And so Luc waited. And waited. And waited...
And then he waited some more.
Apparently, a bottling that is clearly labeled as a Canadian
whisky is more confusing to the customer than a bottling
labeled as Arran, Mortlach or Laphroaig... Are they daft?
They must be stupid - and/or think the consumers are.
Hmmm... As a consumer, I have to say I'm not too pleased
with the SWA's apparent estimation of my intelligence.
I certainly hope the SWA's view of the average whisky
consumer doesn't reflect the view of the entire industry.
In stark contrast with their zeal when it comes to obstructing
honest efforts to produce a good (albeit not Scotch) whisky,
the SWA seems to have a strict 'laissez faire' policy towards
the fake bottlings (that DO claim to be genuine Scotch whisky)
we see more and more these days. I haven't seen the SWA
jump into action to protect the consumers from fakes yet.
Which brings me to another annoying example of ignorance.
In his latest E-pistle
, Lex Kraaijeveld reports on the ever more
misguided attempts from the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association)
to 'protect' the product. After making a big stink about the fact
that the Canadian Glenora distillery produced a whisky called
'Glen Breton' (they claimed the word 'Glen' in the name would
confuse the public and make them think it's a Scotch whisky)
the SWA have now found another target for their paranoid
accusations. This time their evil eye fell on a charming little
project in Sweden; Mackmyra. As Lex explains at length, the
name Mackmyra is Swedish - and they actually only sell their
whisky by the cask! So, little cause for confusion there...
But hey, now I'm getting all excited again... Sweet drams, Johannes
Just read our E-pistles for more rantings and ravings.
And do you want to know when MM#12 is published?
Join the
Mixed Messages Mailinglist if you want to be
informed with every major update of the site.
I have to say I agree completely with Charles on this.
The market for single malts has more than doubled in just a few
years, but many marketeers in the whisky industry still treat the
entire audience as one homogenous mass. The fact that many of
the 'beginners' that discovered single malts not to long ago are
slowly 'growing up' seems to eldude some of these marketeers.
I guess there are still plenty of people who'll start to swoon at
the mere sight of a bagpiper in a kilt, but at some point many
of the 'beginners' will grow up to be 'anoraks' just like us...
Another bombshell is Serge's Hijackers in Anoraks E-pistle,
provoked by an article (from the hands of Dave Broom) in
the esteemed publication 'The Drinks Business'. According
to Serge's interpretation of the article, we were all, well,
sad old gits, really. I have collected some of my own thoughts
on the matter - as well as those from some other maniacs - in
my Gripes of Wrath
piece. Charles lifted the discussion to a
new level in his Anoraks Ahoy E-pistle, where he argues that
traditional brand marketing isn't suited for single malt whisky.
Blimey! It seems this whole 'fakes' problem is much more
wide-spread than we ever imagined. The clumsy Arran 1982
that Ho-cheng found in Taiwan only a few weeks ago could be
just the tip of the iceberg! This disturbing news almost made
me forget all about the other fine articles that were submitted
for MM#11, like the maiden E-pistle by Lex Kraaijeveld, dealing
with American malts
or the interview with Sukhinder Singh - or
Charles' intriguing look at malts from a blender's perspective
that opens this issue of Malt Maniacs? All good reading, I'd say.
Even more shocking; shortly after Luc became suspicious we
were contacted by Lawrence Graham
from Canada who turned
out to be a victim of the very same fraud. The fact that his
story happens to offer some solid confirmation of the fraud
from a second source was as good an excuse as any for us
to implement a plan I've had for some time; adding E-pistles
from maltheads who may not be malt maniacs (yet), but that
have something worthwile to contribute to our on-line self
help group for those who 'suffer' from malt mania.
What was urgent enough to disturb my dramming?
Well, our fresh Belgian maniac Luc Timmermans
discovered a major Laphroaig fraud on eBay.
Luc already shared his concerns and suspicions
with the other maniacs in secret, but Allied
asked us to keep this explosive information off
the pages of this site while they investigated.
Actually, I hadn't planned on publishing the first E-pistles
of MM#11 before November 1, but some hot and disturbing
news just arrived that prompted me to launch our latest
issue of Malt Maniacs two weeks ahead of schedule.
Well, until now, that is. When Luc discovered
the fraudulent seller was still active on eBay
more than a month after he first reported the
fraud to Allied, we felt it was our duty to send
out Luc's minute-by minute account a.s.a.p.
Malt Maniacs #11 |
Malt Maniacs #11 - October 15, 2004
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E-pistle #11/03 - What is My Favourite Ardbeg?
Submitted on 07/10/2004 by Luc Timmermans, Belgium
The assignment: Which is my favourite Ardbeg? First of
all, I must admit, it took me quite some time to get all these Ardbeg's together and thanks to many of my friends I managed to get quite some exceptional samples to linger on. Why this Ardbeg nosing & tasting ? Well, to be quit
honest, I have always been intrigued by the rankings giving by the authors in the whisky-industry. Will my findings match their rankings ? Will I agree with Mr. Jim Murray, is the Ardbeg 25yo 1975/2000 October (50%, DL Old Malt
cask, 702 b.) the best Ardbeg ever, or even the best whisky ever. Those questions needed an answer. I wanted to know ! I wanted to sample and to nose and to compare some exceptional Ardbeg's myself. Is the outcome of my test
surprising, perhaps for some, perhaps not for others, but I have truthfully and with a clean conscience and mindset, nosed and nosed and tasted and tasted all the Ardbeg's and below are my findings. I wish to thank my dear friend and
Ardbeg collector Dirk Vanhoutteghem for this assistance and for his contribution of some missing samples. And I must admit, Dirk and myself were pretty happy to have finished this super-tasting at around 2am this morning. I can
assure you, don't try this at home without signing a life-insurance policy. Only for the well-trained-maniac. The overall ranking : And we tried to provide some
tasting notes as well. Don't take them too seriously, we only want to give you an idea of the expression and the differences in nose and taste. They all have one thing in common, very Ardbeg'ish, but that is no surprise I guess.
96: Ardbeg 1976/1999 Manager's Choice (56%, OB, 497 bottles, Cask n° 2391) 95:
Ardbeg 1976/2002 'Feis Isle 2002' (53,1%, OB, 494 bottles, Cask n° 2390) 95: Ardbeg 1967/1995 Pale Oloroso
(53,7%, Signatory, Cask n°. 575) 94:
Ardbeg 1974/2003 for Belgium (52,3%, OB, 120 bottles, Cask #2740) 93: Ardbeg 21yo 1979/2001 'Committee'
(56,3%, OB, 2500 bottles) 92:
Ardbeg 1974/1997 'Provenance' (55,6%, OB) 90:
Ardbeg 25yo Lord of the Isles (46%, OB) 89: Ardbeg 1975/2001 (43%, OB) 89: Ardbeg 1975/2002 for Germany (44,8%, OB, 228 bottles, Cask n°4716) 87: Ardbeg 30yo 'Very Old' (40%, OB) 86: Ardbeg 25yo 1975/2000 October
(50%, DL Old Malt cask, 702 b.) 84: Ardbeg 17yo (43%, OB) 83: Ardbeg 10yo (46%, OB) 82: Ardbeg 24yo 1975/2000 (50%, Old Malt Cask, 713 bt) 81:
Ardbeg NAS 'Uigeadail' (54.2%, OB, 2003) 79: Ardbeg 1978/1999 (40%, G&M Connoisseur Choice) 75: Ardbeg 11yo 1991/2002 (46%, Murray McDavid, Distilled Feb. 1991, Bottled Nov. 2002) Will we ever repeat such an assignment? Luc Timmermans - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What an assignment, will there ever be something like a favourite. Does favouritism exist in life?
Probably, but quite difficult to grasp a man's "favourites". Do you favor one child over the other, no probably not...
Am I getting too philosophical, yes I'm. I'd better get back down to earth, and down to Islay.
96 Ardbeg 1976/1999 Manager's Choice (56%, OB, 497 bottles, Cask n° 2391)
95 Ardbeg 1976/2002 Feis Isle 2002 (53,1%, OB, 494 bottles, Cask n° 2390)
95 Ardbeg 1967/1995 Pale Oloroso (53,7%, Signatory, Cask n°. 575)
94 Ardbeg 1974/2003 for Belgium (52,3%, OB, 120 bottles, Cask n° 2740)
93 Ardbeg 21yo 1979/2001 Committee bottling (56,3%, OB, 2500 bottles,)
92 Ardbeg 1974/1997 Provenance (55,6%, OB)
90 Ardbeg 25yo Lord of the Isles (46%, OB)
89 Ardbeg 1975-2001 (43%, OB)
89 Ardbeg 1975/2002 for Germany (44,8%, OB, 228 bottles, Cask n°4716)
87 Ardbeg 30yo Very Old (40%, OB)
86 Ardbeg 25yo 1975/2000 October (50%, DL Old Malt cask, 702 b.)
84 Ardbeg 17yo (43%, OB)
83 Ardbeg 10yo (46%, OB)
82 Ardbeg 24yo 1975/2000 (50%, Old Malt Cask, 713 bt)
81 Ardbeg Uigeadail (54.2%, OB, 2003)
79 Ardbeg 1978/1999 (40%, G&M Connoisseur Choice)
75 Ardbeg 11yo Feb.1991/Nov.2002 (46%, Murray McDavid)
Delicate sherry notes, similar to the Feis Isle 2002, but slowly emerging, more expressive, not so powerful, smoked bacon with touches of overripe almost
dried oranges, hints of vanilla, crème brulée, java cake, a super power beast, simply takes your breath away, what a sensational experience. The best smoke, peat, fruit, tobacco sensation you'll ever find in a bottle of whisky.
Sherry notes, burnt wood, orange zest, and chocolate, a Cohiba cigar in brandy, touched with smoked peated vanilla and ripe fruits in the background. A very
expressive and powerful nose. Hallelujah, what a mouth filling sensation, what a sensational feel on your tongue and what a taste, simply without words. What a sherry-cask!!!
