Father, Son & The Music of Michael Jackson

Feb 14, 2013 | ,

The Jackson 5 kind of looked like me. Sung nothing like me, fortunately. Reflected a life I thought fun and colourful. My father still has the Off The Wall record. It is my favourite Michael Jackson album - musicianship of the highest order. I do appreciate it more now that I’m older. It wasn’t always that way. My favourite used to be Thriller. I remember when Thriller came out. I was 10, going on 11. I got a ‘Michael Jackson’ haircut. I remember the Thriller video – a betamax – doing the rounds. I remember getting the jacket. I remember the Billie Jean performance at Motown’s 25th...

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Win with FB.BD: Van Ryn’s

Dec 28, 2012 | ,

This is the final post for the Fine Brandy By Design competition I’ve been running on evolutionary. The winner will be drawn and announced by mid-January 2013. I’m hoping to also travel to the distillery in Cape Town to go through the masterful process involved in the creation of brandy. I’ve been fascinated by the approach Distell – under Fine Brandy By Design - has taken to gradually change the perception of the brandies in its stable. Taking something that has a long and rich history and evolving it into a contemporary setting is not always the easiest. These brandies include: Klipdrift...

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Crack The Case Coming To An End

Dec 23, 2012 |

The Heineken ‘Crack The Case’ challenge is reaching its final stages with the series of ‘Green Missions’ being run through the Mission HQ on Facebook. Having been launched in November in the build up to the release of the latest Bond film, Skyfall, the competition comes to an end at the end of this month (and this year). Through a relationship with Heineken, I’ve had a couple of posts around ‘Crack The Case’ and Skyfall and have been fascinated by the varying views on both the film and the relationship with Heineken – we all remember “Martini, shaken not stirred” as opposed to “give me a...

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Win With FB.BD: Fish Eagle

Dec 18, 2012 | ,

Part three of the competition to win a 2 days for 2 in Cape Town, including visiting a distellery. This one is about Flight of the Fish Eagle. It draws its inspiration, ethos and branding from the African Fish Eagle … “our proudest symbol and represents everything our naturally superior brandy stands for: stealth, strength and bold confidence.” It is double-distilled in handmade copper pot stills, aged for three years in French air-dried oak barrels and has no additives or preservatives. In keeping with the natural spirit, Fish Eagle is involved in the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of...

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Win With FB.BD: Klipdrift

Dec 9, 2012 | ,

This is part two of the competition to win a weekend for two to Cape Town, courtesy of Fine Brandy.By Design. The prize includes flights (if the winner does not reside in Cape Town), car rental, accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis and a private brandy tasting and distillery tour. This post focuses on another brandy in the FB.BD family – Klipdrift. It was first distilled before 1938 by a JP ‘Kosie’ Marais in his backyard, drawing from Chenin Blanc and Colombar wines which grew well in the Robertson. The current Klipdrift Brandy Master is Johan Venter and, in the last century, beyond...

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