Booze & Beats

The latest bottle from Inner Hebrides heavyweight Ardbeg, Hypernova is an absolute peat beast. Peated in excess of 170 ppm (parts per million), it is described as “the smokiest Ardbeg ever” and is bottled NCF (non-chill filtered) at 51% ABV. Expect a pungent powerful nose with waves of tar, smoke and sea salt while there are lighter hints of fruit too. A drop of water will release a flurry of more rounded top notes, like lavender and chocolate. Flavours include sweet chocolate, cooling mint, pungent peat smoke, bitter almonds, and spices, while the finish is a power play of enormous, heavy smoke. When you’re freezing your nuts off on the water in sub-zero temperatures you’re unlikely to think of any of these elements, but this whisky will warm the heart and put iron in both your spine and your back cast. ardbeg.com

Dropping new beers every 5-6 weeks (shared first with an opt-in WhatsApp group and then with the general public), Joburg-based OC Brewery is generating a cult following. They have now now partnered up with beer nuts in other provinces like St Beeryard in the Western Cape and Capital Craft in Pretoria, to spread the love. While they drop hints in the weeks leading up to a new release, you only find out on the day of the launch what the new beer is. Their latest brew is the Dictator, an incredible American IPA with seriously hoppy notes (thanks to Warrior, Simcoe and Citra hops) and a good dose of citrus, floral and mildly piney flavours. 5.6% ABV. Sign up for the WhatsApp group via the adjacent QR code.

Based off the mixtape CD he used to have stuck in his car when he lived in Dar es Salaam, this is the editor’s updated tribute to the time he spent there in Bongoland (story on page ??). Expect Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Caribou, Frank Black, Beastie Boys, Wilco, Sonic Youth, Peter Tosh, Eels and more. Perfect for both fishing road trips and crawling through three-hour long traffic jams in Dar es Salaam during monsoon season.

Think you’ve got skills? Want to see one of your patterns immortalized in South African fly tying like Herman Botes’s Papa Roach or Tony Biggs’s RAB? We’ve teamed up with Arno Laubscher of ScientificFly and Grip Hooks for a multi-issue fly tying competition where each category winner gets Grip fly tying material prizes of R500 and the overall winner gets both R3000 of prizes, plus their fly goes into production in the ScientificFly range. Judges: Arno Laubscher, The Mission’s Editor-at-large Conrad Botes and former Proteas Captain MC Coetzer.

1. Baitfish pattern for predominantly GTs on flats/ shallow water. 2. Unweighted 3. 5” – 7” on #4/0 - #6/0 hooks 4. Preferably with a deep profile 5. Hook suggestions: Grip 21711NSL or 21571BN

1. Grip Hooks must be used 2. Grip tying materials must be used but you are not limited to only Grip materials. 3. ScientificFly reserves the right to tie any of the winning patterns commercially, credit will be given to the tier. 4. Entries must be commercially tieable with regularly available materials. E.g. do not us unobtainable materials such as the ball hair from the left nut of an unborn ice bear cub. 5. Entry must include: A. Hook style and size range B. List of materials C. Step by step photos D. Photo of the fly in the vice with Grip products in the background E. Preferably a photo of a fish caught on the fly 6. The entrant may be required to send a few samples of the fly to ScientificFly upon request. 7. Winners of each issue must send in 3 flies for grand prize consideration. 8. Submit your entries to info@themissionflymag.com. 9. Cut-off date for entries is February 21.