Loch Fyne Whiskies ‘We are still delivering whisky to the USA’

The first batch of parcels to the USA which we shipped on Monday under the new regulations have been delivered today direct to our customers without any difficulties.

You may view the complete article here

Best regards,

Loch Fyne Whiskies

david@lfw.co.uk

Wolfburn Distillery Reborn Distilling starts this month 

Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner, The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

“A consortium of private investors has submitted a planning application with Highland Council to re-open a distillery on the outskirts of Thurso,”  was the good news of  the John O‘ Groat Journal for Caithness.  The prospects of employment and a further tourist attraction certainly pleased not only the local authorities.

Wolfburn Distillery is now the most northern distillery on the Scottish mainland.

The purpose built whisky distillery is situated in a new facility at Thurso Henderson Business Park which is about 350m from the original site of the 19th century distillery.

Thurso on the beautiful north coast is the most northern town on the Scottish mainland with a population of  9,000.

History

“Wolfburn, Wolf Burn or Wolf Barn” is one of the lost distilleries of the northern Highlands and Caithness (see also Gerston near Halkirk). It was licenced in 1821 to William Smith & Co and in 1852 to David Smith, who „…invested heavily in Wolfburn…it quickly became a significant producer of malt whisky – tax records from the early 19th Century show it being the largest distillery in Caithness. In 1826, for example, its annual production was 28,056 “Total Gallons of Proof Spirit” – roughly 125,000 litres.”

Wolfburn’s production seemed to have ceased in the late 19th century. „The distillery appears on the first Ordnance Survey map of the area, dated 1872, marked as a ruin.“ See www.wikipedia.org.

“A single unroofed building, annotated as Wolfburn Distillery, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Caithness 1876, sheet v). It is not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1985).”  See http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk 

Wolfburn was closed around 1877 when production of whisky ceased.  Traces of the former distillery which was built west of Thurso in local dark Caithness flagstone can still be seen today.

Production Site

Development Manager Stephen Light of Aurora Brewing Ltd. reports: “After some investigation we discovered that the burn (Wolf Burn) runs alongside Thurso Business Park where there was vacant land available – therefore it was ideal for our plan. We’ve purchased the land from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and we’ve spoken to civil engineers and fabricators in researching how to physically put a distillery on site.”

See http://thursotown.co.uk

The building and the means of production were built by the distillery specialists Forsyths of Rothes. The new distillation unit will produce about 115,000 litres of pure alcohol per year and thereby nearly matches the production figures of 1826. The water source is the same as that of the 19th century distillery which came from the Wolf Burn.

The highly experienced whisky distiller Shane Fraser – a former production manager of Glenfarclas Distillery-  will supervise the production. It is planned that the new Wolfburn Distillery will produce non-peated as well as peated whisky which will be first on the market in 2016.

“We will be in full production by the end of January 2013,” Daniel Smith of Wolfburn Business Development says: “It is not going to be another Balvenie or Glenfiddich. We think it will appeal to a niche customer.”

Production Data

The following technical details were kindly given by Daniel Smith on January 15th, 2013:

Production water is soft and neutral in pH, it is drawn from nearby Wolf Burn;

Cooling water: closed circuit system with a cooling tower;

Size of the stainless steel mash tun: maximum grist load is 1.25 metric tonnes, the semi-lauter tun with a copper top was manufactured by Forsyths of Rothes, Speyside;

Malt supplier: several sources, e.g. Muntons Malt delivered the first malt, www.muntonsmalt.com; “Pot still malt is unpeated”;

Malt bins capacity is 32 tonne malt storage in total;

Milling: 1 to 1.25 tonnes per mash;

Mashing time and temperatures  “…are not set and will vary depending on yield and flavours”;

Worts‘ quality will be unfiltered, “…its quality is still unknown as production has not started yet”;

There are three stainless steel washbacks with a capacity of 9,000 litres each, “this is the vessel size; some airspace is needed because of switching the foam, maximum charge capacity is therefore c. 7,500 litres of wort.”

