Whisky Lady – April to June 2024

These days when I introduce myself professionally, my default description is that I’m “truly tri-continental.” Why? I’m originally from Canada. India has been my adopted home for 20+ years and my partner and furr family continue to live there, so I get home as much as possible. And professionally, Germany is my dynamic and happily challenging work home! This “tri-continental” description was never truer than this quarter which began in India, carried on in Germany (with a jaunt to Cannes and Amsterdam too), then Winnipeg, Canada, and back to Deutschland.

As my work life tends to be quite hectic, I used my downtime in India and Canada to catch up on tasting notes. This is why many posts this quarter were actually from previous experiences. In my humble opinion, for someone who writes for pleasure and not a profession, this is perfectly acceptable!

New experiences in the quarter included an informal evening with a few ladies in Mumbai featuring a trio from Shelter Point from BC, Canada:

Post my Canada trip, I carried on the Canadian theme in June 2024 with my Shelter Point whiskies remaining in Germany:

It was such fun to share a little slice of Canadiana – both in India and Germany!

Our Nurnberg International Whisky Explorers group also had a theme comparing Original, Independent, Cask Strength – a nice way to explore a distillery’s character. It was more like two sessions in one, starting with an exploration of Speyside’s Glen Elgin:

Which was followed by an exploration of peat with Islay’s Caol Ila and Lagavulin in a rather unique way:

What a terrific way to discover two quite different sets of whiskies!

As for the previous quarter, I belated shared reviews about our rather fun February 2024 theme of “Not Your Ordinary Blend” featuring:

However March turned a corner, and our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group had a fun St Paddy’s day celebration with Irish stew and of course Irish whiskies!

March in Mumbai with the Bombay Malt & Cigar lads kept with the Irish theme. We were introduced to a trio of Waterford Irish whiskies! True whisky “geek” territory with all the details disclosed!

I still have to catch up on an interesting assortment from a sample swap plus three sets of miniatures from Bombay Malt & Cigar sessions that I had missed – below are notes from an evening focused on Indie Bottlers, followed by a theme around What’s in a Name

I first posted about the Indie Bottlers:

Then carried on with the What’s in a Name theme which introduced Simply Whisky:

Clearly a quarter of travels, family, friends, and more. What a few months!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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Whisky Lady – January to March 2024

New year, new beginnings, new opportunities, new experiences. The first quarter of 2024 sped by! And has been full of interesting exchanges over a dram or two – a journey of discovery with other enthusiasts.

We kicked off the year with two sessions in Mumbai: the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents and then an informal Whisky Ladies. For the 1st, it was a rare partners’ gathering with my turn to contribute the whiskies! It was a tough choice, however, I settled on the following from Chorlton independent bottler: 

  • Teaninich 12 year 54.2% From May 2022, matured in a Hogshead. Alas for us, a bit of a disappointment. 
  • Benrinnes 14 year 55% Also from May 2022, matured for 10 years in a bourbon barrel then finished for 4 years in a sherry butt. Soft waxy fruitiness, then classic sherry palate, shifting with water into tart fruits.
  • Deanston 12 year (2023) 52.6% From the Apr 2023 releases, matured in bourbon barrel, reputed to be young, zesty fruits, minerals, bready. 
  • Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% From the July 2022 releases, matured in 1st fill Oloroso Hogshead, described as an old school sherry, jammy fruits, smoky and chewy. It was delicious and the clear “hit”!

This was followed the very next day by a special reunion with some of our Mumbai Whisky Ladies. My original plan was an exploration of Canada’s Shelter Point, however, I decided to stick with the Chorltons, given those who have been on our Shelter Point journey – including two fellow Canadians – couldn’t join. 

I also left behind in India an interesting assortment from a sample swap plus three sets of miniatures from Bombay Malt & Cigar sessions that I had missed – TWE Peaty trio, What’s in a Name, and an evening focused on Indie Bottlers.

Back in Germany, we set up the next few months of Nurnberg’s International Whisky sessions. This time with a few guidelines to help reduce the risk of draining a special bottle nearly dry! We kicked off with a fun approach with a session called Surprise me! so named as participants brought a covered bottle, revealing only after trying.

