NYC's First Luxury Spirits Boutique, Collezione New York, Debuts On Madison Ave.

Pretty swanky, no? (Photo by me or Stefano Pileggi, I can’t remember)

I got to know Stefano Pileggi as someone I’d bump into at upscale Scotch whisky events, usually Macallan. A nice, friendly gent who seemed to gravitate toward anyone who looked like they were enjoying the whisky as much as the party, I assumed at first that he was a fellow booze writer. Turns out that he’s a collector, to the extent that he’s friends with the owners at some of the highest-end distilleries in Scotland. He also collects watches and pens, and his Instagram page which shows mere fractions of his stuff is a sight to behold. He’s quite the talented cook as well, from what I can tell. An interesting guy.

Stefano and I banter on social media and bump into each other from time to time, and usually when we chatted he’d mention that he had something big up his sleeve, which he’d tell me about it when he could. I had no idea what he was talking about — to be honest, I was hoping it was some elusive whisky he had a bead on and was going to invite me to drink with him when he scored it. It turned out to be a little bigger than that.

This week, Stefano opened Collezione, a spirits “boutique” that takes the vibe of upscale luxury stores like Hermés (which is a mere three blocks away) and translates that to a liquor store. You won’t find a bottle of Fireball or Ketel One there, but you will find a 37 year old Lagavulin, or a 50 year old Karuizawa laid down in 1965, or two different bottlings of 50 year old Macallan… bottles I never thought I’d see in person. And if you have the coin (and a high limit on your credit card), you can actually BUY them. The mind boggles.

It’s a pretty amazing place, and I’m thrilled that, as far as I know, I’m the one breaking the news about it. To read more and see more pics of the insane whisky (and wine) selection at Collezione, check out my article at Forbes — link is right… over… -> HERE <-.