Very complex nose, very perfumed, nuts on a Java cake with bitter chocolate on the top and orange zest, slightly touched by smoke, gently caressed with salted seaweed. Soft mellow mouthfeel, the sweetness
prevails, the smoke caresses the tongue, and the taste buds are filled with an exceptional whisky, unbelievable complete experience. Whauh, what a sensation !!! This must be created and influenced by God himself!!
Red fruits, blackcurrant, peppery, salty sweetness, hints of vanilla mixed with black pepper.
A peaty smokiness as well, the rural peat character of Ardbeg prevails and slightly emerges.
What a finesse and what a finish, so round and complex, so delicate and powerful.
A true masterpiece.
Smells like a farm built next to the sea, coastal, very rural. A little lactic, sour cream, sprinkled with peat.
Tastes like a thick delicate oil, filling your mouth with a full sensational salty creamy
taste. High quality salty olive oil (not in taste but texture). A tip : first keep some water in your mouth, add a drop of Ardbeg Committee and slowly let them get together, what a mouth filling sensation, what a marriage!
Sweet toffee, like a raisin bun with delicate butter on the top, butterscotch with peat on the side, sweet barley peated soup with a touch of salt and a topping of vanilla. Extremely well
balanced, full in dimension, completely rounded. A perfect dram, sensationally mouth warming and complex. Orange zest, bitter fruitiness, bitter chocolate. What an Ardbeg !! Slightly more bitter then the Committee.
Sweet smoked, dried horsemeat with raisons on the top, with salt on the side, and topped with seaweed, some vinegar acidity, touches of balsamic vinegar, and tastes like a bonfire with wet salted
wood on an Islay beach. Very long and enchanting finish, bringing back the nose sensation. Delicious!
Sherried vanilla, with underlying slight smokiness, robust salty taste with oily texture.
Slight woodiness, complex sherry notes, a highly enjoyable dram.
Toffee notes, butterscotch, fainted smoke, burnt pepper, wet bonfire wood, charcoal,
figs on a BBQ, thick syrupy taste of smoked ripe fruit with salt and seaweed. Long and complex finish, Not exceptional but very enjoyable.
Sweet very delicate nose again with the touch of fruit
thee, fainted coastal influences, some saltiness, brown vanilla-sugar on fresh baked pancakes and reminds me when being young working at my motorcycle and spilling some gasoline over my hands, very carburetor-like, this should be sprinkled on
apples with brown sugar and cooked in your oven. A little too light in taste, the thee-bitterness awakes, but the finish makes this into a lovely, complex and very good dram.
Was this spirit made from malted barley or grapes ? Mmm, quite difficult to say. Smells like distilled wine. Almost perfect and extremely well balanced clean-peat smell. Different layers of flavors
emerge at every nosing, quite difficult dram to catch, one to linger on, so fully dimensioned, but the peat-harshness in the nose prevails and badly influences the overall judgment. An amazingly complex dram, but not as close to
perfection as some say.
In the nose practically a fruity sweet thee, mixed with some barley, no peatiness at all, old-fashioned Ardbeg nose, not new peaty style Ardbeg, sweet taste, very fainted smoke,
some saltiness, very drinkable, no peat at all, the slight fruitiness prevails.
Very clean peat, maltiness comes through, typical for a young expression, in the nose as well as the taste, limited
complexity, much fainted wood and heavy smoke, delicate but a bit too clean, ideal to sprinkle over Scottish smoked salmon.
A little ""Grappa"" in style, a
little sharp, lacks dimension and complexity, very clean peat, powerful rounded, oily thick taste, more peat than in the official 75 expression, long finish, the taste is much more delicate and gentle than one would suspect from the nose. This
cask was probably matured on a farm instead of a warehouse, very rural influences. But where is the balance ? The nose, the taste and the finish are not in line. Pretty difficult dram to describe and to qualify.
Penetrating peat nose, with smoke and seaweed attached to wood, salty, like bitter wood with salted barley butterscotch and burnt toffee. Very straightforward Ardbeg taste, short but delicate
finish, again salty with fainted smoke.
Coastal, salty nose, seaweed that is served with oysters in a sweet barley soup with slight alcoholic prickles.
A slightly bitter taste with an extremely short finish, not complex too light, too short.
Phenolic, oily, natural peat nose, very clean 'washed' peat, too narrow, too aggressive, too explosive.
Taste again very peaty, smoked but lacks complexity, too straight forward, probably only made to scare people.
If this is your first Islay it will probably be your last.
Yes we will, I'm currently trying to get as much samples as possible from exceptional Springbank's together.
So in a few months I'm sure I'll be able to give you a similar Springbank favorite list.
E-pistle #11/04 - Re-educating Your Palate
Submitted on 09/10/2004 by Roman Parparov
, Israel
As I wrote in my previous e-pistle, "From Malt Madness To Malt Insanity", last year
I was forced to sample 60+ malts over three evenings. This experience, however innovative and extravagant, also sort of burned me out from serious whisky tasting for nearly a year and though I purchased a couple of bottles during that year and
also drank a dram here and there, I wasn't keeping notes, or even analyzing the drams more or less seriously, on a level of a log entry or likewise. Thus, also the Russian whisky blog community I started,
(www.livejournal.com/community/ru_whisky) was devoid of my postings and other participants lost the inspiration as well. My activity on the MaltManiacs correspondence also lessened. Was I about to quit the wonderful world of single malts? Was
I to limit myself for ever to beers and to vodka on special holiday occasions? No! Of course, not! But I had to prepare and stage a comeback. The visit to La Maison Du Whisky while in Paris, nicely organized by Serge, lifted my spirits
(sic!), the purchase of Ardbeg Uigeadail and the great dinner together with Serge and Martine rekindled the fire. Let the barley dry out, not the passion for its drink descendant.
So I planned a comeback. And I decided to calibrate my palate first. The results proved well. The calibration showed the palate missing up some more delicate sides but I was able to catch the main tones of the nose and of the taste I
did a year ago. The third dram let me also start my own list of what different malts lose during spending a long time in a very tightly closed bottle. Now I feel quite ready to engage onto new tastings and experiences. A while ago I proposed
an E-pistle idea - joint nosing of ports, sherries and other drinks versus the whiskies of corresponding finishes. I have a bottle of nice tawny and a sherry cream brought from Spain by my parents. I might attempt to nose some cheap rum I got
for cocktails with the great Springbank Rum Wood Finish. And so on. So, let's start with the notes. They are summarized and the fadings and the missings are pointed (if noticed at all). It looks that some of the malts haven't deteriorated at
all, and some did, but I don't find a reason to reflect it in my ratings. 1) Macallan 10yo (40%, OB, L0421C, L10 04/06) 2) Lochside 1991/2003 (43%, G&M CC, JC/FG) 3) Mortlach 12yo 1990/2002 (46%, MMcD, MM 3748, sherry) 4) Longrow 10yo 1993 (46%, OB, no batch ref) 5) Lagavulin 12yo Special Release (58%, OB, bottled 2002) 6) Speyside 13yo 1989/2002 (43%, Celtique Connexion, Bourbon, then Sauternes, 373 bottles) 7) Convalmore-Glenlivet 26yo 1977/2003 (46%, Candenhead, Sherry) 8) Laphroaig 16yo 1987/2003 (50%, DL OMC, cask DL REF 814, 276 bottles) 9) Rosebank 14yo 1989/2003 (46%, Whisky Galore)
The system was the following: my gf was to pick up a bottle from stock and pour a dram for me, from an open bottle, to ensure the blindness of the tasting. Then after I
wrote down my tasting notes, I would look up the bottle name and fish old log entries for the same whisky. Then I would compare things and try to think out what my untrained palate missed, and take a third dram. Then I would also conclude
which qualities of this whisky had faded out during the time it stood open.
Nose: Fruity, winery at the beginning. Apples. Hints of catnip. Disharmonized - the sides do not blend together
well. With time the malt seems to become also more burning and chemical. Taste: The nose was mediocre, the taste is worse. Sharp and tarry. Ashy aftertaste. A hint of sherry? Later the malt calms down, wine is felt stronger. Very
disappointing, just as it was a year ago. Rating (revised): 71 points.
Nose: Sweet, not too friendly. Nuts, banana.
The nosing a year ago got some milkyness which was not in
place and even a bit sickly, but that disappeared. Taste: The malt which seemed very usual, become more interesting, stronger. Caramelish but with bitter notes. The malt lost the salt and went more into the fruity side - and the time in open
bottle helped it. Rating (revised): 79 points.
Nose: Slightly sweet. Iodine is strong, not like it was a year ago. Traces of nuts, juniper. Third tasting revealed the
sherried side again. The malt has become less sweet on the nose. Taste: Seems rich, but then when palate gets using to it, the envelope of power dissipates somehow. Burny and saltish in finish. Strong character, aftertaste dominated by salty
feeling. This malt was very much "recalibrating", the palate relearning old things. Rating (stays the same): 82 points.
Nose: Subtle, sour, sherryish. Hints of tar
interference throughout, but mostly citrics - limes and oranges around. The malt has changed completely - it was salty and iodinish a year ago, but even the third tasting showed it became friendlier - and more on the fruity side. Taste: Oh,
the nearly forgotten intensiveness. The malt feels explosive. Salty and oily, then salt retreats and the citrics step in. The aftertaste is somehow oily and not totally pleasant. Traces of nuts. This malt looks a bit underdeveloped, but the
year in the bottle hasn't changed it much, and it is also good for coming back to malt senses. Rating (revised): 86 points.
Nose: Very iodinish, salty, sharp. Sweet
candy mingling in. Grapes? All within an envelope of tarriness. The palate is coming back. I am experiencing about the same feelings I had with this remarkable malt a year ago. The malt seems to have lost some of its boldness during that year.
Taste: Very strong, very burny, very stingy. Not as adventurous as the year ago, but still quite an experience. The malt softens then, allows the taster to roll it over the tongue, and then hits back again. All sensations are wonderful
although not for beginners! Rating (stays the same): 92 points.
Nose: Sweet, unchallenging. Dried apples? Raisins? Uneventful. This
malt nosed sickly saltish a year ago, that side is gone, but nothing good came instead. Taste: Mellow, sherried. Rather sweer, but burns in the aftertasste. Later salt comes in, and bitter notes appear, and the situation even worsens.