Anchor Dry, active dried distillers’ yeast is used;

Fermentation times will vary from 55 to 72 hours and occasionally longer;

Alcohol strength of the wash is still unknown because no fermentation has yet been conducted;

Wash still charge capacity: 5,500 litres, onion shape, short neck, inside shell and tube condenser,  spirit still charge capacity: 3,600 litres, onion shape with reflux ball, short neck, heating is by steam coils, onion shape, inside shell and tube condenser, manufacturer of the stills and condensers is Forsyths of Rothes, Speyside;

Low wines and spirit strength: “unknown as production has not started yet”;

Distilling capacity is 125,000 LPA, planned annual production will be around 115,000 LPA;

A mix of Bourbon and Spanish sherry casks will be used for maturing, which will be stored in a dunnage type of warehouse on site;

Waste treatment: there is no biomass plant; the draff will be used as cattle feed to cattle breeders in Caithness.

The vision to revive distilling in Caithness came true. Pulteney Distillery in Wick has got a new partner.

The Gateway to Distilleries presents photos by courtesy of Wolfburn Distillery (2013).  

Information

http://91.146.104.247/~wolfburn/about/

www.facebook.com/pages/Wolfburn-Whisky/352266044865681?fref=ts

www.whisky-distilleries.net (more photos)

About the Author: Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner M.A. was a director in an adult education centre. Ernie offers courses on whisky distilling, writes for newspapers and magazines in Germany.

He is the editor of The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net which gives an excellent photographic and educational insight into the whisky industry of Scotland, Ireland, Europe and Asia.

Announcing the
2013 Drammie Awards
Call for Nominations

It’s with great excitement that ForWhiskeyLovers announces the Call For Nominations for the 2013 Drammie Awards.

The mission of the Drammie Awards is to put the power of “recognition” in the hands of the whiskey consumer.

The 2013 competition commences with a nominating process where WhiskeyLovers can submit their own nomination(s) for any number of 15 total award categories.

The fifteen nominating categories are:

1. Best Whisk(e)y Marketing Campaign of 2012
2. Worst Whisk(e)y Marketing Campaign of 2012
3. Best Whisk(e)y Packaging of a whisky released, or packaging redesigned, in 2012
4. Best New Whisk(e)y Related Product
5. Best Whisk(e)y Information Source
6. Best Whisk(e)y Bar
7. Best Whisk(e)y Distillery Tour
8. Best Whisk(e)y Distillery
9. Most Exciting \ Innovative Whisk(e)y Producer \ Bottler
10. Most Innovative New Whisk(e)y” released in 2012
11. Best Whisk(e)y Value \ Bang for the Buck
12. Most Underrated Whisk(e)y
13. Best Blended Whisk(e)y of 2012
14. Best New Whisk(e)y of 2012
15. Best Whisk(e)y of 2012

Nominations will be accepted for three weeks, or until midnight on Friday, February 15th 2013.

Enter your nominations for the 2013 Drammies here.

After nominations are closed, ForWhiskeyLovers will post the top five (5) nominations (those receiving the most nominating votes) for each category on ForWhiskeyLovers.com, and voting will commence to select the category winners. Voting on finalists will be conducted for another four weeks, from Monday February 17th until midnight on Friday March 15th 2013.
The 2013 Drammie Award Winners will be announced on Monday April 1st 2013

Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com

Greetings!

I have some very exciting news to share with you this week.

First, it’s with great excitement that ForWhiskeyLovers announces the Call For Nominations for the 2013 Drammie Awards.

The mission of the Drammie Awards is to put the power of “recognition” in the hands of the whiskey consumer.

Nominations are being accepted for the next four weeks, until midnight on Friday, February 15th 2013. This is your opportunity to tell the Whisk(e)y industry what you think….I encourage you to enter your nominations for the 2013 Drammies here.