The next month it was followed by a theme of “Not Your Ordinary Blend” with:

Berry, Edradour, GlenAllachieFebruary also brought a series of evenings with friends and acquaintances over different drams!

February closed with a special evening of mutual discovery... What specifically did we try in our wee gathering of friends over a few drams? It was a combination of sharing open bottles and an excuse to open a couple of new ones too. A few that stood out included:

We marched on to March which brought Nurnberg’s The Village Whisky exhibition – with my activities limited to a Milk & Honey Masterclass and a small toast with the Sharing Angels.

Our Nurnberg International group had a wee St Paddy’s day celebration with Irish stew and of course Irish whiskies!

March closed back in Bombay with the lads, being introduced to a trio of Waterford Irish whiskies

This was immediately followed by an evening at St Regis featuring India’s latest Single Malt entry – Crazy Cock – a bawa whisky from amchhi Mumbai!

What else? Aside from the 2024 tastings, I also caught up on previous experiences. Such as an Appetizer Evening in London before The Whisky Show 2023 with:

Thankfully, we didn’t stop on such an unfortunate note. Instead, we carried on to compare two beautiful sherry drams – the Aberlour 16 year and the Arran Sherry. A fine and fitting close to our evening!

As for our Post-show evening in London? Aside from being a most enjoyable dinner with Sukhinder Singh, his wife, and friends, we also opened a bottle or two… as that is simply what you do!

As I finished the last posts linked to our London Whisky Show 2023 experience, I was determined to finish the last post from the London Whisky Show 2022! Whilst relaxing in our wee country home in rural Maharashtra, I sat down and finally converted my scribbles into a post about the remarkable Masterclass: The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky with Gregg Glass, James Saxon, Alex Bruce, Sam Simmonds, Phil & Simon Thompson… It was truly like stepping into a private gathering of old friends, catching up and telling tall tales over a fine dram or two.

All in all, it was quite a couple of months of activities and discoveries. Let’s see what the next quarter brings!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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Whisky Auctions

When I first moved to Germany, the fabulous Malt Maniac – Krishna Nakula – requested to use my address to ship a couple bottles from whisky auctions. This is how we had an opportunity to try a remarkable Hedges & Butler 21 year!

I am a total neophyte when it comes to Whisky Online Auctions… however, being based in Germany has a massive advantage over other parts of the world with a couple accessible options that readily deliver to Germany.

So one fine weekend, I decided to take the plunge! My approach was a bit random:

  • Target one possible “big” purchase – from a favourite distillery and my birth year
  • Then put bids in for a few different bottles that were within what I considered a reasonable range 
  • And then stopped… you could call it a call it “spray & pray” approach! After making my original bid, I committed to myself to simply let others outbid me and see what remained at the end

Are you as curious as I am about the results? Well, I can’t believe it! I bid for 18 bottles expecting to get maybe 2 or 3… instead, it was ZERO. Despite my having the highest bid on two at the time of the auction closing – both of which were terrific deals. Hmm…. This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the process. 

However, I decided to try again… this time had slightly better success however again missed out on the ones I REALLY was keen on. My conclusion? Perhaps a “spray and pray” approach isn’t the way to go if attempting such an activity again!

What did I snag instead?

Ardnamurchan AD / 4.21:03 46.8% 700ml O.B.

When they launched, there was a huge spike in interest and demand. One of my regrets from the Whisky Show 2023 was not spending time exploring the Ardnamurchan range on offer. So I decided to rectify it by acquiring a bottle – if possible.

All I knew was that it was matured in 65% bourbon and 35% sherry casks, this 50.50 mix of peated and unpeated spirit is the third release in Ardnamurchan`s AD series. Presumably, the 4.21 means it was bottled in April 2021 and “:03” means the 3rd release.

Tasting notes were limited to: A saline and candied citrus peel profile on the nose is followed by honeyed crisp fruit on the palate.