Unimpressive. Rating (revised): 70 points.
Nose: Thick, sherried, woody. Perfumish, very nice, although not as rich as a year ago. Still very pleasant, nutty
and some of a damp forest. Taste: Burny, dustish - looks like the result of a long bottle stay. A bit of salty aftertaste. The second sip was richer, full of sherry - some glass problem? No, third tasting was just the same, second sip was
richer than the first. Still, the taste disappoints after a great nose. Rating (stays the same): 81 points.
Nose: Smoky, nutty, woody. Looks like the peat and the depth have breathed out.
Salt and seawater come around later. Taste: The malt went sour, although not unpleasantly. This is the malt that had changed most drastically while opened. And
like with the previous malt, the second sip was much more successive, the tongue was better prepared for the dram. Rating (stays the same): 83 points.
Nose: A year ago,
this malt had a very subtle nose, but then developed it. It does so again, but much weaker. Still, it is fresh, playful. White dry wine? Fruits - bananas and peaches. Taste: Unlike the nose, the taste got better! Lively, lovely, tingly. Apple
juice. Very summery and easy. Peaches, apricots. Or, maybe the weather is hotter and so a summery malt is more welcome. This is the best "light & summer" malt I've tasted so far. Rating (revised): 85 points.
Well, this session can now be considered to be over.
I really fell I am back in shape now and ready to engage with more
significant exploration. This exercise now allows my palate to respond sensibly to the variety of the existing malts, and I hope I'll be tasting intensively enough to finish my black book! As for the changes in the malts in open bottles - I am
unable to arrive to any significant conclusions. I have plenty of such ones in stock, hopefully I'll be able to make some statement on this issue later.
Roman - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
E-pistle #11/05 - Report on the "Schotse Dagen in Ooidonck (Belgium)"
Submitted on 10/10/2004 by Luc Timmermans, Belgium
Perhaps it is good to give you some background information on the location where this Scottish happening was organized, for the fifth time already. The Ooidonck castel is located in
Bachte-Maria-Leerne and is a "very" small village close to the city of Deinze. The total superficies of this agricultural village is 862 ha. Bachte-Maria-Leerne was formed in 1823. One of the most historical buildings in this
beautiful community is the Ooidonck castle. This castle and its grounds is the scenery of these Scottish Days. This extremely beautiful castle where the Count of Hoorn used to life was often part of city conflicts from the 14th and 15th
century and holy wars of the 16th century. The current scenery was implemented in 1595 by Maarten della Faille. Around 1870 the castle was adopted to "modern life" and it's open to the public since 1958.
Enough history, let me give you information on the event itself. And what do you organize for a friend who is also addicted to the water of life? 1. Macallan 25yo 1976/2001 (50%, Silver Seal, Single Barrel) And I must admit, Dirk did a good job. 92 - Macallan 25yo 1976/2001 (50%, Silver Seal, Single Barrel)
Perhaps some more comments on the Glen Garioch. It was just recently that I discovered some more old Glen Garioch's from the
sixties. And I must admit, I was very surprised, I already knew the infamous Glen Garioch 1968 casks 29yo, but I never tried other
Glen Garioch from the 60's before. Very different in taste, naturally peated, quite a surprise. I would have given this Glen Garioch
even a better score, but unfortunately the 43% (the dilution with water) removed some of its complexity, but a very good choice Mr Samaroli !! I will definitely try some more old Glen Garioch's !
But back to the Scottish days. So after this tasting we were in need of some serious dramming and whisky enjoyment. Thanks to
Christian (a friend and whiskyretailer) we had the chance to taste some very nice An Cnoc and a great Springbank. Christian
introduced us to Geert De Bolle (from the Whiskyhouse in Affligem), who had his huge collection of 1002 whiskies on display. And
Geert presented us a lovely, very bourbon and herbal An Cnoc expression and an even more amazing Springbank. While we tasted these whiskies we could enjoy some lovely bag-pipe. What more can a man desire?
Geert De Bolle explains the bag-piper the meaning of all this and then he started playing for us and for the celebration of Dirk's
upcoming wedding. What do I see ? Dirk, crying….no ! That must be the whisky at cask strength giving him a tear in his eyes. First
we tasted a An Cnoc, a lovely and very herbal, with fainted accidity An Cnoc expression. Rare to find such an expressive An Cnoc,
with a very fine Bourbon and herbal nose; very clean taste of some citrus, herbal notes and a very long and complex finish. Very nice
choice, Geert !! A definite 90 ! Unfortunately I was unable to get more details of this An Cnoc bottling.
And then, Geert went for some new glasses and brought with him a Springbank bottle, but this would turn out to be a real treat. This
Springbank cask (a bourbon barrel), N° 1891, from 1975, personnaly selected by the count t'Kint de Roodenbeke himself was bottled in
August 2003, at 28 years, especially for the "Schotse Dagen" and bottled under the supervision and approved by Antony McCallum,
Rare Malt Manager of Chieftain's. A "noble" cask, you could say ! And the count did a nice job; the man has a nose for Springbank !
Thank you, Geert for sharing this lovely Springbank with us. Whauh what a nose, peaches with nuts, Macadamia-Cookie, deep intense
bourbon character, and then amazing taste, so round, practically perfect and truly complex, bitter chocolate, butter, bananas, vanilla.
And a very round and complete finish. So, Geert, can I buy this bottle here…..of course I could, 250 EUR, ok, I know a pretty high
price, but a part of the turn-over of the Scottish Days goes to Charity, so hé, me buying this means a donation, so I did not hesitate.
And I was lucky to get bottle n° 10 out of only 186 bottles produced. And I'm pretty sure the count t'Kint de Roodenbeke already finished some bottles himself! My score: definitely 94 points!
And then Geert De Bolle invited us to see his collection of 1002 whiskies and enjoy some whiskies. An invitation we gladly accepted.
At the entrance we first bought some dram-vouchers and in we went. A bit too crowdie, one could hardly even see the bottles, let's stand select them properly, but ok, this is not a private tasting.
Here the list of the whiskies we were able to select to taste : Pretty limited tasting, yes, I know…..but simply too crowdie. So off we went to see Ian McWilliam of Glenfarclas. And after a search
of about 10 minutes, we finally found him. "Euh, Ian, for Dirk's bachelor day, perhaps a Glenfarclas treat…….." Yeah, why not, he gave
us the remainder of the 105 Proof he had presented at a Master Class. Thanks Ian…..so we sat down again and poured us a final
dram of the day (I know, not very maniac in style, but I needed to collect my wife and children that evening, so….), and just like Dirk
said : "This Glenfarclas NAS '105' (60%, OB) is without any doubt the best whisky to be served with a strong Italian espresso." And at 60% very enjoyable without you having to dilute it with water. My score : 83.
And off we went, back to the parking and for me back home….no wait, not yet, let's enjoy a final dram. I have always something
with me, you can call it a farewell dram. And this time we enjoyed the Laphroaig 10yo Cask Strength (57,3%, OB, 2000, 'green
stripe'). In my opinion, the best from the standard official Laphroaig range and definitely the best to finish off an exciting day and most probably my last Bachelor party ever.
Dirk went on and together with some of his friends, they went to Ghent to enjoy the rest of the evening….but I'm anxiously awaiting the details. But they all rest in "silence". I wonder why ? Luc Timmermans
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Everywhere on the castle grounds you can get info on everything Scotland has to offer.
From music to Highland Games through dance to bag-pipes - and of course our precious "water of life".
But let me focus now on the reason of my visit. Although, you could say, Scottish days by itself is more then reason enough to drive to
Ooidonck. But the circumstances were a bit different.
Do you remember my friend, Dirk, who joined me in
You do... good, so you have been reading my first E-pistle very attentively.
Well, my dear friend Dirk decided to get married, to take the big step.
And this on September 11 (pretty crazy I know, to choose 9/11 as your date).
So we decided to organize a Bachelor day.
And what is the best scenery/location to hold this event?
Yes, at the Scottish Days in Ooidonck, especially if you're a Malt lover.
Yes, a small blind tasting. So I choose 4 whiskies for him and he was asked to
write lyric tasting notes, to describe the whisky and determine the region and distillery.
But, evil as I'm, I made it quite difficult for him. Here are the whiskies we presented to Dirk;
2. Tomintoul 1966 (55,5%, JWWW, Prenzlow Collection, sherry cask, 120b)
3. A Blend : the most stupid, the cheapest blend I could find in a Carrefour shop
4. Glen Garioch 1966/1997 (43%, Samaroli, Cask 1309 & 1299, 420 b.)
Not on the tasting notes (stubborn as he is, he did not even try!), but in determining the region.
Macallan, easy, and correct: Speyside. Tomintoul, harder, what do you say Dirk a Highlander, no sorry wrong this time. Mmm, Dirk is
struggling. Number 3, mmmm, very hard, but right, he said : "This is not whisky" and I can't blame him, the blend tasted more like
horse-pee with a caramel sauce. So, ok, correct again. But then…..Glen Garioch 1966, no Dirk, not an Islay, although I must admit I
was even very surprised when I tasted this one for the first time. This Glen Garioch is indeed very peated, with lots of barley, a little
metallic peat, quite bizar for a Glen Garioch. Unfortunately Dirk was unable to get the distilleries right, good for me, I put 10 EUR on
the table if he were to succeed. But let me give you my score of the 3 single malts from the test.
89 - Tomintoul 1966 (55,5%, JWWW, Prenzlow Collection, sherry cask, 120b)
91 - Glen Garioch 1966/1997 (43%, Samaroli, Cask 1309 & 1299, 420 b.)
89 - Brora 23yo 1980/2003 (50%, Dun Bheagan - Ian McLeod, Cask # 821, 324 bottles)
91 – Glenfarclas 1985/2003 (48,5%, OB, Refill sherry Cask 2823, 308 b.)
