The Accerpeel Whisky Club

It was a unique experience I have to tell you! My husband is the drinker - not me. I have been drunk only twice in all my 35 (nearly 36 years) much to my husband's enormous disappointment. Somehow he thinks I'll be more fun if I were a tipsy version of myself. As if the sober version of me wasn't fun enough! Tsk! I ask you.

Anyway, when I told my friend Steve Crouse about this whole Kili lark with the punchline being that I wanted to raise a whack-load of money for ORT, he didn't even hesitate before committing his whisky club to a fund-raising event on my behalf. I was about to find out that when Steve says he'll do something, he really means it.

Soon after, he called me with a date. The gentlemen of the Accerpeel Whisky Club (and No! Do not ask me what Accerpeel means) had given their blessing and  had scheduled a tasting to take place at our local community centre, by invitation only. There was to be a light catered supper, drinks and the presentation of some fine whisky in the forms of Macallan and Highland Park.

The 10 and 12 year old Macallans and Highland Park

Patrons would be charged an attendance fee which would cover costs plus a bit extra which would go to ORT. But Steve wasn't quite done. He had then arranged for some raffle prizes, so that we could sell tickets beforehand and add extra money to the pot. There were some fabulous prizes - unit trusts, weekends away, vouchers for electronics, vouchers for Food Lover's Market, a professional photo shoot and the kicker - a diamond tennis bracelet valued at R25 000. Given those kinds of prizes, I sold R10 000 worth of tickets just by sending out bbm and WhatsApp broadcasts. But Steve still wasn't finished. He had contacted Sibusiso Vilane, who had graciously agreed to be our guest speaker for the evening. It was during his address that I first heard the term "Roof of Africa" applied to the summit of Kilimanjaro and it literally sent chills racing up and down my spine.

Sibusiso began his illustrious mountaineering career working as a game ranger at the Malalotja Nature Reserve where he met John Doble in 1996 who became a friend and benefactor, and who was instrumental in finding the necessary sponsorship for Vilane's Mount Everest summit expedition. Sibusiso started climbing in 1996 by summitting peaks in the Drakensberg. In 1999 he summitted Mt Kilimanjaro and went on to the Himalayas in 2002. He is the first black African to climb the world's highest peak twice and by two different routes. Three children's charities benefited from his climb: The Birth to Twenty Research Programme at Wits University, the Africa Foundation and the SOS Children's Village in Swaziland. Since his second Everest climb, Vilane has completed all Seven Summits. In late 2007, he and fellow mountaineer Alex Harris embarked on an unsupported and unassisted trek to reach the South Pole which, when they completed the expedition on 17 January 2008, made Vilane and Harris the first South Africans to walk to the South Pole, and Vilane the black person to do so.

It was a wonderful evening. I was interested to see that the "brand ambassador" of the Edrington Group of Whisky Portfolio (that's her official title) was a blonde bombshell named Candice Baker who flew up from Cape Town specially for the event.

Candice - who says she is genuinely as passionate about
whisky as she sounds!

I learnt many things that evening. It was my first ever whisky tasting so I had never been through the strict protocol that applies - gosh they take their scotch very seriously.  It was highly educational though and from Candice I learned all about the difference between sherry and bourbon oak casks, peat and its use in creating the smokiness in a whisky and of course how to appreciate the appearance, clarity, (you'd think these were diamonds we were evaluating), viscosity, taste, mouth-feel and finish. I learned when and how to add water to bring out the different effects on taste. From Steve I even learned the difference between "Whisky" and "Whiskey" - which impressed my trainer Andy who happens to be Scottish, to no end.

Bottoms up - getting into the "Spirit" of things

No doubt though, the best part of the evening was having the opportunity to meet Sibusiso. This great man, an explorer and adventurer is the humblest of souls - a gentle-man in the truest sense. Self-effacing and approachable he answered our amateur questions thoughtfully and with care and never once made us feel silly or inconsequential. He told us how on his first climb - up Mt Kilimnajaro, he was affronted when told as a young man that he would need to give his duffel to an elderly porter to carry for him. What kind of insult was this, his very manhood was being questioned! Until it was explained quietly and discreetly, that the elderly porter relied on his ability to carry the climbers' duffels to earn a living for his family. Sibusiso entertained us with stories of how he used to be amazed that the climbers would leave camp while the porters would stay to strike camp. 45 minutes to an hour later, there they were rushing past, duffels, tents, chairs, cooking supplies balanced on their backs. They would shoot past the climbers and all the while they would caution them, 'Pole! Pole!' (Go slow, go slow!) as they raced ahead to set up the next camp in preparation for the climbing team.

Robyn, Sibusiso, Steve, Candice, Tali - Cheers!

What an honour and a once in a life-time opportunity. That evening the Accerpeel Whisky Club raised over R23 000 for ORT. I was humbled by the generosity of Steve and his whisky club mates. During his talk Sibusiso said that in life, our mountains will always be there. Those challenges that face us will never get smaller. All we can ever hope to do is rise to meet them, and make ourselves bigger to face what comes our way. To my mate Steve - and his wife Leora (who I'm thrilled to tell you, won the tennis bracelet!) and to all the Accerpeel guys. Cheers!



May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you gently in the palm of His hand.

(Traditional Gaelic Blessing)

by Tali Frankel