Introduction

'Malt Maniacs' is an international collective of circa 24 independent malt whisky aficionados who are dedicated to enjoying, understanding and discussing single malt whiskies. Our enjoyment and understanding is enhanced further by our discussions - and the sharing of our insights and opinions with each other and the rest of the (whisky) world. The Malt Maniacs community is non-commercial and primarily web based; our thoughts are published via an E-mail newsletter with thousands of subscribers and our web site www.maltmaniacs.org.
Additional material is available through two companion sites (www.maltmadness.com and www.whiskyfun.com).
We also have plans to offer some content via 'printing on demand' at some point.
 

Mission Statement

Since the early, humble beginnings of the Malt Maniacs collective in the 1990's our mission statement has evolved from the fairly selfish 'helping each other find the best single malt whisky in the world' to a more 'missionary' one;

'Expand and enhance the appreciation and understanding of malt whisky amongst ourselves and throughout the world by publishing independent information and opinions about (single) malt (Scotch) whisky. If and when we feel so inclined we may publish other material of interest to ourselves and/or fellow aficionados as well'.
 

Principles

First and foremost, Malt Maniacs is about freedom of speech and respect for the opinions of others.
We may sometimes disagree and mock each other's opinions, but we only feel free to do so because we know we are all serious about our passion. Sharing different perspectives about whisky enhances our own understanding. We encourage differences of opinion and nobody can speak for 'all malt maniacs'. The opinions we publish are always personal by definition - they may or may not be shared by one or more other certified malt maniacs.

Malt Maniacs is fiercely independent and non-commercial. Malt whisky is one of the last remaining truly authentic products in our modern world and the malt maniacs would like to keep it that way. To maintain our independence Malt Maniacs does not solicit samples, advertising or financial contributions from the whisky industry. For a few years, the certified malt maniacs even paid a membership fee to help cover the costs of publication and hosting. After the invention of 'Google AdWords' we could start to use some modest advertising on the Malt Maniacs site, because we have no influence whatsoever on which advertisement is shown where and when.

Certified malt maniacs do not use their membership in the team for personal gain.
This does not prevent team members benefiting from the hospitality of those within 'the industry' and 'the trade', as long as our independence is not compromised in the process. Contributions to the web site from malt maniacs or 'foreign correspondents' that could be 'contaminated' with commercial information will not be published.

Malt Maniacs promotes the responsible consumption & enjoyment of whisky (and whiskey).
 

Membership

Membership of the 'certified' malt maniacs is by invitation and is predicated on the requirement that each member make regular contributions to www.maltmaniacs.org. Once invited to join the team, individual Maniacs remain on the team as long as they continue to contribute regularly to the website and participate in our on-line discussions. And how does one get such a coveted invitation? That's simple; just submit one or more E-pistles (articles) as a 'foreign correspondent' for publication in our E-zine. Once a year we discuss the E-pistles that were submitted by these foreign correspondents - and invite the most promising writer(s) to join our team at the end of the year.

Malt Maniacs is not a traditional club and does not have an elected executive.
After an earlier 'anarchist's utopia' construction for Malt Maniacs failed miserably, founder Johannes van den Heuvel took charge again by popular demand in the role of 'enlightened dictator'. Johannes acts as chief executive of Malt Maniacs and is responsible for concept, tone of voice and direction of the Malt Maniacs site & community. Johannes is also responsible for inviting new members to join - and revoking memberships if necessary.

There is a balance among countries represented so as to maintain an international organisation. The maximum number of malt maniacs from one country is three. Malt Maniacs includes among its members whisky lovers in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America - and hopes to welcome members in South America one day.
An overview of our members (and ex-members) can be found in the 'locals' section of this site.
 

Responsibilities

Malt Maniacs was established primarily to share freely with other malt aficionados and thus its primary focus is building a comprehensive alternate source of accurate and reliable information for beginners and knowledgeable malt aficionados alike. While individual malt maniacs may publish widely, it is strongly encouraged that information gained through association with Malt Maniacs be contributed to our audience and community (first) rather than other websites or publications. That information should reflect an independent perspective on whisky.

Several professional whisky writers are certified malt maniacs and contribute significantly to discussions.
However, scoring or rating whiskies is left strictly to the 'amateurs' on the team. Working members of the whisky industry are not eligible for membership of Malt Maniacs. Membership of the 'Keepers of the Quaich' society does not preclude membership of Malt Maniacs, as long as the 'double agents' remain independent of the industry.
Membership of other, independent whisky communities and organisations is heartily encouraged.
 

History

The community developed on the World Wide Web around the Malt Madness website (www.maltmadness.com) that founder Johannes van den Heuvel launched in 1995. Several visitors to the Malt Madness site started posting their comments on the site in 1997; the international 'Malt Maniacs' community gradually evolved from there.
When we had grown to 12 'certified' members in 2002 we launched our own E-zine. A few years later the E-zine evolved into www.maltmaniacs.org and French maniac Serge Valentin added his WhiskyFun site to the mix.
 

Malt Maniacs Manifesto 3.0 – March 1, 2010