Page 71 - Microsoft Word - miniz-digest-98-103.docx

The Hooghoudt tasting kit is another from
The Netherlands, this time with Dutch liquor.
It contains an attractive tall tasting glass and
two bottles. The first contains Dubbele
Graan Genever and the second Kalmoes
Beerenburg.

I was unfamiliar with Kalmoes and so with
the help of Google translate I found it is
known as Calamus in English. Wikipedia
describes Calamus: Acorus calamus,
commonly known as Sweet Flag or
Calamus, and erroneously as "rush" or
"sedges", is a tall perennial wetland
monocot of the Acoraceae family, in the
genus Acorus. Other names include
beewort, bitter pepper root, calamus root,
flag root, gladdon, myrtle flag, myrtle grass, myrtle root, myrtle sedge, pine root, sea sedge, sweet
cane, sweet case, sweet cinnamon, sweet grass, sweet myrtle, sweet
root, sweet rush, and sweet sedge. The scented leaves and more
strongly scented rhizomes have
traditionally been used medicinally
and to make fragrances, and the
dried and powdered rhizome has
been used as a substitute for
ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
WebMD had more information
about it's medicinal properties:
Despite safety concerns, the root
(rhizome) is used to make
medicine. It is used for gastrointestinal problems including ulcers,
inflammation of the stomach lining, intestinal gas, upset stomach and
loss of appetite. Calamus is also used as a calming medicine, to
induce sweating, and to treat rheumatoid arthritis and stroke. Some
people chew calamus to remove the smell of tobacco, as a stimulant,
to increase their sense of well-being, and as a hallucinogen. It sounds
as though you should not drink too much of it!

Just to complete this article I have another package to show you. This
is not a kit. It is a mini of Johnny Walker Blue Label (the modern label) packaged with a lapel pin of
Johnny himself. The pin can been seen on the neck, just below the cap. This was packaged for the
Japanese market.

There are many more kits to be found, especially Scotch kits, but none can be said to be common. I
have always liked these but they do take up a lot of display space. All but the Mackinlay's set are
part of my collection. A collector trying to sell about 550 mainly common bottles has this kit for sale
so I may yet own it.

Erica Mulder

- 10 -