88 – Teaninich 18yo 1984 (50%, Dun Bheagan – Ian Mclead, Sherry Wood)
E-pistle #11/06 - An Interview with Sukhinder Singh
Submitted on 11/10/2004 by
Krishna Nukala, India
Sukhinder Singh is the owner of The Whisky Exchange, a family owned single outlet whisky store in Hanwell, London. His store narrowly
lost to Loch Fyne Whiskies in the best Retailer of the year (one outlet) category conducted by The Whisky Magazine in the "Icons of
Whisky" awards for the year 2004. The Whisky Magazine however mentioned the "Highly Commended" rating to TWE along with the
picture of Sukhinder. The reader can find him at page no 19 of issue no. 38 of The Whisky Magazine. Sukhinder has agreed to give a short interview to the Maniacs.
Kr: A Sardarji in Scottish world, like selling ice to an Eskimo? How did you enter? Su:
Can you give details of your family background, links to India, the origin of TWE etc?
Kr: That is really interesting about your parents. Su: Kr: Do you specialize in SMSW selling? Or do you have any other Favourite liquor? Su: Kr: Old monastic Liqueurs ... can you elaborate on that? Su:
Kr: How do you source your SMSW? Do you specialize in casks or just buy whatever comes to hand? Su:
Kr: Do you taste the whiskies you buy? Do high-pitched sales guys trouble you to push inferior stuff, say by doling out heavy
discounts, freebies etc? On the other side, do established guys are snobbish to send special bottlings to you? Do the distilleries prefer selling casks or bottles? Su: Kr: Do you think that SMSW sales have grown over last couple of years? Su: Kr: What is the mix of people looking for SMSW? Su:
Kr: Yes, I understand that women now are not only enjoying good whiskies but also coming out to propagate the message of SMSW.
What is your favourite distillery and why? When I ask your favourite it could be your personal favourite (by taste etc) and the best selling whisky at your store Su:
Kr: That is very interesting. Your favorite and also the best selling whiskies are Islays. You would be pleased to know that most of the
Maniacs are Islay Whisky lovers and Ardbeg stands at very top in their list. SMSW is slowly catching up in India. But due to extremely
high Customs duties it is still out of reach of common people. Do you get orders and ship whiskies to India? Su:
Kr: Never mind about me. I am yet to taste a single malt scotch whisky in a star hotel in India. Su:
Kr: Thank you v.m. I will not miss TWE next time when I am in London. Su:
Kr: Yes malt Maniacs are well aware of this fact. Especially when it comes to identifying and notifying to distilleries about fake bottlings. How much aware are you about fakes and how do you guard against this nasty phenomenon? Su:
Kr: Do distilleries have a preference for established players having multiple outlets like Royal Miles, Odd bins etc? Su:
Kr: That was very interesting, Sukhinder. I enjoyed the interview.
It is always good to have parental support, especially if you want to succeed in an industry like whisky, which is an all round family affair in UK. That means you have no connections to India what so ever now?
I have also started selling whisky to a few Hotels in India, so this is nice.
Discounts, promotions are not important, but of course help. The most important factor is the quality of the spirit. Distillers do not
sell casks, but we have been fortunate that some of them have agreed to do special bottlings for us. Although we do possess some casks, it is my trade secret as to how I acquire them from established distilleries!
I understand that women are now becoming great fans of SMSW.
And it is quite interesting to see that many of them have quite good palates as well.
For your information, a dram (30 ml) of Laphroig 10 y.o costs any where between Rs.1000-1200 (USD 20-25).
I find it cheaper to travel to Scotland and have my drams right at the very source they are produced.
If guys like me want to buy through credit card from your store through Internet, does the bottle reach me in India?
Actually, I have never got any orders from India. I am not sure, but I certainly would not be comfortable posting bottles to India
even though I get paid up front. I do get regular visitors to the UK from India looking for some of their favorites.
Is buying SMSW as a storeowner becoming trickier nowadays?
Thankfully these bottles did not find their way into many retail outlets where they would have been available to a wider audience. Most of these were sold through a handful of dealers to more serious private customers.
But of course when you sell a lot of whisky you get better allocations when it comes to the limited edition stuff...
On behalf of Malt Maniacs let me thank you for your time, patience and the information you had shared with us.
Krishna
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E-pistle #11/07 - 'Phroaig Fraud on eBay; Another Fake?
Submitted on 17/10/2004 by Luc Timmermans, Belgium
And yes, there I found some interesting auctions from a seller called Kanchenchunga, I couldn't be happier...
13-jul-04 18:53 CEST - Finally the auctions (6107587376 and 610758889) are over. 14-jul-04 09:32 CEST - The seller contacts me: "well done on winning all three bottles, the weight is well over 2kg, value of three
bottles is £700.00 approx. £25.00 will cover insurance, better to give me your UK address to send to. Total cost is £296.00. I will send your bottles on receipt of payment. Thanks a lot, Davy."
And so I did, I completed the Paypal payment the same day and transferred £296.00 to the sellers Paypal account and sent him the delivery address information by email. 14-jul-04 20:53 CEST - The seller contacts me :
"Thanks for speedy payment, I have your address and will dispatch your bottles asp. If you ever want Laphroaig again, e- mail me and we will work something out. Best wishes, Davy." So I felt pretty comfortable
with this transaction and got a few days later already an email from my business partner that they received 3 bottles of whisky. And
they all looked ok. But I had to wait for a few more weeks before I would get them, because they were only coming over to Belgium beginning of September. But that wasn't a problem; I still had some bottles left at home.
In the mean-time, I had also contacted my fellow Malt maniacs asking them for some input on this matter. 07-sep-04 10:31 CEST - "Hi Maniacs, Is anyone of you a Laphroaig connoisseur?
Later that evening I decided to confront the seller with some questions about his delivery : 07-sep-04 21:13 CEST - "Hello, Some time ago I bought via Ebay 3 bottles of Laphroaig, Why did you deliver them without the
original boxes? This is not mentioned on this auction. Please deliver the original boxes that come with the 2 bottles of Laphroaig 30yo
and the 1991 Highgrove Vintage please!! If you do not deliver the boxes I will have to put a negative feedback on these auctions. Thank you for your understanding. Luc"
And at the same time I decided to sent an email to Laphroaig (info@laphroaig.com): 07-sep-04 23:59 CEST - A first reaction from the seller: "Hello again, All my bottles were bought from e-bay and other websites, if
any of the bottles you got from me are not what they say they are, then it has nothing to do with me. E-bay is buy as seen, if you
feel you have a problem then do what you must. At the end of the day the bottles I gave were untampered with, how do I KNOW, you may have made alterations and put the blame on me. I sold as i was given, end of story." 08-sep-04 00:09
CEST - And a few minutes later, another reaction from the seller : "Hi There, If I had the boxes at the time of
auction, you would have had them. I buy the bottles on e-bay and from pals, same as you. Highgrove comes with several capsules, it depends on customer requirements. I have seen Highgrove with tartan capsules and flowers on the labels. Davy."
This reaction only made me more suspicious so I decided to write him another email just before going to bed. 08-sep-04 00:11 CEST -
"Sorry Dave, You are the seller so you bare the responsibility my friend. It won't be that easy to put the
blame on to others. Come one, be serious, Highgrove was never bottled nor produced with the capsule you sold me, NEVER !! The
whisky industry is nowadays very keen on finding people that try to fraud whisky bottles and I guess you were right to pick Laphroaig; they are the easiest bottles to tamper with. More info soon. Luc"
Would this put pressure on the seller? Would this scare him off? 08-sep-04 00:31 CEST - So, I decided to sent him this email;
"Dear Dave, So I guess since you are confident about the origin of your bottles and your honesty you would repay me and I would sent the bottles back to you? If you agree to take the bottles back
(from which I believe to be not-genuine) I will accept. Please let me know? Luc" And yes, he accepted, just a few hours later…… 08-sep-04 07:09 CEST - The seller sent me this: And this made is very clear to me, this seller sold me non-genuine bottles, and tried to cover that up. 09-sep-04 11:49
CEST - And then finally I've got a reaction back from Laphroaig : "Dear Luc, The Laphroaig Highgrove edition is sold only to the Royal Household shop at Highgrove House, and with their authority, also to Fortnum and Maison, London (very
occasionally).This isn't actually the fist time I have heard wind of a few 'fraudsters' operating on eBay and this sort of thing
happening - selling regular 10YO Laphroaig with 30YO labels on it and so forth. I am definitely very suspicious of this vendor and the
bottles you have been sold. I have passed on your email to our counterfeit department and am waiting to hear back what
developments may happen. In the very least I think we'll be issuing a warning in the next FOL newsletter warning Friends about this
sort of operation. I thank you for your email as it is helping us to get to the bottom of this. And I'm sorry if it does turn out that you were in fact 'ripped-off'. :( Kind Regards, Alice Guest FOL"
So apparently there was something going on here. 09-sep-04 14:06
CEST - A certain Mr. Harvey writing: "Dear Mr Timmermans, I am the Anti Counterfeit Investigations Manager for
Allied Domecq, is one of our Whiskys. We are obviously concerned with any attempt to mis-describe our product as we put a great
deal of time, effort and money into ensuring that our customers receive the best possible product. I note from your emails to the
Laphroaig website that you are concerned about some Highgrove and some 30 YO that recently purchased from a seller on Ebay. I
wonder if you would be kind enough to provide me with the details of the purchase and also if you can give me the lot code numbers
from the bottles that you have. I appreciate your assistance in this matter. Yours faithfully, Pete Harvey, Anti Counterfeit Investigations, Allied Domecq, Tel +44 (0) 117 978 5160" 09-sep-04 14:59
CEST - Euh, what does Mr. Harvey want, lot code numbers? And so I did, let me get that information out to Mr. Harvey asap. 13-sep-04 11:05 CEST -
"Dear Mr. Harvey, I was wondering if you have already some additional information concerning my enquiry. Thanks for your reply. Regards, Luc Timmermans" - and I immediately got this out-of-the-office reply back; So I guess I would have
to be patient some more before I would get any information; "I will be out of the office starting 13/09/2004 and will not return until
27/09/2004. I am out of the office but will respond as soon as possible. If your message is urgent please call me on my mobile."