Next, with the resurgence of Scotch Whisky over the last few years, there has been a lot of building of new whisky distilleries in Scotland. To keep up with the activity, have a read of New Scotch Distilleries,the new article by FWL Contributing Editor Gavin Smith. It will bring you up to date on new distilleries in Scotland, and what new whiskies to look for in the months and years to come.

And speaking of new…this week’s featured whiskey is a relaunch of an old expression, from the folks at Michter’s.

The rich history surrounding Michter’s harkens back to America’s first distilling company established in the 1700’s by John Shenk, a Swiss Mennonite farmer. With his farm producing an abundance of rye, in 1753 Shenk decided to build a small distillery to convert his excess rye to whiskey. In time, this little distillery would come to produce what would someday be known as the famous Michter’s whiskey.

You can read the entire fascinating Michter’s history here.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, whiskey lovers made Michter’s Original Sour Mash Whiskey the distillery’s most popular type. In 1989 Michter’s Original Sour Mash disappeared from the marketplace – until now.

December 2012 marked the first release of Michter’s Original Sour Mash Whiskey in 23 years. It is made according to the traditional sour mash whiskey-making process whereby some previously fermented mash is used as the starter for the new mash to be fermented.

More than just a sour mash process whiskey, Michter’s Original Sour Mash is made from a special selection of grains, charred-barrel aged and, later on filtered according to the exacting Michter’s standards.

If you’re a Michter’s fan, then you know how tasty their whiskeys are, and how incredibly difficult they are to find. But thanks to our man Nicky The Neck, who knows a thing about all things “mashed”, we’re able to offer you the opportunity to acquire a bottle of Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey for $44.95/ bottle.

But if you want some, act fast. While we have more than our fair share, once it’s gone…

Until next week…I wish you high spirits!

Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com

MICHTER’S SOUR MASH WHISKEY

What’s Hot Snippet: Speciality whisky store launches in Hyde Park

The journey of Marc Pendlebury into the world of whisky has been filled with passion and dedication. Having already established his name within the whisky community through his prominent blog, WhiskyBrother.com, this well respected whisky enthusiast is proud to open the doors to the first speciality whisky store in Johannesburg.

The official WhiskyBrother store opened its doors in mid-December and his located at one of Johannesburg’s premier shopping centres, Hyde Park Corner.

“We have many exciting plans to expand the concept, from exclusive tastings, to whisky clubs. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge with everyday people that are eager to learn about whisky as well as fellow whisky enthusiasts all over SA” says owner, manager and storekeeper, Marc Pendlebury.

The store plays host to whisky from around the world, and related paraphernalia such as glassware, books and magazines. Set to hold the largest retail selection of whisky in the country, it is positioned to become a focal point in the South African whisky community; A place to taste and explore all things whisky, no matter the knowledge or experience of the drinker.

Notes:

WhiskyBrother, Hyde Park Corner, Shop number 16 D

Blog http://whiskybrother.com
Twitter @WhiskyBroShop

Top Picks

• 1996 Arran 15 Year Old Single Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($119.99)
This whisky is outstanding. The sherry flavor is intense, but not in a candied way. It’s earthy, thick with rancio aromas; the cakebread and raisined fruit flavors are supple but dry, and the spice really takes off on the finish. If I were teaching a class about sherry-aged whisky, this would be my prime example of what’s possible. At 51.1 percent, the extra proof really helps drive the flavor through all that wood. Arran is dialed in at the moment. This really makes we want to revisit the Devil’s Punchbowl special edition they released earlier this year. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

New Arrivals

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSF Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)
• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OBSK Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)
• Four Roses K&L Exclusive OESF Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon 750ml ($59.99)

Back in Stock

Ireland – Irish 

• Bushmills 16 Year Irish Whiskey 750ml – 11 available ($64.99)
• Connemara 12 year old Irish Peated Single Malt Whiskey – 6 available ($69.99)
• Redbreast 15 year old Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey 750ml – 12 available ($64.99)

Japan – Single Malt Scotch

• Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Japanese Peated Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $70) – 2 available ($54.99)
• Suntory Yamazaki 12 year old Japanese Single Malt Whiskey 750ml ($36.50)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas break. I’ve just spent the last week tearing my house apart and putting it back together again. It’s my first stay-cation in years, and I find myself now in need of a proper vacation. But no such luck, it is straight into the breach… where there will be more than a few drams!

