business partners, or both. It comes with four whisky beakers, a single heavy glass silver-mounted carafe, a thermos-lined sterling silver ice bucket (for those who enjoy a singular cube), an olive sterling silver pot and a sterling silver pair of tongs and corkscrew, which completes the set.

In all, this is a very exclusive and rare portable whisky case that will no doubt impress your guests and underline your omnipresent rakishness.

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