From:

Originally Holland - now Southampton, England

E-mail:

arkraa@soton.ac.uk

Website:

www.sbs.soton.ac.uk/staff/ark/ark.php

Work:

Biologist

Born:

1962

Discovered SMSW in:

1994

Malt Maniac since:

2004

Other memberships:

Malts-L, Islay Whisky Society

Malt Mileage 1/1/'05:

Around 500 at the time of joining Malt Maniacs

Favourite single malt:

I don't score and rank the whiskies I've tasted

Because:

x

Also drinks:

Yes, preferably liquid, but mostly interesting spirits

Favourite food:

Oriental, spicy and preferably both!

Favourite music:

From Fleetwood Mac to Kate Bush to Irish folk

Other passions:

Bird watching, origin and history of chess, Irma (*)

Claim to fame:

Editor of "Celtic Spirit" (**)

Lex Kraaijeveld

A Brief Personal IntroductionArticles published on Malt ManiacsCurrent Top 10 single malt whiskiesMalt Mileage - number of sampled single malts

I don't suppose you're reading this to know more about my biological research on fruit flies, immune systems and gene chips, so I'll stick to whisky-related stuff. I was introduced to single malts by a friend of mine, Christine Müller, when I had just moved to England for a research job at Imperial College. Christine was to be my office mate at Imperial and soon after I had settled in she invited me for dinner. After the food she asked whether I drank whisky and put three bottles on the table. At that time, my whisky experience was limited to the occasional blended Scotch and the term 'single malt' had no meaning for me. One of the three bottles on the table was a Lagavulin 16 y.o. and Christine said it was something special. So I poured myself some of that and the rest, as they say, is history.

I was amazed at the depth of flavour, the smoke, the peat; Lagavulin will always be a special dram to me. Got myself a copy of Michael Jackson's "Companion", got a few bottles from different regions and then the whole thing took off. Besides whisky itself, I am also very interested in the history of (whisky) distillation, in the British Isles and worldwide. I like to get off the beaten track and taste malt whiskies from countries other than Scotland and Ireland. Also, it's a bit of a sport for me trying to get my hands on the most obscure and unusual 'whiskies' this wee planet has to offer .... Laotian Snake Whisky anyone?.

(*) My other passions include: bird watching, origin and history of chess (and other members of the chess-family) and, last but not least, Irma (no, you won't get more details, except that she's not oriental).

(**) Claims to fame: editor of "Celtic Spirit", having 'Drammed My Age' and having written the first ever official tasting notes of Laotian Snake Whisky (!)

E-pistle #11/02  -  New World, new malt family
E-pistle #11/18  -  Repeat After Me: Mack-Myra
E-pistle #12/03  -  Musings about 'The Original Question', Part I
E-pistle #13/12  -  Erin's Mega Malt Tasting
E-pistle #14/10  -  Musings about 'The Original Question', Part II
E-pistle #16/07  -  Xtreme Vatting
 

Because I don't score and rank the whiskies I taste I haven't compiled a top 10 - this depends on mood and lots of other things. As a result, I could not select a favourite single malt either. However, Dalmore 50 y.o. would be a serious candidate; it has an incredible richness with a finish which just went on and on and on (and on and on ....) Other than that, I'm a self-confessed peatophile (and please don't misspell that!) Why? Because peated malts are what whisky is all about for me: full of flavour, full of deep earthy power.
.

Since I discovered single malts, I've kept yearly personal log books of all the whiskies (malts and others) I ever drank, including brief tasting notes for most. If you're interested, you can download these logs in .pdf-format and read where my whisky journey has taken me so far..

WhiskyLog 1994
WhiskyLog 1995
WhiskyLog 1996
WhiskyLog 1997
WhiskyLog 1998
WhiskyLog 1999
WhiskyLog 2000
WhiskyLog 2001
WhiskyLog 2002
WhiskyLog 2003
WhiskyLog 2004
WhiskyLog 2005

Check out the latest issue of Malt Maniacs for the freshest additions.
 

Serge Valentin, FranceRoman Parparov, IsraelPeter Silver, USAThomas Lipka, GermanyUlf Buxrud, SwedenOlivier Humbrecht, FranceMichel van Meersbergen, HollandMartine Nouet, FranceMark Adams, USALuc Timmermans, BelgiumLuca Chichizola, ItalyLouis Perlman, USALex Kraaijeveld, EnglandKrishna Nukala, IndiaKlaus Everding, GermanyJohannes van den Heuvel, HollandHo-cheng Yao, TaiwanDavin de Kergommeaux, CanadaCraig Daniels, AustraliaCharles MacLean, ScotlandAlexander van der Veer, HollandDave Broom, EnglandLawrence Graham, CanadaRobert Karlsson, Sweden
Alexander van der Veer, HollandCharles MacLean, ScotlandCraig Daniels, AustraliaDave Broom, EnglandDavin de Kergommeaux, CanadaHo-cheng Yao, TaiwanJohannes van den Heuvel, HollandKlaus Everding, GermanyKrishna Nukala, IndiaLawrence Graham, CanadaLex Kraaijeveld, EnglandLouis Perlman, USALuc Timmermans, BelgiumLuca Chichizola, ItalyMark Adams, USAMartine Nouet, FranceMichel van Meersbergen, HollandOlivier Humbrecht, FrancePeter Silver, USARoman Parparov, IsraelSerge Valentin, FranceThomas Lipka, GermanyUlf Buxrud, SwedenRobert Karlsson, Sweden
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