I do like sports. Well.... some of them. And when I say I like sports, I mean in the role of
an active percipient. I've never seen the point in planting my fat ass on a couch on front
of a television set to watch other people play. Every once and again, I indulge in a game of
squash or a bit of ploughing through the mud of a rugby field as either a 'winger' or a 'hooker'.

Well, that would be me - living my life to the max here in Amsterdam, Holland.
Next to sipping & sniffing whisky I enjoy reading, writing, music and philosophical & political discussions.
And I love to just sit and think about like the meaning of life and other trivialities - preferably with a malt and a cigar in my hands.
My favourite thinking chair faces my single malts bar, so I have a stimulating view whenever I'm engaged in creative processes.

I live by 'the pleasure principle', so I love a good meal.
The fact that I'm kind of a 'hit-and-run' shopper forces me to experiment a lot in the kitchen.
The results are usually mixed at best, but through sheer luck (or was it divine inspiration?) I
managed to compose some gastronomically groundbreaking appetizers and late night snacks.
Let me know if you would like to see some of these recipes published on Malt Madness.

Music is very important to me. I love classical music & opera. Some of my favourite composers are Arvo Pärt, Josquin Desprez,
Guillaume Du Fay, Gabriel Fauré, Giovanni Pergolesi, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler and Edward Elgar - to name just a handful.
There's a lot of contemporary music that I like as well, but whenever I'm dramming I usually tend to go for the classical stuff.
My own attempts at composing haven't been very successful, but in my youth I have been the lead singer in the amazingly
crap band 'Dr. Decibel & The Explosions' . It's not that they really needed another singer, but I was the only one who knew
how to operate all the equipment. We played during the aftermath of the punk era and I guess we sounded 'punk' sometimes.
Unfortunately, that wasn't really our intention ;-)  Our music was a tantalising mixture of traditional Duch folk songs, German
schlagers, French chansons, blues and soul - all played very loudly...  We knew we stank; we were just in it for the free drinks.

Ah, yes - and then there's parapente.
I made my first flights in 2000 and I've been
addicted to the sensation of flight ever since.
Everybody should give this a try, trust me!
The picture at the left shows the first flight
of 'the amazing flying Johannes' in France.
See log entry #51 for more details.

Before you get the wrong idea: I'm not offering my professional sexual services on the field or anything like that.
The 'hooker' position is in the mid-front of the scrum. So, whenever you see 2 groups of 8 men stampede towards eachother
during a rugby match on TV, think of me. Another favourite outdoors activity is skiing. My style is very crude but effective.
It's a good thing I go only once a year, though, because my body wouldn't survive the punishment on the slopes much longer.

Oh - and I almost forgot: I love movies. Good movies, that is. Dutch 'homegrown' cinema usually sucks big time, but fortunately most major international releases are available here in Holland. Some of my favourits are Brazil, Le Cité des Enfants Perdu, Dark City, Crazy Love, Apocalypse Now, Reflecting Skin, Memento, Pi, Reservoir Dogs and Barton Fink - anything by Quentin Tarantino or the Coen brothers, really. I'm a big fan of British comedy as well; Blackadder, Alan Partridge and Coupling are a few great series that spring to mind. And I really like some off-beat American shows too - 'Get A Life', 'Newsradio' and, of course, 'South Park'.

Chess is a sport too, isn't it?
It may not be a 'high impact' sport like rugby (or, if you screw
up, parapente ;-) but losing a game can be just as devistating.
The fact that it's one of the few sports that allows the players
to enjoy a glass of single malt during the game makes it one of
my favourite pastimes. Just try having a glass of whisky while
playing soccer or basketball - it just isn't the same. A few single
malts (just a few, mind you) work wonders on the chessboard.
Well, for me anyway...

And what about my work? Well, I've worked as a marketeer and E-Strategist for over a decade before
settling down as a free-lance editor/copywriter. Most of my work is Internet related, but I also dabble
in screenwriting for television and newspaper columns. The current recession even gave me the time to
start work on my first book. I'm a chronical perfectionist, so it'll probably take me a decade to finish it.