In the mean-time the seller refunded me on my Paypal account and requested when I would be sending him the bottles back. I
decided not to react to his emails yet, not before I got more information from Mr. Harvey. And I decided not to accept the Paypal refund yet. And then, even though Mr. Harvey is not in the office, this email came in:
15-sep-04 09:32 CEST - "Dear Mr Timmermans, We are conducting our enquiries at the moment, as soon as I have any definite
information I will let you know. Be assured that we take this matter very seriously and that we will deal with it as soon as is possible. Best Regards Pete Harvey". Ok, nothing yet... this waiting is killing me... 21-sep-04 11:59 CEST -
"Dear Mr Harvey, Would it be possible to have an update on your enquiries since the seller has now proposed to me to take back the bottles in question? What should I answer to him? Many thanks in advance for your reply. Regards,
Luc Timmermans". And only a few minutes later: "Dear Mr Timmermans, Have you contacted him about the bottles? What did you say to him and what
was his response? We are progressing the work as quickly as is possible but as with any legal matter they take time. As soon as I have any update for you I will pass it on. Pete Harvey". So I wrote back within the same minute:
"Dear Mr. Harvey, Yes, I told him, even before I reported this to you, that I was unhappy with the fact the bottles came without the boxes. And he proposed a few days ago to me to take them back and to repay me on
the 23rd of this month (on my paypal account). First he suggested a trade. And then he suggested to repay me. He would sent
me a postal address after the payment, for me to sent the bottles back. What do you want me to do ? Regards, Luc". And yes indeed, no later the September 23, I received the e-mail from Paypal. 27-sep-04 09:10 CEST - So, I wrote him this email;
And a few hours later, Mr. Harvey reacted: "Dear Mr Timmermans, I suggest that you take photos of the bottles and make notes of
all the details, keep copies of all your email and paypal records. There maybe some action taken at a later stage and if this is the
case then the "papertrail" could become useful. I will keep you appraised of the developments as and where they occur. Be assured
that we take the matter of extremely seriously and are doing all that we can to address the issue. Best Regards Pete Harvey". And another, even more bizarre email just a few minutes later:
Very strange, I was confident that Allied would be interested in getting these bottles back, in order to avoid that another customer
would buy them. Or is Allied trying to cover this up? Very strange? What was I supposed to do? Send the bottles back? No, not in a
million years. I was not going to take part in this fraud. I would not allow the seller to get his hands on these bottles and thus allowing
him to sell these to somebody else. No, never!! But I did not have any email clearly confirming that my bottles are fake. Mr. Harvey did
not yet confirm me this in black and white. So I tried to get that information by sending him this email, perhaps now Allied would confirm that the bottles were indeed fake. 27-sep-04 10:19 CEST -
"Dear Mr. Harvey, I understand your companies position in this matter. Since I don't know the outcome of your investigations yet, my intentions are to sent the bottles back and get my money back. But if the bottles are genuine I would of
course prefer to keep them. Do you already know if the bottles are genuine or not? In the event that I sent the bottles back I'll keep
a complete history of all emails and transactions and take detailed pictures of the bottles. Regards, Luc Timmermans" And yes, this email did it, now I finally got a reaction back. 27-sep-04 12:17 CEST - "Dear Mr Timmermans, I would say that on the basis of the information that you supplied me that the
bottles do not appear to be 30yo Laphroaig and in fact the lot codes conform to ones allocated to standard 10yo and a bottle of 15yo. I would ask that you do not discuss these findings with the vendor at this stage. Pete Harvey".
But why can't I disclose this information to the seller? Strange reaction. But I made up my mind. 27-sep-04 13:02 CEST -
"Dear Mr Timmermans, If this is the case then if you were to send the bottles to myself, I would arrange to have them tested and confirmed as fake. I can make arrangements with DHL to collect them from you. This would allow us to
add weight to the case that we have. Best Regards Pete Harvey". And so I did, on 30-sep-04 11:14 CEST DHL collected the 3 bottles, which I carefully packed and sent to Mr. Harvey in the UK for
further examination. Mr. Harvey confirmed receipt on October 6. In the meantime 07-oct-04 05:07 CEST, fellow Maltmaniac Klaus Everding reported to me
This must stop, this is too crazy. 08-oct-04 14:36 CEST -
"Dear Mr. Harvey, I understand that your actions require time, but currently other people will or already have bought bottles from Mr. D. Brooks, so the fraud continues. And to my I Mr. Brooks' Ebay account is still active and he is still
actively selling bottles and has currently 4 running auctions. I don't understand how this is possible, since I reported the fraud 1
month ago. So other people are still subject to this fraud. I have discussed my findings and those of Mr. Lawrence Grahams (which I
received from Mr. Klaus Everding) with my fellow Maltmaniac. We strongly believe it is our duty, as independent Whisky collectors
and enthusiasts, to report this to the public (like we reported the Arran & Loch Du fake). We understand that you need some more
time and have thus decided to wait to publish our findings on our website. But we can't wait much longer. Otherwise we feel that we
are as responsible as Mr. Brooks for not disclosing this information to the public. I hope you can understand our point of view and we will publish a full report soon. My best regards, Luc".
Only a few minutes after sending this email, I got a phone call from Mr. Harvey. Apparently this email did it. Mr. Harvey clearly
indicated the investigations were going on and that they had contacted Ebay to try to cancel Mr. Brooks Ebay account but had not
yet been successful. Mr. Harvey asked me not to write and to publish that report yet, so the ongoing investigations would not be
interrupted. Otherwise Mr. Brooks could state he would not get a fair trail because the information was already published. I must
admit, I never heart so much bullshit before. Would this mean you could not report a burglar because he could say afterwards that this was reported to the press? Crazy indeed! So I decided it was time for some more pressure.
08-oct-04 17:37 CEST - "Dear Mr. Harvey, This email is to confirm that a full report will not yet be published on the maltmaniacs
website. Once we receive your feedback, by the latest end of next week, we will publish the report on October 17 and this will also
be emailed to all registered members, to the Maltmaniacs mailing list and to editors of whisky magazines. At the same time I will put
a negative feedback on the Ebay auctions saying : "Careful, Laphroaig bottles are fake, confirmed by Allied Domecq !!"
So once again, Mr. Harvey phoned me saying he would do all in his power to get the seller removed from Ebay and get in contact with
all buyers from Mr. Brooks in order to report the individual buyers they have been buying non-genuine Laphroaig bottles.
This would buy me some time to write this full report and to go to Scotland as planned for the collection of our first "Glenfarclas for
friends" bottles. And as always when I'm in Speyside I stay at the Craig. And what happened at the Quaich bar the evening of the
12th is very hard to believe. But while we were enjoying a Glenfarclas 1959, Duncan joined us and I started telling him about the
recent fraud I discovered. And after a while Duncan was getting very curious……very curious indeed. And so he asked me more details
about the seller. And why? Well, because he just bought 2 bottles of the same seller on Ebay. And this just a few weeks ago. So I
guess the fraud is still going on. On the way back I sent Duncan Elphick (the hotelmanager) the contact information of Mr. Harvey so he could report this fraud too.
And guess who called me on the morning of the 15th while we were back in Zeebrugge?
And what the timing of our article is concerned.
Shit happens, every day! Luc Timmermans - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I must admit that one of my all time favorite Islay malts is the Laphroaig 30yo.
With that in mind, I decided to try to get me some more bottles for my personal stock
since it would take another few years before Laphroaig will put a new 30yo old on the
market. And what is the best place to find me some more bottles of this precious liquid,
right eBay. So, during my holidays in July 2004 I decided to get me some more bottles
and I started looking on eBay. At first, I did not find any bottles on Ebay Germany or
Belgium - so I decided to widen my search and tried eBay UK.
respectively Ebay auction n° 6107587376 (a bottle of Laphroaig 30yo) and auction
n° 6107588898 (a bottle of Laphroaig 30yo and a Laphroaig Highgrove edition 1991).
And yes, I got lucky, on July 13th I was the winner of some nice Laphroaig bottles
and I've got them for a very reasonable price too.
And here is my "log report" on what turned out to be a nightmare...
And yes I've won the bottles!!! Whauh, for a very descent price too. I'm very happy.
Let's contact the seller Kanchenchunga. I decided to give him my home address, but
to save on the shipment costs I also sent him the address of my business partner in the UK.
So, 'Kanchenchunga' could decide where he wanted to sent the bottles.
07-sep-04 09:11 CEST - Finally, today our UK business partner will visit
us and I will finally get my bottles of Laphroaig I was waiting for since July.
And yes, they gave me the box with the 3 bottles. I decided not to wait
until I got home that evening to unpack and to examine the delivery.
I wanted to look inside the box right away, so I opened the box in the office.
While unpacking I noticed that the wooden boxes of the 30yo and the Highgrove
box was missing. What was wrong? And that Highgrove bottle looked so strange?
To my recollection a bottle of Highgrove was always delivered with a dark green
cap and mine had a white cap, just like a regular 10yo old Laphroaig. And why
would somebody put the small booklet of the 15yo around the neck of a 30yo old?
I got very suspicious. Let me compare this bottle with another 30yo I still have.
Mmmm, that is very strange - even the color of the liquid looks different?
And for the first time I wondered: Could this be fake ones? But let me first ask
the seller why he did not deliver the boxes with the bottles when the auction
pictures (see example at the right) clearly show a box behind each bottle?
