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Limburg
Whisky Fair 2015
or
Still
the best? |
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Limburg started for
me
on
Friday evening with a few friends getting together as we usually
do. The group numbered around 12-14 people and included fellow
Malt Maniac Oliver Klimek (sadly no others were in town this
year) plus some true maltheads like Steffen Bräuner, Lars, Alan
Robinson, CJ, Florian and a good few others including an old
friend from about 20 years ago in the UK with whom I recently
re-established contact.
This Friday meet-up over dinner is something of a Limburg
tradition for most of this group and again, as usual it wasn't
long before a few bottles appeared on the table and some fine
drams started flowing once the steaks were duly dealt with. In
this respect we're talking my old Bowmore 'screen print' 10y, a
Bowmore 1988 Garden Festival commemmorative ceramic jug,
Benromach Rare Malts, a 1967 G&M "Rare Old" Tomintoul plus more
.....
(Photo of me & Steffen, thanks Steffen!) |
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After a gloriously
sunny Friday,
Saturday started with the pre-requisite long queues patiently
waiting in the drizzly rain, I counted four different ones with
a total of a good few hundred people, but as is normal with
Limburg once the doors open everyone gets inside pretty quickly
thanks to typically good old German efficiency? Right then,
first stop restaurant and another personal Limburg tradition as
I catch up on the previous year with another Malt Maniac;
Charlie and also Alex of Adelphi. Aye, there's nowt like a good
old chin wag with these great whisky characters. Then after a
while the mood turns totally crazy with the arrival of Robin (Blackadder)
wearing his even more than usual sparkling red hat and his son
Michael. Is no comment or subject safe from his totally zany wit
and repostes? Obviously not, but I wouldn't have it any other
way. Welcome to Limburg 2015. |
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I'll not turn this
into a Limburg 2015 diary
but suffice to say I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend for many
different reasons. Obviously the whisky and more of that in a
while, but also the opportunity to catch up with friends I don't
see too often like Steffen, Oliver, Florian, Lars, Alan, CJ,
fellow expat Roger and many, many more. The opportunity to catch
up on old times with a dear old friend of 20 years ago was also
a rare treat, just to chat over good drams and good food is a
real highlight and another example of the benefits of events
like this, whether Limburg or others.
Less of the
blather, what about the whisky? Well, Limburg is indeed all
about the whisky and in my title above I asked if I still think
it's the best? Firstly I have to say I detected a few subtle
changes this year; a room previously used for masterclasses was
opened to the main fair allowing a little more room. Did this
contribute to the feeling of the fair not being quite as packed
as previous years or was it really a little quieter this year?
Limburg is mainly about IBs and independent whisky businesses
like the sellers of rarer bottlings by the dram as well as by
the bottle. Sadly I missed a couple of the usual exhibitors this
year like Wilson & Morgan. The independent sellers had their
usual selections of rarer and older bottlings and of course I
made the most of these, but sadly a couple of them just didn't
seem to have a good selection of full bottles for sale like they
have in previous years. Trust this to be in the year I was
looking for something along those lines.
At just €10 (per
full day) entry fee (including a tasting glass) it's still great
value but don't expect a UK (or USA) style 'all you can try'
event. That fee just gets you into the event, after which you
pay for any drams or bottles you'd like to buy or sample. As
I've mentioned in the past this also allows for people to take
along empty sample bottles to fill and try later at home in
leisure and comfort.
Looking at the
samples now on my desk from Limburg 2014 & 2015 this is borne
out just by looking at what's sitting waiting for me; Cadenhead
dumpy white label Dumbarton single grain 1959-84, another 1964
Dumbarton grain, a wonderul old Glenrothes 1972 cask strength,
Millburn 1972, Linkwood 1969, an old 1980's OB Balblair, 1969 &
1971 Longmorns, a Talisker 1953 24y, a long-lost Glen Mhor,
various Port Ellen, Banff, Inchgower and many, many more.
I was also happy to
see Wolfburn represented this year by their German importer and
I took the opportunity to get hold of a sample of their new make
which I'm looking forward to comparing with the various other
new makes I've tried.