There are some incredible new whiskies available like the 12th Edition Port Ellen, Bowmore 1985 Vintage, Adelphi Lochside 1965 46 Year (which is awesome), Lagavulin 21 Year (which is stunning), Springbank Calvados, Arran Orkney Bere (flying off the shelf) and a slew of new Bruichladdichs: Port Charlotte 10 Year, Octomore 10 Year (sadly sold out), Bruichladdich Bere Barley, Peat Project and more. PC10 was greedily gobbled up by one store, but don’t fret we’ll be getting some shortly, and selling it for $5 less a bottle! I’ve made mention of these and some other whiskies below. On to the upcoming whisky events…

The next couple of weeks are rife with opportunities for sampling premium whisky in Western Canada. First up is Thursday’s 2nd Annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival www.calgarywhiskyfestival.com   with proceeds going towards the MS Society of Calgary. There will be more than 32 stations pouring whiskies from some 60 distilleries and independent bottlers. The event will be held from 6-9PM in the Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby of the EPCOR Center. Tickets are still available for the event at  HERE which will feature more than 160 whiskies. There are also 3 Master Classes available which will offer sit down tastings with nearly half of the dozen Brand Ambassadors attending HERE .

Friday morning I am off to Victoria where hords of whisky lovers will be converging for the 8th Annual Victoria Whisky Festival www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com  The Victoria Whisky Festival is one of North America’s premiere whisky events, with a festival tasting, grand tastings, dinners and around 50 master classes. I’ll be giving one of the Master Classes for Compass Box, but will otherwise be soaking up the atmosphere, diligently writing tasting notes, and catching up with whisky friends I may only see once a year.

Monday morning after a weekend of dramming I am off to Vancouver where I will be giving a private whisky tasting. The event, which includes a dinner and some rare whiskies (two of them nearly 40 years of age) will run a very reasonable $150. If you’re interested in attending let me know, there are but 2-4 spots left as I write!

Then it is back to Alberta for you guessed it… more whisky events. On Tuesday Jan 22nd we are hosting a Glendronach Vintages vertical tasting which will feature 6 vintage bottlings of Glendronach up to 41 years of age. This will include an advanced sample of the as yet unreleased Glendronach 1989 Cask 5475(PX Sherry Puncheon) from Batch 7. Simultaneously there is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting with Georgie Bell being held in Edmonton at The Bothy South. Georgie is then coming down to Calgary the following night for a special tasting at the Brasserie in Kensington. Details on both of these tastings can be found at http://www.smws.ca/whisky-tastings/   where you can also register for them.

Finally next week will be capped off with our 8th annual Scots Wha Hae Robbie Burns Supper at Fort Calgary.  This year’s guest of honour is Michael Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail/Benromach. As a special treat participants will have an opportunity to help us select a private bottling of Benromach to be bottled for KWM. As always our Burns Supper includes a tasting of 6 whiskies, Highland dancing, poetry, song, haggis, and the most fun you can have with your sporran on! I’ve included more details on some of these fine events below. Truly a lot going on this month, and more to come in February.

I hope you enjoy this Malt Messenger Bulletin.

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

In This Bulletin

1. MS      Calgary Whisky Festival
2. Glendronach      Vintages Tasting
3. Scotch      Malt Whisky Society Special Tastings in Calgary & Edmonton
4. Scots      Wha Hae – Our 8th Annual Burns Supper
5. New      Whiskies

MS Calgary Whisky Festival– Thursday January 17th 6-9PM

The second annual MS Calgary Whisky Festival is just days away, and there are still some tickets available. This year’s event has attracted the whiskies of more than 58 distilleries and independent bottlers, as well as more than a dozen Brand Ambassadors. More than 160 whiskies will be available for sampling during the 3 hour festival including some very old and rare. All of the proceeds from the event will be going to the MS Society of Calgary  http://mssociety.ca/chapters/calgary/default.htm   .

