Ah, the year 2000... We remember that year with great fondness as well.
And that's because in 2000 we could welcome four new members to our online whisky
collective;
Krishna Nukala from India, Lex Kraaijeveld from England, Klaus Everding
from Germany and Roman Parparov from Israel. With the help of some 'fresh blood'
we managed to publish five fat issues; MM#10, MM#11, MM#12, MM#13 and MM#14.
And reading through these old articles, I have to
say that we're getting somewhere...
By the year 2000 the group of visitors & contributors to the Malt Madness site
had evolved into a real on-line community. That inspired
me to start work on a
major refurbishment of the site, using Dynamic HTML for some nifty tricks on the
Mega Malt Map (an overview of all regions & distilleries in Scotland). Apart from
the map I've added a Beginner's Guide to Single malt Whisky to the website.
Meanwhile, some of the maniacs travelled halfway around the world
to share
a few drams with other maniacs. The dramming itself was lifted to a brand new
level as well; our brand new matrix allowed us to compare our own scores with
those of other maniacs and have some 'serious' debates about that.
This 'old' part of our archive contains all the (pr)E-pistles we've written between
1997 and 2006. If you're looking for fresher material, check out the second half
of these archives (2007-2011) or the all new website on www.maltmaniacs.net.
>>> Malt Maniacs #010 - April 2000
Y2K
prE-pistle #2000/01 by Louis Perlman, USA
In hindsight the global panic attack about 'Y2K' may have been a tad overblown, but as a member of the IT community suffered the consequences.
Fortunately, Louis could calm his nerves with malts.
I'm Back!
prE-pistle #2000/02 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
Well, it's not much of an 'E-pistle' really - but I've included Davin's short (but fairly enthusiastic) reaction to his most recent visit to Amsterdam for posterity. More details in an upcoming E-pistle.
My Rating System
prE-pistle #2000/03 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
I've written extensively of my personal rating system (which works quite well, I think), but some people still don't get it ;-)
EoZ February 2000 Report Card
prE-pistle #2000/04 by Craig Daniels, Australia
A fresh report card from our most prolific member so far. In fact, most of the whisky wisdom on these pages comes from the colonies.
Malt Maniacs Meeting II - in Amsterdam
prE-pistle #2000/05 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
I've already published a report on Davin's visit to Amsterdam in my Liquid Log, but now you can get the other side of the story - straight from the Horse's mouth so to speak...
Bowmores & Stuff
prE-pistle #2000/06 by Louis Perlman, USA
Bowmore was one of the first single malt distilleries to take marketing seriously - and the first to make some big marketing blunders...
March = Macallan Month
prE-pistle #2000/07 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Another fresh report from the boondocks in Australia...
Mega-MaltMap Revised
prE-pistle #2000/08 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Some recent e-mail discussions outside this forum inspired me to take another look at the Mega-MaltMap and the regions of Scotland.
How Whisky Makes us Smarter
prE-pistle #2000/09 by Kees Mink, Holland
I haven't included many of the 'off-topic' discussions of the old forum, but this one from Kees Mink still cracks me up.
Thanks Malt Madness!
prE-pistle #2000/10 by Roman Parparov, Israel
Before the 'forum' on Malt Madness evolved into an E-zine we had a lot of 'chatter' from occasional passers-by, but gradually a team of regular 'foreign correspondents' formed around the site. Here's one...
On the Beaches
prE-pistle #2000/11 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Anzac Day is a special day in Australia - and each year Craig organises a special tasting to commemorate the occasion.
This & That
prE-pistle #2000/12 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
A few recent insights from Davin in the area of prices.
Message from Hamburg
prE-pistle #2000/13 by Klaus Everding, Germany
A fresh 'foreign correspondent' from Germany joins our ranks.
He kicks off in his own uncompromising fashion, complaining about the rising prices of malt whisky and 'bloody rotten corks'...
Old Favourites
prE-pistle #2000/14 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Because of the phenomenon of 'batch variation' it's useful to revisit old favourits every now and then to see how they changed.
>>> Malt Maniacs #011 - August 2000
HarLeM Foundation & Manifest
prE-pistle #2000/15 by Klaus Everding, Germany
The first prE-pistle of this issue comes from our sixth and freshest malt maniac; Klaus Everding (Germany).
The name of his club is HarLeM; the name of a New York neighborhood that was named after... a city in
Holland, not far away from (old) Amsterdam... Coincidence or not?