I mean does anyone of you know the ins and outs of Laphroaig and its bottles? I have recently bought me a Laphroaig Highgrove
Vintage 1991, but my instinct tells me that there is something wrong with this bottle, but since I'm not very knowledgeable on this
subject I appreciate your help. Normally, as you can see on the original picture, the Highgrove capsule is dark green in color, but the
bottle I've bought is with a White capsule, similar to the 10 year old regular bottling. This bottle of Highgrove also came without a
box, with is pretty odd to begin with. The Highgrove is supposed to be an exclusive bottling (of which 80% goes to HRH Prince
Charles), and the seller has his cellar filled with these bottles ? Perhaps I'm too suspicious here and a bit paranoia, but currently with all these fakes out there, better to be careful. Thanks for your help and input. Regards, Luc"
"Dear Sir(s), Just a few weeks ago I have bought a bottle of Laphroaig from Ebay, the Laphroaig Highgrove Vintage 1991. Today I
examined this bottle in detail and I noticed that the capsule (dark green) of this bottle is not as on the picture of the original
Highgrove (as included in this email). The capsule on my bottle is similar to the capsule of the original 10yo old. I began to wonder
since the box (as on the picture) was not delivered with the bottle as well. Do you know of any Highgrove bottlings that were done
with different capsules? Furthermore, I have bought from the same seller 2 bottles of Laphroaig 30yo old, also delivered without the
wooden box. So I got suspicious on these bottles too and when I examined them more closely I noticed that the color of the whisky
inside these bottles (even apparent through the green glass) is much lighter compared to another 30yo old (with wooden box) which
I bought from a respective retailer in Germany, and the tasting notes (small booklet) around the neck are the tasting notes from the
15yo ?? To my recollection and knowledge, the 30yo has no booklet with tasting notes around the neck?! I thought, since I don't
know where else to ask, to sent you this information. And especially since the outcome of fake Macallan bottles, I think every collector/whiskyenthousiasts gets more suspicious. I appreciate the time you take to look into this matter."
Perhaps I could sent him another email...
"Dear Luc, If you are not happy, then the send bottles back to me and we will work out a refund. Cheers, Davy."
But he did not take me into account. I would not send these bottles back, never. I wanted to go all the way with this. This fraud
needed to stop. But before taking any further steps, I first wanted to secure my refund and mailed my bank and Paypal information to the seller so I could get my money back.
And they admitted this was not the first time…..Mmmm, very interesting.
And yes, they are taking this very serious, another email on that same day.
What are lot code numbers? Where do I find the lot code numbers of the bottle?
But Mr. Harvey soon made it very clear to me by sending me this email:
"Dear Mr Timmermans, The lot code is laser etched on the lower side of the bottle, it will appear as a sequence of two letters, first letter will be the letter L and then another letter followed by
5 numbers. If you can provide me with those numbers it would be appreciated. I would also be interested in how much you paid for
the items and when you paid it. If you have the Ebay lot details that would useful as well. Best Regards, Pete Harvey"
But my goodness, reading those numbers is very tricky I can assure you.
Some of them are very hard to read, but together with my wife we tried to figure them out and sent this information again to Mr.
Harvey. And then it took quite some time before I got more information from Allied Domecq, so I decided to ask Mr. Harvey again;
So only a few days later I decided to try this to get some more information from Mr. Harvey.
I could have waited longer, but my curiosity was indeed almost killing me.
It clearly stated that Mr. Davy Brooks has refunded 270 GBP to my Paypal account.
So I decided not to react to this refund yet and not to react to the emails of Mr. Davy Brooks.
I now finally had his address. I'm sure this information would very much interest Mr. Harvey.
"Mr. Harvey, The seller has refunded the 270 GBP for the 3 bottles on my paypal account and has requested me to sent him the bottles back. Can you tell me how to proceed. (...) Thanks for your feedback. Regards, Luc".
"Dear Mr Timmermans, I cannot advise you what to do in this instance regarding the payment. If you feel satisfied that all matters
outstanding in regard to your transactions with Mr Brooks have been resolved to your satisfaction, then do what you feel is correct.
It maybe that you feel that there is an element of misrepresentation in terms of the product you were sold and wish to take further
action or equally you maybe completely satisfied with the redress you have obtained. As a company we seek to prevent further
instances of this occurring to less discerning customers than yourself. I am sorry to be unable to advise you on this but as you
appreciate when there are potential legal matters involved I must ensure that I do not compromise the companies position. Pete Harvey".
It stated in black and white that the presumed bottles were fake indeed.
I would not sent the bottles back to the seller, no, never. I would propose Mr. Harvey to sent the bottles to Allied for further
investigation. This would only strengthen their case. I can always collect that Paypal refund later.
And so I did sent them to Mr. Harvey after receipt of his email :
So, I decided it was time to put some pressure on Allied and wrote this email;
Please be advised that the latest Laphroaig bottle 30yo was sold by Mr. Brooks on Ebay 22-sep-04 22:46:08 CEST, object n°
6120634924 and another one sold on 21-sep-04 21:50:28 CEST, object 6119532259, so it is extremely sad that most likely other
customers are involved although you were informed. I presume these customers will be informed in due time so these bottles can
be destroyed. I hope you can understand that we believe we must react in this way in order to guarantee our independence and to
report on this in a professional "Maltmaniacs" manner. The only reason we are not publishing right now is to allow you to strengthen your case and continue your investigations. As you requested. My best regards, Luc".
Yes, it was Mr Harvey. A little tremble in his voice clearly indicated this had gone too far.
So he told me they were currently trying to track down every buyer in order to inform them about this Ebay-fraud. And Mr. Harvey
also promised that Allied will replace all non-genuine bottles that were bought from Mr. Davy Brooks by genuine ones as soon as
possible. And a final detail: apparently Mr. Brooks is a former Allied employee. So I guess Allied will have to strengthen their internal
procedures in order to avoid things like this to happen in the future. And what Ebay is concerned, they would not care less. The seller
is still active as we speak, so I guess we better be more careful in the future before we buy articles from Ebay. Trust me, I've learned my lesson. I prefer paying a few EURO's more with an official retailer in order to get the "real" stuff!
I'm sorry, I guess I should have reported this earlier, thus trying to get everybody's attention sooner.
I didn't for the sake of the ongoing investigation, but did that help? I really don't think so. And now, I've just noticed I can't put negative feedback anymore on the auctions, since they ended more then 90 days ago.
E-pistle #11/08 - The eBay Fraud & Kanchenchunga
Submitted on 17/10/2004 by Lawrence Graham, Canada
Very complicated, but worth it for such a fine malt at such a reasonable price.
During the subsequent months I watched with growing suspicion as the Kanchenchunga sold more and more Laphroaig 30's, Royal
Warrant's and Laphroaig Highgrove's. He seemed to have a never ending supply so I emailed him and asked if he worked for "Allied"
(Allied-Domecq, who own Laphroaig). I know that distillery workers sometimes receive gifts from the employer to mark special occasions and they have been known to sell them to collectors. However he just seemed to have too many bottles.
If Kanchenchunga had simply changed his ebay name every two or three sales he might have gotten way scot free, no pun intended.
He duly replied to my email and asked who "Allied" was and I replied that "Allied" was the owner of Laphroaig. He then replied "Ah yes,
Allied" and that he worked for Chivas as a blender and he was receiving the bottles in trade from his buddies who were blenders at
other firms. Now if I know that Allied-Domecq own Laphroaig then I'm almost 100% sure that a blender at Chivas based in Scotland working in the whisky industry should know full well who owns what in the industry.
By now I was really suspicious but there was nothing I could do until I went to Edinburgh in August and collected the bottles.
Subsequently I arrived in Edinburgh and the bottles of Laphroaig were waiting for me in my hotel room, my friend in Swindon having
timed the shipping perfectly to coincide with my arrival. As I eagerly unpacked the bottles I noticed that the bottle from the second
purchase was in a Laphroaig 10 tube with the label stripped off. By this time all alarm bells were ringing at full pitch however a visual
inspection of the bottles yielded no clues, the bottles looked 100% genuine. There was only one thing I could do at that point and
that was to open a bottle and try some Laphroaig "30". Now I've been fortunate to sample Laphroaig 30 on several occasions and this
Laphroaig 30 was simply not right, it actually tasted like the 10 year old, it was a little too rough and it did not have the sherry notes
that I remembered. Undaunted I forged ahead and drank the rest of the bottle during my visit to Edinburgh, after all it was Laphroaig
but not the 30. However with every dram I knew I was not drinking Laphroaig 30 and I'd been defrauded somehow. However I was simply too busy in Edinburgh to do anything about it while I was there.
On my return to Canada I further examined the remaining bottles for any flaws that would give me a clue to the fraud and I came up
with the idea of emailing the stenciled lot number, LU19855, to Laphroaig via their website and Allied Distillers Limited subsequently
confirmed that the lot had been bottled February 2, 2004 for the German market and that it was a bottle of... 10 year old.
Consequently I was in contact with Pete Harvey, Anti Counterfeit Manager for Allied Domecq who me to contact Philip Scatchard,
Director of the International Federation of Spirit Producers, the IFSP is an industry body and deals with matters of this nature. I made
it clear from the start that I was not looking for compensation from Allied-Domecq and that I simply wanted this person stopped. Philip Scatchard advised me of the following;
This was excellent as I was returning to Scotland in mid September (I know, lucky bast*rd, two trips to Scotland in two months). Pete
Harvey drove up from Bristol to meet with me in Edinburgh at the SAS Radisson Hotel to examine the offending bottle. He duly
pronounced both the bottle and the labels to genuine however mis-matched as a 30 label should not be on a 10 bottle. We both
speculated on how the counterfeiters had acquired the genuine labels which was of great concern to Allied-Domecq. We then drove
down to Edinburgh City Council Trading Standards/Consumer Services where we met with two investigators and I swore out an official
complaint and turned over the remaining bottle as evidence. In conversation Pete told me a number of interesting things; that
Allied-Domecq were bidding on Kanchenchunga's current auction and that Kanchenchunga was going to be visited by several branches
of enforcement in due course. It was also noted that Kanchenchunga had sold more than maximum allowable of 6 bottles in a year without a license. His life was about to become complicated.
I returned to Canada the next day and kept an eye on Kanchenchunga ebay sales and one day suddenly they all stopped! I took this
as good news and that he'd had a visit from the authorities. Pete Harvey later telephoned me to let me know events were progressing
nicely but he could not divulge details at the moment but would let me know all the details as soon as he could. By researching
Kanchenchunga's eBay feed back left by him (he seemed to be quite diligent in leaving feedback) for his victims I found 23
transactions involving 27 bottles of various high value Laphroaig's for a total of £2840 however there were a further 18 transactions
that have been closed off and I could not access the details. The potential profit for all 41 can only be speculated on. They say there is risk in life and there are certainly risks associated with buying over the internet.
Earlier this year, during two separate transactions (in March and July),
I purchased three bottles of Laphroaig 30 year old from a seller on eBay
named Kanchenchunga (Mt. Kanchenchunga is a large mountain in Bhutan)
for £160 & £120 and duly sent off the payments to him in the Edinburgh area.
