Ah, the year 1998...
We remember that year rather fondly as well, now that we mention it...
And that's because 1998 was the year that we tripled our output, so to speak. Inspired
by the support of our readers, we pressed on with
three fresh editions of Malt Maniacs
in 1998 - issue #002, issue #003 and issue #004. And the statistics show that some of
these old
articles (over a decade old when I write this) are still popular with our readers.
Articles like Craig's report on a night his EoZ club spent with Balvenie's David Grant or our
reports about
the very first 'maniacal tasting session' during Craig's visit to Amsterdam.
The 'proto' malt maniacs may be serious about malt whisky, but we like having fun as well.
Nevertheless, this 'ancient archive' offers an historical perspective
on our quest to
find the perfect malt whisky. We've come a long way since, but as the old American
television series 'Roots' has taught us, we should never forget our... erm... roots...
So, since we've taken the trouble to publish our articles, you might as well read them.
Malt Maniacs still wasn't a proper E-zine yet, but we like to think that there already
was some kind of 'evolution'
towards a magazine. While the first 'prE-pistles' that
we published in 1997 were, in retrospect, mostly just chattering we now started
to feel that visitors of Malt Madness actually found our musings entertaining and/or
informative. Keep in mind: some of the information in the old articles may not be very
useful anymore, because most official bottlings have changed considerably since 1998
and it will be extremely hard to find any of the independent bottlings we've reviewed.
>>> Malt Maniacs #002 - April 1998
The Water of Life (Part II)
prE-pistle #1998/01 by Louis Perlman, USA
More tasting reports and observations from our foreign correspondent in New York, Louis Perlman. This time: Springbank, Lagavulin, Balvenie
(again) and Littlemill - and a whisky book by David Lerner.
Breaking in Bottles
prE-pistle #1998/02 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Louis recently made some comments about bottles that require time to 'break in'. Time & whisky - an interesting phenomenon.
Apparently one should wait with emptying a bottle - but not too long...
Earls of Zetland Report January 1998
prE-pistle #1998/03 by Craig Daniels, Australia
After Craig sent me the reports of the 'Earls of Zetland' tastings in 1997 I asked him to keep us updated about their adventures.
Stage Names for Understudies?
prE-pistle #1998/04 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Craig's latest report made me think about some of the 'fake identities' that are used for single malts - like the infamous 'Loch Dhu' that's
actually produced at the relatively little known Mannochmore distillery.
A Night with David Grant
prE-pistle #1998/05 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig recalls a tasting session / master class with David Grant of Glenfiddich and Balvenie fame. Interesting stuff...
The Water of Life (Part III)
prE-pistle #1998/06 by Louis Perlman, USA
More assorted comments from Louis about his latest tastings and purchases, including the Bowmore 'Darkest' and Dalmore 12yo.
Current Events (Spring 1998)
prE-pistle #1998/07 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Most of my prE-pistles for 1997 and 1998 are fairly short because I was focusing on my personal 'Liquid Log' on Malt Madness at the time.
Prized Malts
prE-pistle #1998/08 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig responded to a few of my 'bang for your buck' suggestions with a whopper of an E-pistle, containing a few dozen 'prized malts'.
Overpriced Malts
prE-pistle #1998/09 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
The Dutch are infamous for their penny pinching, so I couldn't resist submitting a short response to Craig's comments on whisky prices.
Earls of Zetland Report February 1998
prE-pistle #1998/10 by Craig Daniels, Australia
The February 1998 tastings of the Earls of Zetland covered An Cnoc 12, Benromach 12, Glengoyne 10 and the Sullivan's Cove from Australia.
Rapid Response
prE-pistle #1998/11 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Once again a fairly short entry rescued from the old forum.
Earls of Zetland Report March 1998
prE-pistle #1998/12 by Craig Daniels, Australia
In March 1998 the Earls of Zetland organised a 'Macallan Vertical' tasting with the 12yo, 18yo 1977 and '1874' Replica bottling.
Blind in the Woods
prE-pistle #1998/13 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Craig's comments about 'blind tasting' (nosing and tasting a whisky without knowing which bottling you've been served) were educational.
They reminded me of a session in 1996 where I identified a Bowmore 12yo as the
blind.