I purchased from WhiskyAuction.com in January 2024 for Eur 38 plus fees & shipping for approx Eur 48. This expression can still be tracked down with a range of prices from Eur 65 to GBP 100

Aultmore 9 year (Autumn 2000 / Spring 2010) Provenance Cask No 6211 46.8% (700ml Douglas McGibbon & Co. Ltd)

Next up was an Aultmore… Here, I have to be completely honest, I was swayed by memories of a much earlier young cask strength Aultmore.

I purchased it for Eur 46 plus fees & shipping for approx Eur 57. As with all my bids, I knew I wasn’t getting a brilliant deal, but it was within a comfortable range.

Glenkinchie 10 year 43% 200ml O.B.

The last was a Lowland malt – more of an impulse bid, not really thinking I would be successful. I will admit to knowing little about this expression beyond it originally being released in 1987 as a standard expression through the 1990s, since replaced by the 12 year.

I purchased it Eur 21 plus fees & shipping for approx Eur 27. In hindsight, this was probably a bit steep for a 200 ml bottle. 

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London Whisky Show 2022 – The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky

London’s The Whisky Show has some fabulous masterclasses! As I relaxed on our farm just outside of Mumbai, I reflected on various tasting experiences from 2023. From master classes to private sessions, from partnering with others to solo, I flipped through my tasting notes book to spot a few experiences not yet shared.

One truly stood out – I feared I simply could not do it justice. It was a truly special session from 2022! So I checked my scribbles to see if there was enough to share a flavour of this incredibly amusing Masterclass: The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky!

For those not familiar, The Unbelievable Truth is a UK Radio 4 game show devoted to truth and lies. Each panelist must deliver a short speech that is simply chock full of lies with the occasional, well-hidden truth. The others must then try to discover the truths whilst not falling for the lies.

In the case of this Masterclass, The Whisky Exchange’s Billy Abbott led the panel with Gregg Glass from Whyte & Mackay and Whisky Works, James Saxon from Compass Box, Alex Bruce from Adelphi, Sam Simmons from Atom Brands (aka That Boutique-y Whisky Company), and the brothers Phil & Simon Thompson from Dornoch Distillery. Billy was the arbiter of truth, backed up by researchers Oliver Chilton (whisky maker and Head BLender for independent bottler Elixir) and Dr Nicholas Morgan (author, archivist, and authority on Scottish whisky). All of the whiskies were selected and donated by their makers with the proceeds of the tasting going to Dorothy House Hospice Care, supporting their work across the south-west of the UK.

It was like stepping into a private gathering of old friends, catching up and telling tall tales over a fine dram or two.

All of the whiskies were donated by their makers and all of the proceeds of the tasting went to Dorothy House Hospice Care, supporting their work across the south-west of the UK.

Invergordan 1998

We kicked off with a grain from Whisky Works – the latest venture with Greg Glass. We could immediately tell it wasn’t a typical Scotch malt. On the nose, we found a lovely floral element, peaches and vanilla cream, herbal, followed by strawberry, apricot, and spearmint. On the palate, it was simply gorgeous, juicy fruits with a delightful spice. Simply stellar! Such a stunning whisky.

Compass Box Flaming Heart 7th Edition (2022) 48.9%

We continued with blend from James. Fruity, with a hint of smoke on the nose. Surprisingly peaty on the palate. A long strong finish, spirited with a cinnamon close.

The blend brings together Glen Elgin, Balmenach with the smoke stemming from Laphroaig, Caol Ila, and Talisker. Add to this mix were further Compass Box blends such as their Highland Malt Blend with five years in toasted virgin French oak casks, joined by remnants of Flaming Heart 2018, Peat Monster Arcana, and Nectar 15th Anniversary edition… so in truth it is a blend of blends!

The Sandebud Fusion 6 year 58.9% Adelphi

The Compass Box blend was followed by an offering from Alex of Adelphi. Very interesting! We later learned that it is a combination of Ardnamurchan and Sweden’s High Coast single malt – peated and unpeated.

On the nose we found peat and sweet mash, slightly sour, cured meats, and tinned mandarin orange.  On the palate, it was surprisingly mineral, creamy, and nutty, curiously compelling with a quaint character. It had quite a fab finish, dry wood, long and strong.

