The history of the oldest unopened case of Glenfarclas is intriguing. It was one of fifty shipped to H. Albrecht and Company of Illinois in the 1930s. Mr Shrive, an engineer, purchased six cases. Surprisingly, despite the recent repeal of prohibition, the stock was not consumed very quickly. By 1994 there was one case and one bottle remaining. Mr Shrive’s son wrote to Glenfarclas offering the remaining bottles to the distillery.

Away from home for six months at a time at short notice – for some it is a job, for others a calling. Our good friend, whisky lover, bonvivant and of course professional soldier Alexander Moshammer is surely one of the called ones. As a gentleman and officer in the rank of major, Alex is stationed in Kosovo at the moment and liaises with the KFOR generals.
In task groups together with the Kosovo government the base is laid to support the government of this war-ton country in matters of legislation and the creation of democratic procedures. The “United Nations Mission in Kosovo” contacts and the activities of the ICO (International Civilian Office) build on the experiences of this, our liaison officer.

For his flat warming, I gave my dear friend Christian – a.k.a. “da Doc” – the customary salt and bread, but also a very nice bottling to keep his spirits up and his flat warm. Now that after moving his daily life has returned to its usual rhythm, he wanted to sample the bottle and invited me as a spur of the moment thing to come over and open it. 15 minutes later I was there.
These old chaps tend to get my heart pumping: rarely have I seen bad quality in venerable old malts such as this one. Same story here. Wonderful! A 10-year-old original bottling by Glenfarclas for Italy with a mere 40% alcohol – bottled some time in the 1980ies and sold by a rather famous Italian company (IMPORTATO DA FRATELLI AVERNA S.p.A CALTANISSETTA LIC. UTIF N. 1 PA).

Recently, PETER WANDL – the mobile whisky database – paid me a visit. And he was bearing gifts. Peter had brought one of the best Clynelishes that money can buy. While we chatted away idly, we sampled a few older bottlings. I have to confess none of the tasted bottlings could reach the level of that Clynelish, which radiated quiet perfection. Cheers Peter for those lasting impressions!

Here are some verbal tasting notes on that malt:

It has been a while since Peter visited Vienna, but something feels like now is the right time for reporting it. With Peter and me, a loose “whisky acquaintance” has grown into a firm friendship, the perks and enrichments of which I would like say thank you for.
Peter is one of those people who know exactly what they want but do not kick up a fuss about it. His passion for whisky and the good things in life is way above the norm yet at the same without him ever losing the plot and becoming unreal – which is why I am always happy to meet him either in Germany, Scotland, Prague or Vienna to talk about everything and nothing.
Since none of us is omniscient or omnipotent, it is important for like-minded souls to share thoughts and experiences. It also serves as a necessary decelerating and grounding mechanism in our hectic time.

The author of 'Whisky Guide 2007 & 2008' invited us to a little private tasting; his Finnish girlfriend Ella cooked a Finnish leek soup and an also Finnish and delicious ham quiche. Enough of the high North, let us focus on the high Northwest and Scotland: ten malts were to be tasted plus that Brora which we have already sampled in Oostende. The choice was interesting and held a few fine drops that hitherto had not touched our tongues. A night to remember.

Arcotel Wimberger, November 15th, 2007

Another year has passed and once more, the owner of Austria’s Finest Whisky Shop – KR. Dr. Mario Prinz – invited friends and whisky lovers to the traditional autumn tasting, eagerly supported by his team. With more than 20 (!) malts up for tasting, it was clear from the beginning that this was not meant to be only enjoyment but also something else bordering on hard work. The event was opened with a short speech by Dr. Prinz and a mouth watering rendition by the pipes of the Vienna Pipes.
The event was well attended – it drew about 160-180 people; both kitchen and service were above average that night.
The only snag of this event was the tap water ban – seemingly imposed by the hotel – which is absurd in a city like Vienna with extraordinary tap water quality and forced the guests to purchase litre bottles of Vöslauer mineral water at EUR 5.90 (which in supermarkets sells at a retail price of around EUR 0.39 without deposit). With the amount of whisky up for tasting we needed 2.5 litres a head and hoped that such examples of indirect returns – at least in the case of tap water in Vienna – will stay an exception.

Barcelona. Hazy, yet clear in its own way. This whisky is like a stroll on the Ramblas. Starting at Rambla de Sant Josep, also called Rambla de les Flors because of its many flower stalls. All day long in varying degrees of strength, exotic flowers are spreading their haunting scents just as temperature and humidity carry them. The Mercat de la boqueria is also in this part of the Ramblas. The scent of spices and herbs on this market becomes a unique cocktail only to be overlaid by the smells of fruit stands and their ripe and diverse produce from all corners of the earth. Figs, dates, kiwis and limes are especially mesmerizing at this wonderful spot.

This is a story about a single malt whisky which transports its lucky drinker immediately into the Caribbean: while outside the sun is setting over the sea, painting the water in a dazzling array of red, gold and ambers, the discreet aroma of a wooden pontoon sitting on the water drifts over. Then there are canapés and refreshments which the waiter in white carries on a tray over to the beach terrace. On our table, there is an assortment of glasses and plates, filled with slices of fresh pineapples, grapefruit halves, good cognac and little biscuits. After a large sip of cognac, a fresh smell of grass tickles the nose, no wonder, as someone is mowing the grass next to the terrace.

At the 3rd Vienna Whisky Fair Ian McWilliam informed us about a new extraordinary series: “The Family Casks“. 43 vintage dated Single Cask Highland Malt Scotch Whiskies from the years 1952 to 1994 which were put on the market on that same day by the – still family-run – distillery. Such an edition is only possible if the warehouses are full like at Glenfarclas where currently 52.000 casks are maturing (mostly) undisturbed. The ceremonial presentation of this collection was held on September 13th 2007 in the rooms of “The Caledonian Club” in London.

There is a new whisky book and yes, it has been written by an Austrian. Unknown and unnoticed by the whisky scene – which usually operates with a surveillance capacity like something out of 1984 – Martin Boba has created a well researched whisky guide complete with little stories about the samples contained therein. An impressive new approach is the added list of minimum, average and top prices a whisky call sell for on eBay, put together since 2004 for around 1200 Malts based on all international eBay auctions!

It has been a while now, but a momentous occasion such as this should not go unmentioned. Volker from Dortmund visited Silas Corp. and there was evidence for a wee Black Bowmore annihilation. We decided to declare hunting season on the remaining stocks of Silas Corp. cause there was still something left from the “Final Edition”. A pity on one hand, but on the other probably the only chance to sample this nectar once again in light of its outrageous price hike. One can tell from the image how serious we took this event. We did not cry, but almost.

Herwig and Jakob have now started to catalogue all the impressions they collected on the road and to document the course of their journey with a photo album. Until they have finished this, here are a few of their best snapshots as further appetizers. In a following report we will cover their journey in detail complete with stories and anecdotes. Don’t miss it.

Michael Jackson, one of the most distinguished authorities on whisky and beer, passed away on August 30, 2007 at his home in London, England. Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser, Maven of Malt and White Rose of Yorkshire, you will be greatly missed and we raise our glasses with some Macallan from the old days. "Slainte Mhath, Michael!"




August 30, 2007

While Jakob is still haunting the Gobi desert on camelback, Herwig has already returned to Austria and brought with him wonderful impressions of this exciting journey. Here are a few of those images; a detailed report will follow soon.