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About Me

WHO AM I? If you know me, you might know that I am a single-malt Scotch whisky aficionado. I am Thomas Maufer (here is my professional background, and you can see my personal background on Facebook). My primary area of emerging ability is Single Malt Scotch; I also have a growing knowledge base around Bourbon and Rye whiskey.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The subject of this blog is whisk(e)y. This kind of distilled spirit is special: It’s meant to be appreciated slowly, with friends. You drink this for the taste, the complexity, the enjoyment. You don’t drink it to get drunk. It should go without saying, but: Never ever ever drink and drive, operate heavy machinery, or do anything else where your alcohol-impaired judgment could result in harm to yourself or others.

 

6 responses to “About Me”

  1. Mike Sharples

    7-January-2010 at 00:45

    Hi,

    I hope you don’t mind me getting in touch this way, I just wanted to take a minute of your time to discuss the possibility of our sites working together in terms of affiliating.

    Abbey Whisky has been in business now for nearly two years now, and is going from strength to strength. Our customer feedback has been exceptional over the time that we have been in business and truly believe that we will continue to get even stronger over the coming years.

    We are looking for similar sites to ours, and also other Whisky related sites that we feel have the same high standards as to what we give out every day to our customers. We believe after reading your blog, and also hearing many good things from other readers that your site is one that we would like to work with.

    We believe that we can bring a lot in terms of affiliating. We are currently getting very impressive stats in terms of unique daily visits, and currently affiliate with companies such as McAfee Secure, Shopsafe.co.uk and Lloyds Living The Dream.

    We would advertise your sites logo/title on our links page and in return we would be looking for our brand to appear on your equivalent section.

    I look forward to hearing back from you, and hopefully working together.

    Sláinte

    Mike Sharples
    Proprietor
    Abbey Whisky
    http://www.abbeywhisky.com
    abbeywhisky.blogspot.com
    Tel: (+44) 7870 784230

    Specialist supplier of rare, collectable and exclusive malts.

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    • tmaufer

      12-January-2010 at 17:31

      Mike–

      My sincerest apologies for not getting back sooner. I’ve been on an extended holiday, followed by a burst of business travel for my day job. I’d much rather be working in the spirits industry, but for now that’s just a dream.

      I’d love to work with you and am checking out your site for ideas. I imagine that a first-level connection we could make is a blogroll mention, and I’m implementing that just as soon as I finish typing this. I have two whisky-themed blogs: http://bit.ly/whisky2dot0 and http://bit.ly/bruichladdichblog and I’ll link to you from both of them. One thing I think is very important, in terms of SEO, is to be very specific in your subject matter. That’s why I have two blogs…I try to keep content near other similar content.

      Best regards, and I hope you’re doing ok tolerating the very cold/snowy Winter you are having!
      ~tom

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  2. Kenneth Blankenship

    18-March-2010 at 10:36

    Hi Tom,

    Great website. I am interested in putting a link to my site on your whisky page. I am a retailer of Distillery Etched Glencairn glasses and copitas as well as Iona Jugs and Celtic Monogrammed Glencairn glasses. You can view this site at http://www.scotchwhiskyglass.com and I appreciate any consideration you give to this.

    Kind Regards,

    Kenneth

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  3. Laura Barette

    29-June-2010 at 03:21

    Hi Thomas,

    I’m getting in touch on behalf of Chivas Brothers to let you know about a global whisky campaign being launched today that, as a keen whisky blogger and aficionado, you may be interested in.

    According to new research nine out of ten consumers believe a whisky’s Age Statement serves as an indicator of quality. However there is global lack of knowledge in what the Age Statement actually means: nine out of ten whisky drinkers do not understand that the age statement refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. Nearly half (48%) believe an age statement refers to the average age; 35% believe it signifies the oldest whisky present.