I directed that the first two bottles be shipped to my friend in Swindon as I
live in Canada and would not be in the UK until August. For the second
transaction in July I asked that the bottle be shipped directly to my hotel
in Edinburgh as I would be there in early August. As you may be aware it
is illegal to mail alcohol to Canada and I did not want to risk having the
bottles confiscated and destroyed.
Yes, I should have known that perhaps the price was a little too good for what
I was receiving however there have been some genuine malts sold on ebay lately
at very good prices, so this sale fit the trend. When the first two arrived in Swindon
I asked my friend if they were in wooden display boxes and she replied no, however I knew that early Laphroaig 30 came without
boxes, so all seemed to be on the level. However for the my second transaction Kanchenchunga had included a picture of a current
Laphroaig 30 including the box but all three bottles were identical without boxes and white instead of green capsules.
"At this stage of the enquiry it is a "Civil Issue" and to elevate it we need you to report the case to Edinburgh Trading
Standards/Consumer Services as they are the local enforcement authority to where you received the offending bottle. Would it be
possible, on your return to Edinburgh, to take the bottle to the following address and raise an official complaint. This will effectively
raise it to "Criminal Status". It will also help with the chain of evidence and is better than returning the bottle to Allied Domecq."
However, I have subsequently bought several bottles from different sellers that were all genuine and I will not let one bad seller ruin
eBay for me. I also informed eBay as to what the seller had been doing in my case, but they could care less. I guess eBay simply wants its commission and could care less than buyers are being defrauded.
Lawrence Graham
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E-pistle #11/09 - Hijackers in Anoraks
Submitted on 21/10/2004 by Serge Valentin
, France
The Industry says we hijacked the category! - A public answer to the pilots.
Did you ever wonder what the single malt industry's saying about you? 'Young, Free and Single? – Malt whisky is in the dangerous position of relying on an ageing
Ha-ha! Interesting! And guess who wrote the article? Yes, Dave Broom himself.
What's sure is that this debate between the Bushes, the Kerries and even the Naders within Allied-Domecq's Michael Cockeram: Serge: funny, I've never met any executive yet, whatever the business, who didn't want to get younger consumers, as if young is
better than 'old'. Younger, more loyal, richer – and, if possible, more ingenuous - consumers are any marketing man's holy grail. Except
that it's oxymoronic. And why the hell would 'younger consumers' mean 'contemporary relevance'? Two-pence marketing ideas, if you ask me… Serge: Interesting, especially the piece about making traditional values relevant Dave Broom: 'An underlying inference from that TGI statistic is that Serge: Dave, I'm sure you don't mean that. Diageo's Nick Morgan:
'The malt category accounts for over 5 million cases. Are there really that many anoraks left in the world?' Serge: Let's say there are 5,000 self-styled whisky connoisseurs/collectors in the world, probably less than that. Morrison Bowmore's Kenny Mackay: 'There's no such thing as the typical malt consumer'.
Serge: ah, finally! Let's have a look at the Malt Maniacs, even if they are hardly representative of the whole market. I assume most
people from the industry think the Malt Maniacs are anoraks. Okay, let's admit that, just for the sake of the argument: what's the
typical anorak? A 47-year-old dentist from New York City? A 38-year-old eccentric Dutch E-strategist? A just married 29-year-old
Israeli space research worker? A 38-year-old Californian opera singer? A 53-year-old well-known Scottish writer? A 49-year-old Indian banker? Please, give me a break! Chivas' Neil Macdonald:
'The younger consumer is interested in roots, substance, heritage, something which is real, something which is safe.' Serge: Sure, but then I can't see why the average drinker is ageing! Diageo's Nick Morgan: '… I'm a great advocate of tartan, bagpipes and golf courses – deeply thought-out promotional tools and
greatly motivating to younger customers, and especially women. I greatly admire the work that our competitors are doing in this startlingly innovative area.'
Serge: LOL! I especially like the point about golf. Glenlivet – hardly innovative - used it, and so does innovation champion Bruichladdich
(the Links series). Yeah, there must be something with golf… I can understand that an 'access-to-the-category' malt such as Glenlivet
10yo would use images which are usually more suited to blended whiskies, because you can't ask the people to make too big a jump,
but it's true that seeing brands which should appeal more to the educated drinker use such old-fashioned tricks leave me perplexed. 'A
little bit of this, a little bit of that' makes no successful concept, I'm afraid. And yes, these bloody, boring anoraks get puzzled then…
Ah, if only they didn't exist! (but who would then buy this exceptionally great super-premium handpicked limited bottling of Glenwhatever 27yo finished in a highly-sulphurized South-African gewürztraminer cask for three long months?)
Bruichladdich's Mark Reynier: 'This sector has evolved by default and not by design. If you take out the anoraks you're not left with much. They (the big players) don't want people to know and you know what, they almost got away with it.'
Serge: I agree some big players don't want people to know, but I wouldn't say they all behave the same way.
Having said that, and this is where I don't agree with Mark Reynier, there's not only some of – and not all - the big players who don't
want people to know, there are also many small companies who behave exactly the same way. I came across quite a few of them
while organising the Malt Maniacs Awards this year. Some don't answer your calls or e-mails at all while some just don't fulfil their
commitments (they just don't do what they promised they'll do). What they just forget, is that even if the customer isn't king (and of
course he isn't), he deserves a little respect or he's going to use the new power he's got: expressing his opinions on a wide scale
using the web – which is just what I'm doing right now. So, I wouldn't say the big ones are bad, and the small ones good. It just has
nothing to do with the companies' sizes. Besides, even behind the biggest companies, there's nothing but well-educated or ill-bred men. Serge: well, I don't know whether the average UK drinker is 54 (like stated
Anyway, there are many other astonishing statements made in this article, I'm not sure all that's too serious – magazines always need to publish catchy
I wouldn't add anything about the general public – I'm not qualified – but I would
Of course, that's precisely what bothers many people within the industry, and perhaps why they talk about hijacking the category. I
must admit I've read strange, infuriating, completely untrue, excessive and even dishonest things on some forums, most coming from
people who must be very happy to be able to use a power they never got in 'real' life. But I feel that's a tiny minority, and that most
'web writers' are cool, responsible, passionate and well-educated people the industry shouldn't be afraid of. Alas, I know some are. Anyway, what do the 'anoraks' who express themselves on the web know – and thus can't be lied about?
Most importantly, they're used to taste whisky, and while they are no professionals, they can tell you whether they think this malt is
better than that one – even if everybody's got different tastes, no need to say. So, even if they're aware of the fact that advertising and PR means using hyperboles, they just can't stand 'half-lies' – what some would call bullshit.
But first, and just to prove we're not stubborn, aggressive people, here's the typical bullshit that does NOT really bother us:
Now, here's what REALLY bothers us:
If that's the case, why not teach us? In good spirits, Serge, and all the hijackers ;-) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You know, like when you just bought a new Italian suit, and when you're leaving the shop…
Sometimes you can hear the salesmen whispering just when you push the door open, but you don't get the words.
So, you can't help thinking they're talking about you, about the wrong choice you just made. About the fact that your new suit
doesn't… err, suit you at all, contrarily to what they just told you to make you buy it. In short, would you like to know what the whisky companies say about you, the consumer, behind your back?
Then you should read 'The Drinks Business' issue #26 (September 2004).
It's a magazine aimed at the industry, not at the consumers, and I guess they don't expect
simple clients like us to read it. But the Malt Maniacs have friends in the right places, so I got
a copy of that issue, and while I was flipping through the magazine, right there, on page #32,
I came across a long article, headed like this;
consumer base. Is it time to wrest the category from the anoraks who hijacked it?'
Well, Dave knows the consumers, that's for sure, but he doesn't really adopt a definite
position regarding that serious and tricky question in this article, as he is content with
interviewing several industry buffs, in an article he organised more like a debate. Clever!
the industry often made my hair stand on end, and I felt I should answer some of the bold
statements that are scattered on those four pages. It's not that I feel I can speak in the name
of all customers – or anoraks, for that matter – but I felt somebody had to respond, as the 'please
buy our products and keep your mouth shut' era is well behind us – whether you like it or not, my friends!
So, even if we haven't been invited, let's simply force the lock and enter the debate now...
'We're entering a crucial time. What the category lacks is contemporary relevance, younger people.'
Diageo's Nick Morgan:
'Our recruitment target is from around 30, plus.
This has to be done without trivialising the category. At the end of the day,
most actual and potential consumers carry around a set of rules about malt
whisky in their minds – and the words authentic, traditional and, although I
fail to understand what it means, heritage are always top of the list. The
challenge is to take these values and make them relevant to people, without
dumbing them down, which is a trend I see in some companies' marketing work.'
to people. I guess Nick was meaning younger people, i.e 30+ newcomers.
That's the most balanced point of view. Perhaps not too innovative, but we all
know that compulsory innovations lead nowhere, and Diageo is now aware of that
(Loch Dhu, Jackson Row, Cardhu Pure Malt anyone?) Single malt obviously means
tradition, and we can all buy Absolut vodka or J&B if we want something apparently
trendier – or 'younger'. To innovate just for the sake of looking innovative is vain
glory – we aren't in the 80's anymore - especially in a world where tradition is
getting trendier and trendier. Now, please, when talking about tradition, make
sure it's genuine tradition, because now that more and more consumers do
communicate – thanks to the web – any faux pas or trip up, like it or not,
might stick out like a sore thumb!
malt is not simply 'old' but is becoming the preserve of the malt anorak,
the obsessive collector interested in the minutiae of the drinks.'
What you say, in other words, is 'We want to educate the consumer but not too much, otherwise he's going to bother us, ask too
many questions, question the way we do our business, and even – que gran horror! - point out our un-consistencies. Besides, he
might start to buy too many products of ours, and even buy magazines about the product! ;-) Wolves while we want sheep…' I have a
solution – even if I'm far from considering myself an anorak, thank God – let's just stop buying single malts, and switch to cognac.
That would mean they buy 1,000 cases a year each. No comment.