Tickets for the event can be purchased through the EPCOR Center Box Office by following this link: HERE.

The three Master Classes on offer will feature whiskies not offered in the festival tasting. The Master Classes are $39 and can be booked by calling the EPCOR box office at 403-294-9494 . Please note you need to have a festival ticket to attend a Master Class. Some tickets for the Master Classes may be available at the door. The Master Classes:

1) Benromach vs. Tullibardine vs. Springbank vs. Kilchoman – The first Master Class features four brand ambassadors (Michael Urquhart, Ranald Watson, James Robertson and Peter Wills) going head to head in a game of oneupsmanship, featurings whiskies from their firms: Gordon & MacPhail, Springbank, Tullibardine, and Kilchoman!

2) Scotch Malt Whisky Society w/ Andrew Ferguson – The second Master Class is an initiation into the world of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, the world’s largest whisky club, and will feature a range of their whiskies, some never before sampled in Canada!

3) Morrison Bowmore with Ian MacCallum Last but not least Ian MacCallum of Morrison Bowmore will lead a tasting including the new 1985 vintage (of which fewer than 40 bottles have come to Alberta!).

Info on the Master Classes can be found here: http://www.calgarywhiskyfestival.com/master-classes/

I will be posting the full whisky list for the event and the Master Classes on the KWM Blog tomorrow, Wednesday January 16th: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/blog/ 

Glendronach Vintages Tasting – Tuesday January 22nd 7PM – $80

This tastings and the whiskies for it were decided upon in mid-November. Since then, all but one bottle of these five Batch 6 vintage Glendronachs have sold out: 1971, 1978, 1989, 1990 and 1993. To be fair, we did only receive 6 bottles of each, and the demand for Glendronach is soaring. To make the tasting just a little bit more interesting, Glendronach has kindly sent me an advanced bottle of the 1989 Cask 5475. Released as part of Batch 7 which is still many months away.

Since a change of ownership in 2008 Glendronach has been releasing some of the finest sherried whiskies in Scotland. Once a year we receive just one 6 bottle case of each of 5 different single cask, vintage bottlings of Glendronach. These single cask bottling usually disappear the moment they land. This vertical tasting is an excellent opportunity to see why Glendronach is rapidly becoming one of Scotland’s most respected distilleries.

https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Special Tastings in Calgary & Edmonton 

Georgie Bell, Scotch Malt Whisky Society Ambassador will be making her way through Alberta next week to put on special tastings in both Edmonton and Calgary.

The Edmonton Tasting will be taking place at The Bothy Wine and Whisky Bar on Calgary Trail, Tuesday January 22nd at 6:30PM. Tickets are $65/members and $75/guests. Tickets can be bought by clicking onto this link: http://www.smws.ca/whisky-tastings/scotch-malt-whisky-society-edmonton-tasting-at-the-bothy-south/

1. The Calgary Tasting will      be at the Brasserie Kensington, in… Kensington. The Calgary tasting is      an Islay theme (Taste of Islay), also starting at 6:30 on Wednesday      January 23rd. Tickets are $65/members and $75/guests. They can be      purchased by following this link: http://www.smws.ca/whisky-tastings/scotch-malt-whisky-society-taste-of-islay-at-the-brasserie-kensington/    

Scots Wha Hae: Our 8th Annual Robbie Burns Supper – Friday January 25th 7PM – Fort Calgary Officer’s Mess – $99

