Page 83 - Microsoft Word - miniz-digest-98-103.docx

this & that & cover bottle

This time I'm going to start with a grouch and then get onto much better things. Whilst doing research
for MBL I came across most issues of miNiZ on-line but not on an authorised site. This included
some reasonably up-to-date issues that are not yet available for downloading from the club. At any
time we do not have miNiZ from the last two years on-line so as to maintain our membership.
Someone who gets the electronic issue of miNiZ has passed on copies to the Russian prick
who has put these on line without asking. See http://en.calameo.com/accounts/867525 As well
as miNiZ there are also all scanned copies of Miniature Bottle Collector and Bob Snyder's miniature
books, none of which were authorised. We are happy to have older copies of miNiZ on-line and
David Spaid is happy to have the MBC's on-line but in both cases with the provision of link-backs to
the club and David. This is so that David can sell his considerable stock of physical magazines and
so that collectors will join the club to get the latest miNiZ. The Russian prick who has put these on-
line clearly knows he is doing the wrong thing as none of the Russian Club's newsletters are on the
site. If you passed on the copies of miNiZ to this prick CEASE AND DESIST NOW! The only people
authorised to put these publications on-line are myself and Ron Gabbard, who has authority to put
them on the NWMBC and MMBC sites (but not miNiZ for the last two years). Enough said.

Our cover bottle dates from the 1920's or 30's. It is only the second One Special Scotch made for
New Zealand that has turned up (there must be more!). It was found in a second hand shop by Ken
Chin. The picture on the bottles is the 1911 version of the New Zealand coat of arms, which was
used until 1956. Te Aroha is a small town in the Waikato with a population approaching 4000. Te
Aroha literally translates from Māori as The Love, although a better translation is The Place of Love.

I'm a fan of Port, although I now drink it rarely since I was found to be
diabetic. However I am not such a fan that I would pay €7000 for a 50ml
bottle! That's over NZ$11,500. This is for sale on a Portuguese web site,
where all the bottles are over-priced, although not to this extent. If you are
tempted they do offer free postage world-wide.

Despite Ebay now being a problem (disabled not dead - see a bottle David
Spaid bought on French Ebay in his article and Peter's As Seen on Ebay)
there are still plenty of places on-line where you can buy bottles. Not all are
as expensive as the Portuguese site. And, hey, what is wrong with good old
fashioned swapping? Remember that we have want and sale ads on the web
site FREE for members. We also have a free member profile - are you on
there? If not contact me for details.

You do not often see
bottles from Muslim
countries as, to say the least, they are, officially,
not keen on alcohol. The two on the right were
sent to me for MBL by Holm Hars, a German
collector. Both are from Haddad Distillery of
Jordan.Aspen Gold is a whisky and Arak Bekfia
is, of course, an arak. See David Spaid's article
for great bottle from Turkey - not a Muslim
country but the population are predominantly
Muslim. There are quite a number of minis from
Turkey so I will look at doing an article on them
at a future date.

Talking of David Spaid, his company, Chiisai Bin,
issued a lot of great ceramic bottles over the
years. I forgot to show you these Pickwick
characters in the last miNiZ. They were picked

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