My First Official Report
prE-pistle #2000/16 by Roman Parparov, Israel
After his first report as a 'foreign correspondent in MM#10 Roman whipped up a second prE-pistle in a matter of months.
Summer of 2000 - Parts I & II
prE-pistle #2000/17 by Louis Perlman, USA
Louis faithfully keeps us posted on his recent liquid discoveries. I would love to mention a few highlights, but since Louis doesn't give scores I'm
not sure which ones he liked best ;-)
Ardbeg 8yo - Four Times Over
prE-pistle #2000/18 by Klaus Everding, Germany
Klaus discovered that there can be huge differences between four different eight years old expressions from Ardbeg distillery.
Raiding the Vaults - Off the Beaten Track
prE-pistle #2000/19 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig manages to find a nice mix between reviews of relatively 'standard' bottlings and obscure material.
This time he reviews Glencadam,
Royal Brackla and Imperial.
An Indian's Pilgrimage to Islay
prE-pistle #2000/20 by Krishna Nukala, India
Hurray! We now have a team member in Asia as well.
On a 'continental' level we now cover most of the globe - only Africa (and perhaps South
America) are still 'blank' on our world map...
HarLeM July Tasting
prE-pistle #2000/21 by Klaus Everding, Germany
Our fresh German maniac attacks the whisky world with a vengeance.
His first 'big' tasting report goes straight for a few 'advanced' malts like Strathisla, Ben Nevis, Glengoyne and Speyburn...
Rating Single Malts
prE-pistle #2000/22 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
To the outside observers the topic of rating single malts might seem like a nerdy one, but especially since we started publishing our single malt whisky scores on the Malt Maniacs Matrix we've been thinking about it a lot.
Summer of 2000 - Part III
prE-pistle #2000/23 by Louis Perlman, USA
As we sample more and more malts, we try to seek out more of the obscure material - like Aultmore, Miltonduff and North Port.
Woodwinds Orchestra
prE-pistle #2000/24 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Another very well-written contribution from Craig. I have to admit I almost feel like a 'shadow member' of the Earls of Zetland by now.
>>> Malt Maniacs #012 - October 2000
My Malt Maniacs prE-pistle #1
prE-pistle #2000/25 by Patrick Whaley, USA
The first prE-pistle this issue is from the hand of our second correspondent in the USA; Patrick Whaley from Minnesota.
The US is becoming a massive malt market, so it's good to have another correspondent there to
share his experiences.
August & September 2000 Sessions
prE-pistle #2000/26 by Roman Parparov, Israel
A short & sweet report from Roman, our correspondent in Israel.
Beware of Marketing Manipulation
prE-pistle #2000/27 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig responds to some of the worries expressed by Patrick with a 'cautionary tale'.
Perhaps our new matrix isn't enough and we need to start up our own HONEST whisky competition? ;-)
Public Service Announcement
prE-pistle #2000/28 by Louis Perlman, USA
Well, I usually try to keep these reports topical (i.e. about whisky), but here's a 'public service' announcement from Louis on music.
Overproof Oldies
prE-pistle #2000/29 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Another report from the adventures of the Earls of Zetland, Craig's renowned whisky tasting club in Australia.
Glenfiddichs
prE-pistle #2000/30 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
We're all big fans of 'head-to-head' tastings. Davin did one to compare the old Glenfiddich 'no age statement' and the new 12yo.
Buffalo Trace Distillery
prE-pistle #2000/31 by Krishna Nukala, India
Our Indian correspondent Krishna travels all around the world.
This time he visited the Buffalo Trace Distillery in the USA.
A Visit to Amsterdam
prE-pistle #2000/32 by Klaus Everding, Germany
German maniac Klaus visited Amsterdam recently for an extended tasting session at 'Malt Maniacs Central' - a.k.a. my apartment.
How I Spent My Summer
prE-pistle #2000/33 by Louis Perlman, USA
Louis updates us on his discoveries for the summer of 2000.
Too bad I haven't convinced him yet to start scoring the whiskies.
Olympic Tastings
prE-pistle #2000/34 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Honouring the Olympic games in Sidney this year, Craig arranged a tasting with an international flavour - at least whisky-wise.
>>> Malt Maniacs #013 - December 2000
Old Endings & New Beginnings
prE-pistle #2000/35 by Roman Parparov, Israel
Our maniac in Israel chimes in with a review of some recent 'batches' of well known official bottlings like Talisker 10 and Laphroaig 10.