    Chivas Brothers is responding with a campaign called The Age Matters, which will manifest itself through stand-alone activity as well as through integration across the company’s aged whisky portfolio, which includes the Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet, and Royal Salute brands.

    From 1 July 2010, consumers across the world (including Australia) will be encouraged to look for age statements on Scotch whisky, via point-of-sale materials, advertising and public relations. The campaign will encourage whisky drinkers to understand the significance of an age statement on a bottle of whisky that provides a guarantee of the product’s age.

    We have produced an online video for the campaign which you may embed on your site along with our campaign imagery which I can email to you.

    The link to this video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9YFphXtEMY and for further info please see http://www.theglenlivet.com/theagematters

    There are also some exciting initiatives that will take place as part of this campaign, which I would love for you to be involved in as they happen, but if this is not for you please just let me know and we will refrain from contacting you with campaign info in the future.

    I have pasted a press release below with some more info for you. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

    Thanks,
    Laura
    0207 307 3145

    Press Release
    THE AGE MATTERS

    Chivas Brothers launches global consumer campaign
    on the importance of Scotch whisky age statements

    The world’s leading producer of luxury Scotch whisky, Chivas Brothers, is launching a global campaign to advocate the importance and value of the age statements to consumers.

    According to new research commissioned by Chivas Brothers, 94% of consumers believe the age statement serves as an indicator of quality, 93% believe that older whiskies are better quality and 89% actively look for an age statement when making a decision to purchase.

    However, there is a global lack of knowledge about what the age statement actually means: only 10% understand that it refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle, nearly half (48%) believe an age statement refers to the average age and 35% believe it signifies the oldest whisky present. The Scotch Whisky Regulations (2009) make clear what an age statement means – the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle.

    Chivas Brothers, Distiller of the Year 2009, is responding with a campaign called The Age Matters, which will manifest itself through stand-alone activity as well as through integration across the company’s aged whisky portfolio, which includes the Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet, and Royal Salute brands.

    The aim of the campaign is to enable consumers to understand fully the age statement and to appreciate the value of the premium product they are purchasing.

    One of the greatest influences on the flavour of whisky comes from maturation. Much of the complexity of Scotch whisky comes mainly from its time in oak casks in Scotland; with outstanding spirit and excellent wood management, it follows that the longer the maturation period, the more complex the whisky.

    From 1 July 2010, consumers will be encouraged to look for age statements on Scotch whisky, via point-of-sale materials, advertising and public relations. A logo using the language Guaranteed Age Whisky has been created for usage in retail, and will be visible in the environment of Chivas Brothers brands that carry an age statement.

    Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers Limited, says: “The revelation that so many existing whisky drinkers do not understand that the age statement refers to youngest age of the whisky, shows that there is an opportunity for us to inform them.

    “In an age when consumers of luxury goods increasingly demand transparency and authenticity from brands, it is vital that we empower consumers with knowledge, so that they fully understand the value of what they are buying.”

    —– ENDS —–

    Notes to editors:

    Details of further consumer engagement activity will be released in due course.

    With more than 85% of the market share of Scotch whisky aged 21 years old and over, Chivas Brothers has a long history of expertise in producing award-winning high aged whisky brands.

    The research was commissioned by Chivas Brothers Limited and conducted by an independent market research agency, Buzzback, between 3 June, 2010 and 9 June, 2010.

    The sample consisted of over 2,000 respondents in nine countries each evaluating a set of statements. All respondents were male and aged 21+ (or 25+ in India). All have purchased whisky in the past month. Countries: France, UK, USA, India, Korea, Russia, Mexico, China, Brazil. Additional findings included:

    94% of consumers believe that age is an important indicator of quality
    93% believe that older whiskies are better quality
    92% prefer to buy whisky with a clear age statement
    97% agreed that whiskies which claim to be aged should clearly state the age on the bottle
    89% look for an age statement when buying whisky
    86% expect to pay a price premium for whiskies with an age statement

    Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky with a portfolio that includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

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