What can I say, except that our Burns Supper has become a January institution in Calgary. Usually held on the 25th (Burns Day proper) our event hybridizes a traditional Burns Supper with a whisky tasting. This is our 8th year hosting the event and our 5th partnering with Fort Calgary. The event is held in the stately  Officer’s Mess, which has always put on an excellent meal for us. Every year we invite a special guest, in this case Mr. Michael Urquhart of Benromach Distillery and Gordon & MacPhail (the world’s most respected independent bottler). Over the course of the evening Michael will tell us a little about his firm and its distillery while guiding us through a tasting of six single malt whiskies. There will also be a bagpipes, haggis, poetry, Highland dancing and song. A feast for your eyes, ears, nose, palate and soul. This event is usually capped at 120 participants, and is more than half sold!

https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

New Whiskies

1. Lagavulin 21 Year–      We managed to get our hands on a few more of these than planned. Only 60      bottles came into Alberta (probably Canada), we managed to get our hands      on 24 of them, and we have just 6 left! – $841.99
2. Port Ellen 12the      Release 32 Year – After two years of getting the shaft, Diageo      has seen fit to send some to Alberta. Am not sure how much came in, but I      only have access to 18 bottles, 8 of which are already spoken for. This      will likely be the last distillery bottling we see in this province. Even      the most reasonably priced independent bottling of Port Ellen now sells      for $500 or more! – $1424.99 (yes, sadly that is the      price, and it doesn’t include GST)
3. Adelphi Lochside      1965 46 Year – Tried this one with Alex Bruce in Edinburgh this      fall and it is even better than the last. Some good reviews online.      Alcohol is 52.3%. Gold Medal from the Malt Maniacs. This is a single blend      (grain and malt blended before going into the cask), matured in a single      sherry cask, and a great buy for 46 years… Only 12 available! – $399.99
4. Bruichladdich      Octomore 10 Year – Apparently only a very small amount coming      into Alberta. 50% 80.5PPM. Total of 6,000 bottles produced. Not even sure      how much we are getting! – $245.99 Coming in tomorrow and all      spoken for!
5. Bruichladdich Bere      Barley – One of two Bere Barley whiskies released this month, see      the Arran below! – $66.49
6. PC10 –      Final bottling in the PC Series. Also somewhat limited, and not to be      confused with the Port Charlotte 10 Year($65.99) which is also coming in      this week and will be a regular release!We were expecting some last week      but one store felt they should buy every bottle in Alberta. But no      problem, we’ll be getting some in 6 weeks, and selling it for $5 less! –      $119.99
7. Port Charlotte 10      Year – Not to be confused with PC10. – $66.99
8. Arran Orkney Bere      – Only 5,800 bottles of this collaboration between Arran distillery and      the Orkney Agriculture Institute. Has been getting a fair bit of press in      the whisky industry. This has been flying off the shelf, I’m surprised      anyone knew it was here. $80.49
9. BenRiach 1994      Companions of the Quaich Peated Virgin Oak Finish – About 20      bottles were left over after club members had their fill, and we are      making these available to the general public. It is a sister cask and a      more heavily peated version of the KWM BenRiach! – $117.49
10. Glenglassaugh Rare      Cask Series: This leather bound pack is a steal, containing 3      200ml Glenglassaughs: 26 Year, 37 Year and 43 Year. A 200ml of the 43 Year      alone should be $714, based on the price of the full bottles (when it was      available), meaning you are effectively getting this charming little set      at 35% discount, and they are throwing in the 26 and 37 years olds as a      bonus! You are basically getting $1000 worth of whisky for =>      $499.99  

* And this is just a taste more to come in next week’s Malt Messenger!

——————–

If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store. Feel free to forward me any whisky news you feel should be included in a future issue of The Malt Messenger; it might just get included.

All of the products mentioned in THE MALT MESSENGER can be purchased in store, over the phone or from our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com. All prices quoted in the Malt Messenger are subject to change, and don’t include GST. In the event of discrepancies, the point of sale will be taken as correct.

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger.

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

Manager & Scotchguy

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

Owner & Operator

Ferguson’s Whisky Tours

www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

www.ralfy.com gets busy with blended scotch starting with Whisky Review 333 – Chivas Regal 18yo.

Easy to find, better than many other options.