Oi! Oi! Oi!
prE-pistle #2000/36 by Craig Daniels, Australia
In the spirit of the approaching whisky season, Craig takes a look at a few malts from the wonderful little island of Islay, Scotland.
Update from Minnesota, America
prE-pistle #2000/37 by Patrick Whaley, USA
Our youngest correspondent is still at school, but he managed to find the time to do a write-up of his recent malt whisky adventures.
Malt Minion, Connoisseur, Expert?
prE-pistle #2000/38 by Klaus Everding, Germany
Klaus is a scientist, so he can get quite uptight about the various lists and ranking systems on Malt Madness.
This time he voices his frustrations about the ranking system on 'the matrix'.
Nitrogen Injectors
prE-pistle #2000/39 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
There seems to be a solution to prevent or at least slow down oxidation (the enemy of anyone with a growing whisky collection).
Could that be true? I asked for some 'amateur advice'...
Islay Classifications
prE-pistle #2000/40 by Klaus Everding, Germany
The scientific mind of Klaus keep wrestling with the 'organic' character of the whisky world. Here, he tries to bring order to chaos on islay.
The Waters of Life; My Favorite Malts
prE-pistle #2000/41 by Markku I Manninen, Finland
Now that a few 'foreign correspondents' have evolved to fully fledged malt maniacs, I'm happy to see some 'new blood' arrive.
An Indian's Pilgrimage to Orkney
prE-pistle #2000/42 by Krishna Nukala, India
Krishna is the true 'pilgrim' amongst the maniacs.
And our little globe trotter doesn't live near a well-connected airport in Europe or America either, which makes his exploits all the more impressive.
Another American Update
prE-pistle #2000/43 by Patrick Whaley, USA
We wrap up this issue with two reports from America, where the availability of single malts is improving quickly.
4th Quarter Acquisitions
prE-pistle #2000/44 by Louis Perlman, USA
While Patrick is still working his way through the widely available OB's, Louis has discovered the pleasures of independent bottlings.
>>> Malt Maniacs #014 - December 2000
Bowmore Darkest - The Confusing Malt
prE-pistle #2000/45 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
When the Bormore 'Darkest' finally arrived in Canada in 2000 it proved to be a little controversial. Canadian maniac Davin explains why...
Battle of the Bards; Robert Burns
prE-pistle #2000/46 by Lex Kraaijeveld, England
In this issue Lex Kraaijeveld looks at the relation between whisky and two different 'bards'. First up: the Scottish poet Robert Burns.
HarLeM pre-christmas tasting sessions
prE-pistle #2000/47 by Klaus Everding, Germany
Our German maniac Klaus Everding reports on a trio of recent tasting sessions with a dozen newly arrived expressions.
Sweet & Sherried Malt Tasting
prE-pistle #2000/48 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
Davin initially resisted the idea of us publishing scores, but he now takes the matrix very seriously.
In fact, he has now embarked on a campaign to re-taste (and score) a large number of malts.
Your Ratings vs My Ratings
prE-pistle #2000/49 by Richard Block, USA
Richard Block disagreed with my score for Loch Dhu.
Well, we live in a free world - sort of... ;-)
The Relativity of Ratings
prE-pistle #2000/50 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
I don't like to repeat myself too often, but some comments on the forum inspired me to stress once more that my scores are purely
personal.
You may feel very different about a whisky than I do.
Battle of the Bards; Shakespeare
prE-pistle #2000/51 by Lex Kraaijeveld, England
After looking into the relationship between Robert Burns and whisky, Lex Kraaijeveld now
focuses on another 'bard'; Shakespeare.
Another viewpoint on Isle of Jura
prE-pistle #2000/52 by Sigurd Stori, Norway
OK, I have to admit that this message from Sigurd probably wouldn't qualify as an E-pistle in the later years of Malt Maniacs...
Isle of Jura & Oban
prE-pistle #2000/53 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
My response to Sigurd's remarks - hardly of 'historical' value.
Canadian Whiskies
prE-pistle #2000/54 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
We all have our chauvinistic moments, so Davin was quickly forgiven for this piece on the whiskies that are produced in his home country.
Vox Populi Excerpts
prE-pistle #2000/55 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Before we properly launched the Malt Maniacs e-zine in 2002 there was a forum on the Malt Madness website.
We closed it when we launched our E-zine, but I've collected a few
messages and posts here.
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