These 'values' have been used since… since ever!
For instance, it's no secret that Bowmore treats the educated customer like… well, you see what I mean. With this kind of behaviour –
especially when the FWP buzz developed - they managed to build a very negative image amongst the 'learned'. Macallan got more or
less the same problem after their replica's debacle and their un-segmented customer relationship programs, talking to 'lifestyle' drinkers
and to 'educated' ones exactly the same way. Their recent moves (Fine Oak series etc.) proves that they lean toward the '100%
branded approach', starting to treat their single malts like premium blends. On the other hand, and while doing that, they keep
answering all the annoying questions, remain always extremely courteous and friendly (even if keeping a 'never explain, never complain' line) – in short, they never loose their nerves. Always in a lordly fashion! 
Whyte & Mackay's Justin Penman:
'The industry has focused
on 45+ ABC1 males and now we must broaden our horizons'.
in the study) or not, but what's sure is that we can meet or chat with many
enthusiastic young malt fans all around the world. That means that if the
industry has focused on 45+ males, it boldly missed its target!
but I feel I should stop here. You got it, the industry thinks we're really too
old, that we care too much about their little secrets, and that they really
have to find younger consumers if they want to survive (after a dramatic
+13.5% sales increase within one year, one can understand they panic ;-).
articles if they want to sell some paper. But if we ever see some Lagavulin Ice,
Ardbeg and Shweppes pre-mix, or Laphroaig with Bubbles on our shops' shelves,
I know what we're going to do: not hijack, but kidnap all the marketing directors
and make them swallow five litres of Lex's Laotian Snake whisky. Yes, each ;-).
like to take the risk of giving a few hints to the industry people now, as for how to
handle the anoraks and/or the 'educated' malt drinkers who 'hijacked' the single malt category.
It's true that there's something relatively new: the fact that more and more drinkers seek information on the web, and that any search
of, for instance 'Macallan' on, say Yahoo! will lead them to non-profit, independent, private and free websites such as this very one.
Try it: type just 'Macallan', and you'll get, for instance, maltmadness as choice #8 – even if we're not using any referencing service,
no need to say. What does that mean? That means that the consumer has got a new power: the power of influencing other consumers on a much broader scale than before. It's a big power – and a big responsibility as well.
They've been to Scotland, they visited many distilleries, and they talked to many distillery workers – not only managers. That means
that they know whether a distillery's malt is aged near the sea or in a Glasgow mega-warehouse. They know whether the water a
distillery uses to reduce its malt is demineralised water or 'water running down the hills behind the distillery'. They know if a malt is
caramelised or not. They know what's rare and what isn't. They know what a wine cask is. They know what dry yeast is. They know
the different ways of doing a finishing. They know what methanol is. They know what each distillery looks like. They know what a genuine sherry cask is. They know what pajarette is. They know the cost of an empty bourbon cask. Etc, etc, etc.
(Appellations, grands crus or not, vineyards that don't even exist as such etc.)
bottled twenty casks in a row within two or three years, just by checking the numbers.
which makes them loose their well-earned credibility.
This, of course, while the ABV is 40,10% vol...
Especially when you add that it's the discerning connoisseurs who said that.
finishings, peating, filtering, whatever).
influences the malt while the newmake leaves the distillery in steel tanks three times a day.
Don't like transparency? Too complicated?
Afraid of your most loyal customers? Is all that beyond you?
Or... Something to hide?
E-pistle #11/10 - The Gripes of Wrath
Submitted on 25/10/2004 by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland
Wow, Serge - that was quite an uncharacteristic explosion from a self-confessed 'marketing man'!
If one wouldn't know any better one would almost suspect you just had a birthday, causing a latent
midlife-crisis that was brought to the surface (rather violently) by an article in The Drinks Business ;-)
But, to tell you the truth, I have been feeling the weight of time pushing down on me as well lately...
Compared to 'the golden years' that were the 1990's, availability of single malts may have exploded,
but so have their prices. At the same time, the 'quality' of some of the big names has been steadily
declining and it has grown exceedingly difficult to find those few truly spectacular shiny needles in
an ever expanding haystack of not-so-spectacular malts. Mind you, It's still possible to find good
malts at good prices, but nowadays you often have to pay through the nose for the malts that
really blow your socks off. Unfortunately, there's not very much we can do about that except
try to fill the matrix with as many scores as we can to point you towards the 'better' malts.
But what about the points Serge makes in his E-pistle?
I would categorise many of Serge's minor complaints as 'embellishments of the truth' I can live with, although some companies do
indeed have a tendency to stretch the truth towards its very breaking point. I personally thing bagpipes should be banned as a form
of auditory pollution and you won't find any tartan patterns in my clothing cabinet either, but if I have to put up with a bit of folklore
to get to a good malt I really don't mind. However, Serge's 'minor' points #3 (claiming the water that's used 'runs from a hillside' when
it's actually just tap water) and #10 (Using signatures of 'distillery people' that don't actually exist) do actually worry me. In fact, these practices could very well be considered fraudulent, if you ask me.
That's even more the case with the first major concern that Serge mentions (vattings of several casks that are presented and
numbered as a single cask bottling) and, to some extent, his second one as well. Up until quite recently, I always assumed I could rely
completely on the information provided on the box and label. The growing phenomenon of fake bottlings (malt maniacs recently uncovered fake bottlings from
In fact, if the people at the SWA had any sense at all they would be trying to ensure this doesn't become a real problem, instead of wasting their time picking on small foreign distilleries like
Ah... it feels good to vent your spleen once in a while... Being the anorak that I am, I had a quiet snigger myself that day.
I laughed even louder when the latest issue of 'Whisky Etc.' And there's another element from the presentation already echoed in the media.
Anyway, I'm getting a bit side-tracked again - I was busy venting my spleen. Davin was the first to respond;
Well, keeping in mind that I still love single malts passionately (I'm not quite ready to switch to rum yet),
I have to admit that I do share some of Serge's concerns - and I do have some 'gripes' of my own as well.
As a self-professed anorak with sociopathic tendencies, I'm personally not too concerned with what other people might think of me;
even if these people are the lucky buggers working in the whisky industry... However, Serge's mentions some more 'fundamental' issues that do actually worry me - even some of the 19 'minor' complaints that Serge hammered on the pages of MM.
And guess what - I'm not done yet;
Even though the single malt market has doubled in size in just a few years, it seems many of the big companies still treat the market
as one homogenous mass. I personally think that's far too simplistic a view. New customers who have had their first single malt
somewhere in the last few years may still get a warm fuzzy feeling when they are reading about the golden fields of barley surrounding
the distillery, but that doesn't work for everyone. Many of the 'anoraks' that discovered single malts in the 1980's and '90's have now learned enough to look beyond mass marketing and the tartan cloak of deception.
The recent
prime example of this watershed; when a slide with a slick sports
car popped up in the presentation there were quite some bemused
sniggers from the corner where the somewhat more experienced
maltheads were seated. A second salvo of sniggers was triggered
by a slide with some very hip, young and succesful people in a bar,
thoroughly enjoying their Macallan from... indeed... a tumbler.
When I received Serge's latest E-pistle there weren't any friendly
PR people around who's feelings I could hurt. Unrestrained by social
conventions, I laughed long and hard when I saw the picture from
'The Drinks Business' magazine - it was the same picture they used
for the Macallan presentation. Had the writer attended the same
presentation that I had? And if so, was he more convinced than I
was about the wisdom of Macallan's mass marketing ways?
dropped in my mailbox. The very same picture popped up again
in a four-page article about the new Macallans - and I'm sure we'll
see it pop up elsewhere in the forseeable future as well. Hmmm.....
Wait a minute. After giggling like a maniac for a few minutes, it slowly
dawned on me that I actually shouldn't be laughing at all. If 'the media'
only repeat the 'information' they receive from the industry like they used
this picture, we can't rely on 'the media' to paint a reliable picture, can we?
I'm not sure if the stellar scores from people like Michael Jackson and Jim Murray are completely unbiased or not, and to tell you the
truth I don't really care as much as you'd expect. Looking at some of the scores from MJ and JM, I've already found out long ago that
our tastes are quite different, their tasting capabilities are declining or they are indeed biased - or any combination of these.
Whatever the reason, the netto result is the same; I use their scores for my own personal amusement instead of letting them guide
my actual shopping behavior. I have to say that I trust the judgement of some of my fellow maniacs far better anyway. I'm very rarely disappointed by a malt with an average score of 80 points or more on the matrix.
I guess I could go on for quite a bit longer, but I won't. Well, at least not for now.
For one thing, there are a few other issues that require my full attention until the end of this year; the
Indeed - and so were most other maniacs...
At least for a moment. Craig quickly came back with:
'Serge makes lots of very good points and trust me it's a righteous anger, which I also share. There is an underlying continuum of an attitude of complete and utter contempt in all of these behind the hand sneers
at one of their most important and influential consumer group that they dismiss as hijacking anoraks. Peter Wood has been on the
receiving end as has Brian McHenry of PLOWED and FWP fame. I also agree with Serge that marketing has given us Loch Dhu,
Jacksons Row and Cardhu Pure Malt while the hijacking anoraks have given the world Malt Maniacs, Ardbegeddon (the event and the
malt) and Brorageddon. I'd say it's three zip to the good guys. It seems to me that despite their nods towards the psychology of
marketing, they are all salesmen at heart, where the needs of the seller take precedence over the needs of the buyer. The
psychological underpinning of marketing is supposedly that the needs of the consumer take centre stage. Obviously none of these
guys really believes that deep down. There are some things that are beyond the pale and being so dismissive of a key consumer
group is both reprehensible and ultimately self defeating. The pervasive attitude of contempt is self-defeating because, in a point
Johannes' make very well, this group are loyal customers and will be around once the bright young things have flounced off to the
next flavour of the month. Maybe the people who are dismissive of the issues raised by' hijacking anoraks' won't be around for long, especially if Serge's crusade takes off!!!
Lex was next; 'For me there are two issues. First of all, as several have already said, it is of course pretty stupid to alienate a group of dedicated consumers without whom all these very special bottlings would never be sold. And I agree, any industry which has s