Is it still the
best? Well, I have to say I still prefer this type of whisky
fair to the more common one where more standard corporates and
OBs are represented by their marketing departments showing 'what's
new' as opposed to the 'what's old' concept of Limburg so yes,
for me Limburg is still the best whisky fair for my personal
taste, but then I am a self-declared Old Luddite! |
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Limburg
Whisky Fair 2015
or
Photographing the fountain again |
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Limburg (whisky
Fair) 2015
is
less than two weeks away and it's time once again to start
preparing for my annual pilgrimmage to the whisky fair mecca
that is Limburg. It will soon be time to meet old friends, new
ones and of course, probably photograph the old town and
fountain yet again.
As usual I'll be
travelling on the Thursday before the fair which gives me plenty
of time to wander around town doing all my touristy bits before
the crowds arrive for the fair on Saturday. As for the
travelling; as much as I enjoy letting the train take the strain,
especially those first class 'quiet' compartments where
interferences from things like mobile phones are banned, I'll be
driving again which will allow me a more liberal approach to the
amount I can comfortably carry.
Carrying coals
to Newcastle? I'm feeling a bit like this at the moment as I
plan not only my itinerary but also just what to take along. No,
not just my suitcase for 4-5 days and my camera kit, but what
about a few samples for an old friend who recently
re-established contact after almost 20 years when he 'found' me
here on the interwebby thingy. Then of course a few of us get
together for a 'welcome' dinner on Friday evening which always
involves a liquid content. For the second year running I'm also
hosting a little very informal get together or meet-up at the
fair on Sunday. All of which means a couple of bottles are sure
to be accompanying me.
So, should you see
a strange looking eccentric wandering around town, camera in
hand, do say 'Hi' as you never know, it could be me. If not,
then you'll be guaranteed to make some new friends anyway.
Being a
self-proclaimed Old Luddite I don't join the modern craze of
"here I am, look at this coffee & cake / tea / beer
/ whisky" mobile
updates whilst I'm travelling, but if I think of anything useful
to say before I go I'll add it here. Then, of course, upon my
return I'll let you know how it was along with the obligatory
photos of fair, whisky, old town and almost certainly that
fountain. |
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A
selection of previous Dram-atics highlights
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Dec.
2010 |
December's Advent-urous drams,
Nant Distillery,
The road to Certification |
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Nov. 2010 |
Journey to end of Scotverse,
Wick,
Pulteney,
Balblair,
Knockdhu,
Homecoming,
Tweetup,
Chilling with Cooley |
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Oct.
2010 |
The John Walker,
Sampling with Master of Malts,
Changing jobs,
Whisky Round Table |
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Sept.
2010 |
Playing Chinese whispers,
Oktoberfest,
SMWS Spirit Cellar,
500,000 |
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August
2010 |
Elementary my dear Islay,
Handbags at dawn,
Dram-arkable 500,
Cheapo Challenge,
Ah Dooagh,
1 from 3 left |
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July
2010 |
Age
matters. A series of whisky reviews concentrating upon 'Age' |
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June
2010 |
Jules
Rimet, pickles & crisps.
Mon coeur, mon amour oh mon sherry.
A
taste of the great outdoors. |
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May
2010 |
The
highly-acclaimed and record-breaking "Desert Island Drams" |
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April
2010 |
My
peat's bigger than your peat,
A foursome with a famous Scottish
bird |
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March
2010 |
Sample
Mania tasting notes,
The Good, the Bad & The Loch Dh-Ugly,
A return to sanity,
The Choice of Managers |
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Jan-Feb
2010 |
Keep
taking the medicine,
It's Festival time,
Maker's Mark,
Sleeveless in Munich |
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Dec. 2009 |
All
power to bean-counters,
protecting Scotch,
seasonal drams,
Definitive Xmas Drams,
2009 Whisky Awards |
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Nov. 2009 |
How it
all started,
Bonfire night,
Autumnal musings,
EU Tax & Duty,
What's in a (whisky) name? |
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© Copyright
2009-2015 by Keith Wood - All rights reserved - Whisky-Emporium |
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