So - how's that for a lot of boring information you didn't really need, eh?
I suppose we have been properly introduced now - maybe it's time to explore the archives a little further?
As long as you keep in mind that some of this information will be obsolete by the time you read it, you can
at least use this archive to get a general impression about the wonderful world of single malt Scotch whisky.

The advantage of books (as opposed to movies) is the way they stimulate the imagination to do some actual work.
My favorite authors are Herman Hesse, W.F. Hermans, Harry Mulish, Edgar Allan Poe, Jack Vance and Philip K. Dick.
Occasionally I even like to engage in heavier material by Nietzsche, Kant or Jung - not to often, though...
I wouldn't want to over-exert my brain. You never know, it might just explode...

And that's it for now, I guess... When I write this (December 2006) I'm not sure if and in what form some of the content of the old websites will return on the three new websites we'll launch in 2007; Malt Madness, Malt Maniacs and WhiskyFun (by Serge). Just keep track of the new websites - after you've taken the guided tour around these archives first, needless to say...

PS: Oh yeah, I almost forgot; maybe it would be convenient if I added a few links to the main 'archive' pages.
After a decade of heavy dramming (1997 - 2006) I had to put all the old content on this seperate 'archive' website.
Navigating through these old pages should be a little bit harder than on the new websites, but with the help of the guided tour and the numerous text links on these pages I think you should be able to find specific information eventually.
You can find links to the various new pages by scrolling to the top or bottom of this page.

Now, for this archive... First of all, there's this introduction to yours truly and the Beginner's Guide to single malt whisky that was part of the first version of the Malt Madness site in 1996. That would be the place to start for curious novices. If you're more serious about malts, you may want to check out my Track Record with +/- 2000 whiskies I scored or my Liquid Log with the entries I wrote during 'a decade of heavy dramming'. The log contains more than 300 log entries, so I won't include all the links here. Just start at the beginning in 1997 or jump directly to the more recent stuff in the Blog from 2005 and 2006.

Of course, you could read all of my Liquid Log 'cover to cover', but that wouldn't be very efficient.
My mAlmanac offers a few topical lists for those of you who are looking for specific information; a Hit List with my personal favourite malts, a Shit List with whiskies that are not quite as dear to me, a Bang-For-Your-Buck List with whiskies that offer good value and last but not least my Stock List with the bottles on my shelves and in my 'reserve stock'. That will most likely be the page to grow obsolete the first on this entire archive site, but at least you'll get a glimpse at my collection around 2006.

Which brings us to the Distillery Data section with profiles on some distilleries in Scotland. Profiles are available for:
Aberfeldy - Aberlour - Allt A'bhainne - An Cnoc - Ardbeg - Ardmore - Arran - Auchentoshan - Auchroisk - Aultmore
Balblair - Balmenach - Balvenie - Banff - Ben Nevis - Benriach - Benrinnes - Benromach - Bladnoch - Blair Athol
Bowmore - Brackla (Royal) - Braes of Glenlivet (Braeval) - Brechin - Brora - Bruichladdich - Bunnahabhain - Caol Ila
Caperdonich - Cardhu - Clynelish - Coleburn - Convalmore - Cragganmore - Craigellachie - Dailuaine - Dallas Dhu
Dalmore - Dalwhinnie - Deanston - Dufftown - Dunglass - Edradour - (Old) Fettercairn - Glen Albyn - Glenallachie
Glenburgie - Glencadam - Glencraig - Glen Deveron - Glendronach - Glendullan - Glen Elgin - Glenesk - Glenfarclas
Glenfiddich - Glen Flagler - Glen Garioch - Glengoyne - but I'm afraid after 'G' it gets increasingly dodgy.

This list of 'main pages' is far from complete (I've barely covered the Malt Maniacs section) but there you have it...