The XXX Blend 30 year, Batch 1 42.5%

From the folks behind ATOM Brands with That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Sam was up next. On the nose, we were greeted by caramel, chocolate and coffee, vanilla ice cream, and apple sauce with cinnamon. On the palate? Wow! A mix of so many elements from peat to sweet, silk to stone. Remarkably good. The finish returned to apples and sweet spices. It is made of seven casks and retails for Eur 233

Dornoch 4 year old (2018) 55.5% 

We closed with a young dram from Thompson Independent bottlers. For the nose – fresh, sour yet draws you in, almost meadowy, ginger joined by apple orchard. On the palate, sweet spices, panettone, with a lovely finish. Yum.

So from young to old, malt to grain, blends to single cask, tale tales to truths, what a wonderful way to explore a few drams with industry experts.

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Whisky Lady – October to December 2023

This year I really felt like I truly experienced winter! I spent late October to early November in my hometown of Winnipeg, Canada – which greeted me from the air with snowy whiteness! Plus remained in Nurnberg, Germany all the way til the last week of December – til I finally flew home to Mumbai, India.

It was a good quarter whisky-wise! This year I didn’t make it to that many whisky shows, however, I was NOT going to miss London’s Whisky Show 2023!! It was followed by a very special evening with the founder both of the show and The Whisky Exchange – Sukhinder Singh – always such a pleasure. Here are a few highlights:

Wow! We are already contemplating whether to come back in 2024 for just 1 day or attempt the weekend.

Then later in October, I made it to my 1st Schottland weekend – a remarkable weekend gathering of whisky friends in Franconia. A few highlights included:

This was followed by a trip to Winnipeg, Canada where I joined The Cabinet meeting in November. Our theme was “Alt Islay” to which I brought two Chorltons: An Ardmore and Staoisha plus a North Star Caol Ila. Our lads anchored our alternative Islay expressions with a Bruichladdich The Organic 2010 and Ardbeg’s Ardcore.

Curious about Finch‘s Schwabian distillery, I picked up an Octet sample pack and shared it one wintery November evening with friends. Our favorites were the Emmer Edition, Spelt Port, and Sherry.

Back in Nurnberg, I had not one but three whisky-tasting sessions. The first was dedicated to India as part of a Diwali celebration featuring:

PS – I later followed this experience with a special Paul John Christmas Eggnog indulgence – what a treat!

The second was a more sociable evening with a group of gals keen to learn more about whiskies. For this evening, I brought out bottles previously tasted:

The third was another session with our International Nurnberg whisky-tasting group which focused on exploring closer to our European home. We explored:

My 2023 ended with a trip home to India with tasting sessions planned for early in the new year! I can’t wait!

Here is wishing you and your loved ones a fabulous new year!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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India Quartet – Indri, Kamet, Paul John, Amrut

Thanks to Amrut and Paul John, Indian single malts are increasingly well-known around the world. So why not bring a taste of my Indian home to my German home – with a few very different whiskies!

What three Indian whiskies were included in our Indian-themed evening?

We kicked off with Kamet… What did we think?

Hmm… dried grapes (not quite raisins yet!), fruits, some tannins, some wood, caramel, marshmallows. We were caught off guard by the taste. It was soft, more like sipping wine than whisky. The fruity and woody flavours were joined by cinnamon, and some tobacco leaf. Not a bad way to begin.

We then continued with Indri from 2022.

Overall we found it enjoyable with a honey sweetness, fresh meadow, some vanilla, and almost a bit floral on the nose, then more vegetal on the palate, chased by sweet spices.

Next up was a shift towards Christmas with Paul John Christmas 2021.

Oh my! Now we are talking! Port, sour cherries, chili peppers, some rubber, koffee candy, and nuts. On the palate it was prickly. Really very delicious! An indulgent rich dram.

We closed with the impressive Amrut Port Pipe Peated from 2019.

It began with a slightly shy nose – at least it seemed so after the bold and beautiful Paul John. However as it sat in the glass, it began to open up. From inconspicuous to vivacious – clear peat and port elements with a salty chaser. On the palate, delicious! You need to slow down and pay attention, and then you will be rewarded with an intense, full dram, worthy of consideration.

This Indian quartet was followed by homemade dhoklas, an assortment of Indian sweets to close off an evening in Europe exploring Indian whiskies.

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Whisky Show 2023 – Life of a Whisky Ambassador and Lot 40

This year at London’s Whisky Show 2023, we did not join any master classes. We had hoped to catch the Gordon & Macphail organized a “This is your life” tribute to Sukhinder Singh, co-founder of The Whisky Exchange – however, the tickets sold out immediately!

Instead, we “accidentally on purpose” wandered by the mainstage when a session about life as a Whisky Brand Ambassador was on. It featured a panel led by the fabulous Dave Broom with Andrea Montague (Europe whisky ambassador for Barcardi), Dave Milton (Lot 40), and Alan Wardrop (Ian McLoed Distillers). 

Their tales of life on the road reminded me of my years as a consultant flying around Asia Pacific. And the outrageous reactions a woman in the whisky industry still gets, were unfortunately very relatable.

And just before you think it was all talk, no action… pours of Lot 40 100% Rye made its way around the attentive and amused audience. Here Dave regaled us with tales of life on the road and the joy of a good cocktail – highly recommending Lot 40 as a base for either a Manhattan or Old Fashioned – either of which I could completely see with their Rye!

As for the dram itself? My tasting notes were limited, capturing only:

Grassy even soapy on the nose with some Rye baking bread (as in still in the oven!), and toffee too. As for the palate, kept the character of the nose joined by some oaky elements and sweet vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce. 

It was a nice “pit stop” before we re-joined the fray of wandering through different whisky stalls and experiences.

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London’s Whisky Show 2023

As we were there for only one day, we did a little planning to ensure we were clear on our “must” vs “should” vs “could” stalls for this year’s London’s Whisky Show 2023. It was tough to choose – over 1000s of drams from a wide range of distilleries, independent bottlers and more! 

We went on the last day – Sunday – arriving about 45 mins early, knowing the lines would be long. It was completely sold out, however, with the tight limit on tickets, it was busy but not overcrowded, with folks there to explore and enjoy.

We did not want to miss using our “Dream Dram” coupons like last year – so this was our 1st priority. Knowing that we were there on the last day meant we also had to be flexible – some of our ‘top picks’ might no longer be available. Or… as it turns out… were indeed for only 1 coupon, but only the one you buy, not what was included with the ticket.

So what did we manage to try? Dream drams:

I was also determined to pick up a Show Bottle – only if it was both somewhat affordable and worthy!

What about the stalls? On the main floor, we checked out:

And on the 1st Floor, we made it to the following:

Plus a small respite in the Ardray lounge with a rather refreshing cocktail. And a pitstop at the Mainstage to catch some of the “Life of a Brand Ambassador” panel.

True – we skipped many worthy stalls! However, much like our approach to tasting, we preferred to spend more time listening and learning than speed-dating through everything. That said, we nonetheless managed to taste a prodigious range – some 50+ in total in just one day! Naturally, the majority of whisky samples were with a sniff, swish, and spit approach! Or with our favourite new tasting technique – just a few drops on the palate to gauge the flavours – so little that it evaporates without anything to swallow!

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London’s Whisky Show 2023 – Decadent Drinks

We arrived at London’s Whisky Show 2023 approximately 45 minutes early so that we could efficiently make our way to a few “target” stalls. First on our list was Decadent Drinks / Whisky Sponge.

For those not familiar, these folks (approx seven) are an independent bottler of spirits worth checking out. Rather than my speaking for them, you can get a sense just from how they describe their aim:

We try to source and create products that are fun, a bit different and are designed to provide pleasure and joy. And hopefully to lift your spirits and give you a bit of a laugh as well. We care deeply about quality and we go to great lengths to ensure that what is inside our bottles is brilliant, delicious and beautiful. But we also think it is important to not take life, or drinks, too seriously. Which is why you’ll find the outside of our bottles plastered with original artworks and designs which are surreal, silly, often satirical, sometimes dark or arty, but hopefully always fun. Above all else, we believe in having fun. 

As this was our 1st stall and it was only 11:30am, we knew we needed to begin with something lighter and fruitier – better known as a “Breakfast Dram”. We were 100% steered in the right direction by the lovely ladies who knowledgeably poured this beauty to get us into the mood for the malts to come!

Balblair 15 year Equinox & Solstice Summer Edition 2023 48.5% (Decadent Drinks) GBP100

It was a delightful dram – a nose bursting with sunshine, an orchard of apples and pears, fresh and intoxicating. On the palate, it was incredibly creamy and tasty – dancing along the tongue in a summery romp. Delicious! 

As we only do a sniff & a few drops, my notes are limited. However, it left a very positive vibe. Curious to know more? Then check out what the Decadent Drinks folks have to say about this dram:

This year’s Summer Edition of Equinox & Solstice is a small batch mix of two 2008 1st fill barrels of Balblair. They’ve been bottled at 15 years of age and this series’ trademark strength of 48.5%. 

The result is an extremely easy and luscious summer dram that showcases an abundance of Balblair’s natural green fruitiness and lusciousness, along with a nicely rich and creamy vibe from the 1st fill barrels. A gorgeous dram that balances simplicity, directness, freshness and maturity – perfect for summer as an easy sipper or in a highball with ice and soda! 

This year’s series features a set of wonderful original artworks by Skye-based artist Ellis O’Connor. For the Summer edition her inspiration was taken from some of the colours associated with long and luminous Scottish summer nights.  

With our palates perfectly calibrated for explorations to come, we then enquired about our 1st Dream Dam. I had my eye on the Glen Grant 5-year-old, bottled for the Italian market. Only to be informed, this very special, very old bottle was only available for purchased tokens. Sigh…

Whilst my tasting companion was inclined to “give in”, I kept us to our strict regimen – enjoy fully what is on offer at the Whisky Show, wait for a different environment to splurge on indulgent drams where can focus on a full tasting!

With that, we moved on to our next stall… Adelphi

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Whisky Lady – July to September 2023

Summertime in Deutschland – how glorious! A highlight this year was kicking off a new Whisky Tasting Group – based in Nurnberg! We started in July and then met again in August and September – wow! I also managed to FINALLY catch up on writing up tasting notes from previous travels and whisky events – fun! What can I say? While others go for holidays on the beach, I settle down with my laptop and scribbles to craft chronicles of tasting adventures!

We kicked off with a Gordon & Macphail’s Discovery series.

With a bonus calibration dram of Glen Grant – The Major’s Reserve! What a brilliant idea to consistently begin each session with an amiable dram to prime the senses for whiskies to come.

We followed this with a Glenmorangie Vertical – exploring the impact of different cask finishes on a delightful “base” whisky.

We had another bonus this time too – contrasting the Quinta Ruban with Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition (2005/2018) Double Matured (Port Finish) 40%

This was followed by a focus on sherry bombs! We went big and bold with:

During my June trip to Canada, I had fun with a tasting set from Germany’s St Kilian with a friend.  

  1. St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Thirteen‘ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9% – Not tried so that it could be experienced together with its deconstructed set!
  2. St Kilian Grave Digger Berry Metal 40% (Liqueur) – Saved to bring to Canada… described as an incredibly potent berry wow! (with a “kick”) 

Summertime also provided an opportunity to crack open a few miniatures like:

This was joined by recollecting an unexpected yet very special tasting evening  – where I could share my enthusiasm for exploring whiskies with dear colleagues who have become friends over the years of close collaboration. 

This experience inspired me to get back into “minis”. And whilst I haven’t yet cracked it open yet, I have ready and waiting for the next “round” of mini explorations not one but TWO new Whisky Calendars – the 2022 (on sale!) and the 2023!

It took a while, but I finally finished notes from Paris Whisky Live with the Lagg Masterclass and Arlett Whiskies from France. 

Phew! This quarter was SUCH a full round-up!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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