Earls of Zetland Report April 1998
prE-pistle #1998/14 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Those Australians have some great ideas to keep their tastings interesting.
This time, the 'Old versus New' session looks at old and new
expressions of Bowmore 12yo and Longmorn 15yo.
>>> Malt Maniacs #003 - September 1998
The Water of Life (Part IV)
prE-pistle #1998/15 by Louis Perlman, USA
Some fresh observations concerning Bowmore and Edradour from our fearless American correspondent in New York, Louis Perlman.
Booming Bowmore
prE-pistle #1998/16 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
I've now heard from several people that the profile of Bowmore has changed in the recent past. Could that be true?
Good Glenlivets, By George!
prE-pistle #1998/17 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig shares a few thoughts about the Glenlivet distillery and the Glenlivet 'appelation' that's almost a geographic style by itself.
Amsterdramming 1998 - Part 1
prE-pistle #1998/18 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Craig will be coming to Amsterdam later this year. Excellent!
Time to share some 'touristic' knowledge about Holland.
Malt News from Australia
prE-pistle #1998/19 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig is part of not one but TWO Australian whisky clubs.
Here's a quick report from the latest STREAH club tasting.
Amsterdramming 1998 - Part 2
prE-pistle #1998/20 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
More assorted comments to prepare Craig for a culture shock.
Australia and Holland are literally on opposite sides of the globe.
Rugby & My Visit to Amsterdam
prE-pistle #1998/21 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Yes, more excited chatter about Craig's upcoming visit.
This would be the very first 'live' meeting of maniacal minds.
Saint Thomas Adventures
prE-pistle #1998/22 by Louis Perlman, USA
Meanwhile, Louis had been vacationing in Saint Thomas...
Needless to say, he did some serious shopping.
Grappa & Stuff
prE-pistle #1998/23 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Yes, even more 'chatter' from Amsterdam... I thought I was ready for grappa - but I wasn't... What a desillusion... Bla, bla, bla...
Black Bottle
prE-pistle #1998/24 by Louis Perlman, USA
The newly introduced 'Black Bottle' vatted malt whisky received positive reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Worth investigating...
>>> Malt Maniacs #004 - December 1998
Longmorn Vertical with Craig
prE-pistle #1998/30 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
You can read more extensive impressions of the Longmorn tasting with Craig in my Liquid Log on Malt Madness, but here's a quick update.
First Autumn Report
prE-pistle #1998/31 by Louis Perlman, USA
Louis' previously infrequent E-pistles are developing into a steady stream of reports on his tasting sessions and latest acquisitions.
Autumn in Holland
prE-pistle #1998/32 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
Louis and I seem to share a fascination for the weather - and for the way seasonal influences seem to affect our preferences. And since the climates in New York and Amsterdam are similar, we can enjoy the same types of
drams at the same time of year.
Adventures & EoZ October Meeting
prE-pistle #1998/33 by Craig Daniels, Australia
Craig shares a few thoughts about the Glenlivet distillery and the Glenlivet 'appelation' which is almost a geographic style by itself.
Second Autumn Report
prE-pistle #1998/34 by Louis Perlman, USA
Featured in this report from our reporter in New York: Auchentoshan, Glenfarclas, Laphroaig, Royal Brackla and Springbank.
Micro Report t
prE-pistle #1998/35 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
OK, I admit this is one of the smallest and shittiest reports ever in our E-zine, but as I mentioned earlier, I hate throwing stuff out.
The 20th Century Dolphin
prE-pistle #1998/36 by Craig Daniels, Australia
With the end of the year coming closer, we were all getting in slightly more festive and slightly less serious moods. Craig found something funny by a fellow Australian he wanted to share.
Black Bottle & Stuff
prE-pistle #1998/37 by Louis Perlman, USA
Unlike the title of Louis' E-pistle suggests, the new 'Black Bottle' bottling still hasn't reached the American shores yet. Fortunately, some
other stuff worth writing about DID reach the USA.
Wrapping Up 1998
prE-pistle #1998/38 by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland
We managed to make it to 38 E-pistles this year. Three times as many as in 1997 - let's hope we'll break the 50 mark in 1999...
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