Jakob and Herwig have reached Ulaanbaatar! After an exciting journey in their reliable Suzuki they managed to cross the finishing line as tenth(!) team.
Needless to say, they feel relieved and very happy. We will soon start a series of photos and detailed reports. It is August 11, 2007.

No internet, horrible phone connections and every trip to the toilet an adventure – things are rough, still, the Suzuki holds together. A lot has happened in the last few days; however, means of communication to relay details of the trip were virtually non-existent. Our hearty Styrians have almost made it to Ulaanbaatar, the final point of their voyage. After driving through Novosibirsk and Barnaul in Russia they entered into Mongolia. Passes had to be crossed as well as little rivers to get to Altai, driving on every kind of road surface imaginable, on to Bajanchongor and, passing goats, sheep, camels and horses, to Arwaicheer. Water, sand and fickle temperatures do not bother the Suzuki; at the end Herwig and Jakob will have a hard time parting with their vehicle. It is the 9th of August 2007 and the distance covered so far should be around 13.000 km.

We will not tell you. We are serious. Why? Because you will go out and buy the last remaining bottles of the less than 150 ever made. The price will soar and we will be left with only the memory of one of the best malts ever bottled by that self-proclaimed leading malt whisky specialist of the world that grew out of Elgin. It would no longer be a private collection.

Asia! Ukraine safely behind them, Herwig and Jakob continued their journey via the cities Voronezh and Samara. They crossed the Urals’ foothills with rain a steady companion. Now they are on their way to Omsk in the Asian part of Russia. The date is July 31st, 2007. Further details to follow.

August 01, 2007

Having left behind the beautiful old town of Lviv, Jakob and Herwig continue eastwards on roads that do not deserve to be called that for the most part. Meanwhile Jakob discovers his talent for navigation which eases the uncertainty of the race somewhat. That, however, changes swiftly after the ensuing police control: 'to drive here you need a special permission for a tow bar'. At least that is what the policeman is trying to explain. Shortly afterwards their entire beer stock is gone. Still, they got off cheaply. In the next village they quickly buy another crate of 'bribe beers', one never knows. Thankfully the policemen did not discover the whisky.

The time has come! Our heroes are on their way. After Prague they passed through Krakow on June 22nd, 2007. And what wild places they are travelling through! Manly helpings of all things fried and real lead in your tank, oh what a life! On July 23rd they drove through Lviv in Western Ukraine which features a UNESCO world heritage site – the old city centre. Lviv will be one of the venues for the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, which will be jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine. The next stage will lead our intrepid racers to Kiev, declared by Oleg of Novgorod and many people since the mother of all Russian cities. We will continue our reports.

The lanes of Vienna’s Naschmarkt are an endless playing and learning field for a whisky lover – an ideal place to hone one’s sensory abilities. Everything you ever thought to have smelled in a whisky is here: spices, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, tea, cheese or herbs.
To make things even more hectic, every Saturday it is flea market time in a huge adjacent parking lot adjacent. Locals and traders from far and wide flock here to sell their diverse wares. Haggling is a must, on Nasch- and flea market alike. Those who manage to escape their comfy beds before the first cock crow can find unique pieces at the flea market.

In the fourth part of our coverage of the exciting MongolRally we are happy to present an interview with Jakob Friess and Herwig Marx who we met in June 2007, about a month before the start of their journey to Mongolia. This charity trip will lend a hand to relief organisations working locally and give new hope to the struggling people there. Should you wish to offer help with a donation, please click here to access the relief organisation’s website directly.

It was a sunny and hot weekend when the two Styrians came to Vienna for their promotion tour. They brought their wheels with them: a Suzuki SJ 410 V which they hope to become good friends with on their 13.000 km long journey. Needless to say, the car was prepared accordingly. Everything that could be improved was improved. Unimaginable the love for every detail that went into completely restoring and – dare we say it? – pimping this car. On the brilliant white paintwork the sponsors’ logos looked imposing – in short everything was as it should be.

In the last weeks a lot has happened in the affairs of our Styrian friends. Not only has their Suzuki passed the MOT, extended test drives have also been made. All technical complications have been mastered diligently; a new cylinder head was installed, the windscreen was insulated against water leakage and fine tunings at several other components were made.

This time it’s not about enjoyment or things we ate/drank/had fun with. This time we have a request to make. A request to help friends of Silas Corp, who are about to set out an adventurous yet charitable endeavour. The rules are simple: an old car without any creature comfort to speak of with less than 1000ccm capacity has to hold together and make it without any technical support 13.000 clicks all the way to Mongolia. All teams are on their own. This break-neck adventure has to be financed individually by the participants. They also have to find contributors who are willing to financially ease the problems in many parts of Mongolia and give children a little hope for the future. To take part in this venture, the teams have to bring a car, plenty of time and GBP 1.000, -- (EUR 1.500,--) in contributions for charity purposes.

Do men today still know about character traits such as honour, honesty, conscience, heroism or responsibility? Where have these attributes gone in times of hectic, stress, suppression and emancipation? Where are all the stories of our provenance, the meetings of wise old men that showed the young ones the right way, the times of man the hunter who took what he wanted and did what he wanted and called no man Mister? Is the long lasting hunt for a special bottle of whisky a substitute? What for?

You are interested in one of our tastings, but you have no time to attend or live too far away? Then just use our samples service! After every tasting we fill 2cl sample bottles and put printed labels on them. We only use glass funnels for the filling process which are thoroughly rinsed after each and every whisky. Our bottles are chemist grade and meet the highest hygiene standards.

Peter Schier (Regensburger Whisky Club) should not have brought this bottle to Vienna. J immediately confiscated it after the first taste for an “in-depth analysis“. Thank you, Peter! It is always astonishing to explore what incredible malts were once sold as standard bottlings. This Tomatin came on the market around the year 1980 as a 5 year original bottling for Italy. It was imported by Distilleria Canallese C. BOCCHINO & C. S.p.A. The practical metal twist-off cap opens a path to a wonderful whisky which unites diversity, elegance and quality. But check it out yourself:

Silas Corp. recently had the honour of welcoming two guests from Waldviertel. (Waldviertel is a region in the North of Austria. It is renowned for its hearty cooking, its large number of trees and its healthy, rosy-cheeked, free range, outdoor-type men). Golfers Matthias Habisohn and Michael Reininger have had the idea to organise a “taster day” for whisky fans on a wonderful golf course.
J was surprised by the present they brought along: Matthias (upper image on the left) went through the trouble of testing possible uses of Islay single malts. The result is a very interesting vatted malt with an alcoholic gradient of 48%, lovingly called “Islay’s Best Vatted Malt”. The content list is a “who is who” of Islay distilleries tested and sampled painstakingly by Matthias as follows: