millwatermaltofthemonth This month, we stay close to home with a superb whisky that is worth seeking out. I found mine under $100 at the Fine Wine Delivery Company on Constellation Drive. The whiskey in question is the Dunedin Master-Blended DoubleWood 40% ABV, aged 15 years, from the New Zealand Whisky Collection. Before we get to the tasting - a short history lesson might be useful. Whisky distilling began in New Zealand in the 1830s, with the arrival of Scottish settlers in the Otago region. Their nascent industry flourished until the 1870s, when onerous government regulation effectively shut it down. In the 1950s it gradually re-emerged and, in 1974, the Baker family founded the Willowbank Distillery, producing the popular Wilsons and 45 South whiskies. Seagrams bought Willowbank in the 1980s and produced the world-renowned Lammerlaw malt whisky; now extremely rare, expensive and much sought-after. In 1997 Seagrams
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sold Willowbank to Australian brewers Fosters – who closed it down and sold the remaining barrels over a period of time. The New Zealand Whisky Company bought the last remaining 443 barrels of cask-strength whisky and it has been maturing quietly in the Oamaru bond store ever since. Now: the whisky! Produced using only the finest local barley and pure snowmelt from the Southern Alps, the whisky was aged initially in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, then finished over 10 years in French oak ex-NZ red wine barrels. This has imparted a ruby colour to the dram and given it the distinctive depth of character and its superbly rich flavour. There are subtle fruit and floral notes, reminiscent of an old-fashioned Christmas cake, under which lies a delicious toffee-like sweetness. The vanillas from the oak are evident to just the right degree and the creamy malt explodes in the mouth. Definitely one for Christmas!
Glaucoma (narrow anterior chamber angles) and recommend treatment by an eye specialist.
GLAUCOMA: This is a family of eye conditions that affects about one person in fifty over the age of 40 years. It can be a primary disease, or secondary to other conditions. The common type (primary open-angle glaucoma) is referred to as the “silent thief of sight” because it may reduce vision slowly and progressively without warning, which is why it is so important to have regular eye examinations. That way it can be detected and treated at an early stage. It is an arrestable condition, usually treated with drops. Sometimes it runs in families; so, if you have a family history of this, it’s even more important to have that regular check-up. Less commonly, acute angle-closure glaucoma occurs. Symptoms of this may be headaches or halos around lights. Your optometrist might detect a sign of this at an eye examination
Here at Visique Millwater, our optometrists will screen for glaucoma at each eye examination; by assessing the optic nerve head and taking photographs for future comparison. The intraocular pressure is measured and visual fields (peripheral vision) examined, as well as examining the anterior chamber. It is important to remember that glaucoma can affect people who don’t need glasses or only need readymade reading glasses; so, even if you think you don’t need our help to see better in the short term, please take the time for an eye examination and eliminate the possibility of glaucoma – that way you will look after your long-term vision. We are here to look after your eyes, not just to make glasses. An appointment takes about 45 minutes and the cost is similar to a haircut! VISIQUE HAWKINS OPTOMETRIST 20/175 MILLWATER PARKWAY SILVERDALE 0932 TEL: 09 4265308