Page 31 - Issues131-133

new new zealand, this & that

As far as I am aware there have been no new NZ bottles in the last three months. I would be happy to be
proved wrong by you sending me a photo of any I have missed seeing.

The cover photo shows a very exclusive Advent set – see facing page.

Low and no alcohol drinks are becoming a trendy. WhistlePig has
released a 6yo no (well, almost no) alcohol rye ‘whiskey’ or as they
call it ‘non-whiskey’ known as Devil’s Slide. Said to be "the world's first
100 percent rye aged non-whiskey," the limited edition WhistlePig
PiggyBack Devil's Slide, which is less than 1 proof, is aged for six
years before being "undistilled" at the WhistlePig Distillery. The
resulting drink is described as "uniquely quaffable" while also
maintaining the original's "bold, complex flavour." WhistlePig also
suggests it's perfect for breakfast! The drink is being sold for January
only at this stage with all profits to charity. No mention of a mini but if
there was, would you whiskey collectors collect it?

I am sad to report the death of John Sullivan. John was known as ‘The
vodka Guy’ and had a very impressive collection well before vodka
became trendy. He also had other great bottles which he has been
gradually selling off over the last few years due to his ill health. John
was very knowledgeable, opinionated, but universally liked. Check out
his web site, which is still on-line as I write this: http://www.minivodkaguy.com/

Following my entirely justified rant in miNiZ130 I am glad to say that there has been a response, albeit a small
one given the size of our membership now. I wish to thank all the contributors to this edition. Other members
can contribute, no matter the size of your collection, where you live, or how long you have been collecting. As
with Pieta (see back page) something is better than nothing. This was Pieta’s second contribution, two more
than the majority of the membership. To paraphrase a former US President “Yes You Can.” Enough said, let’s
work together to make miNiZ132 a 30+ page edition again.

Ron Gabbard is both a member here and the editor of both the Midwest Miniature Bottle Club and the
Northwest Miniature Bottle Club newsletters. These are the two remaining US Mini Bottle Clubs and the
membership, like membership of most clubs these days, is declining and the remaining membership is getting
older. The MMBC is a particularly important club in that it hosts the biggest show\convention\sale worldwide in
St Louis each year. This attracts, in a normal year, collectors from anything from 10 to 20+ countries. Like
ourselves the MMBC is a true international club, in fact the current president (Rotem, also a member here) lives
in Israel.

The MMBC newsletter is somewhat similar to miNiZ and Ron has the same problems I do, he struggles to get
articles. Their latest newsletter has just been published and it was mainly written by Ron. Despite this he
always gives us a plug and appeals for articles for miNiZ, and often writes some himself (as in this edition).
Thank you Ron.

Now, check out the MMBC website http://www.midwestmbc.com/ and join if you like the look of it. It’s not free
but then few worthwhile things are (NZMBC is one of the exceptions that proves the rule). The members only
area has access to back copies of all their newsletters going back decades. Membership enquiries to:
petegabbard@msn.com (just keeping it in the family!). Then write them an article, whether you join or not
(maybe an article as to why you are not joining? ) and send to Ron: gabspa@msn.com

And finally the Elephant in The Room (unfortunately not one giving me fertilizer for the garden). Covid has set
us all back, whether we have caught it or not. It has not made bottle collecting a priority and I understand that.
Things will get better eventually (there are 2 universal Covid vaccines in the pipeline - USA & Japan – that
should give lifetime protection against any version/variant). In the meantime, stay safe.

David Smith

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