Bonhams Tasting & Preview of 1926 The Macallan "Adami" and "Sir Peter Blake" Labels (Tasted #389)

As many of you would have heard, Bonhams Hong Kong this week are auctioning two incredibly rare bottles of 60yo Macallan - the "Adami" and "Sir Peter Blake" Labels, released in 1986 (distilled in 1926) as a series of just 12 bottles each.

Suffice to say, with the same whiskies recently having sold in Dubai for $1.2m USD, we should be seeing some frenzied bidding come auction time this Friday.

 

To celebrate, Bonhams HK held a brief media tasting last week, showcasing some of the rare bottles in the upcoming auction (including the incredibly rare Karuizawas below), and tasting a well-selected variety of Scottish and Japanese whiskies, modern and vintage.

No stranger to the world of fine whisky and wine, Daniel Lam (Bonhams' whisky and wine specialist) selected 5 bottles for the tasting, covering 2 countries, 4 decades and both IB and OB varieties, namely:

• Yamazaki Limited Edition 2015
• Macallan 7 Year Oold (bottled 1990s)
• Macallan 18 year old (1996-2014)
• Bowmore 12 Year Old "dumpy" (bottled 1980s)
• Silent Stills Single Cask Port Ellen (1979-2002)

Bowmore 12 year old - 1980s "Dumpy" bottling (43% ABV, 12yo, Islay, Scotland, No longer available)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colour: Vibrant gold

Nose: Those beautiful tropical fruits that old Bowmores are so well-known for. Paw-Paw, rockmelon, some pineapple. Beautiful.

Palate: Slightly thin, and with more smoke than I remember having tried this once before, but still very tropical. Mostly bananas and some grapefruit.

Finish: Long, with a fruity smoke to the end. You know those disposable fruit-flavoured inhalers/shisha sticks? Imagine a tropical fruit one of those, and you get the idea.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. I really enjoyed my first "Dumpy" and still do today. It's not a super complex whisky, but it is super delicious, and a style of Bowmore I do feel may be coming back (which is a very good thing). This was the crowd favourite too.

As a special treat, Daniel pulled out two Macallan 30yo "Blue Label" bottles, to show the difference between a fake and a real bottle. Can you spot the fake?

(It's the one on the left).

Bonhams "FINE & RARE WINE AND WHISKY" auction is being held this Friday, 3pm HKT in Hong Kong. Follow us on Instagram Stories and Facebook from 7pm for updates.

Cheers,
Martin.

Lalique Legacy Collection - Charity auction to feature one-off complete custom set of "Macallan in Lalique" decanters

Last year we were incredibly fortunate to attend the launch of (and taste) the "Macallan in Lalique" 65 year old - the sixth and final release in a series of six rare Macallans, aged from 50 to 65 years old and released in extremely limited numbers over 11 years (2005 - 2016).

At the time, we mentioned 2017 would see parent company Edrington auction off one complete set in Hong Kong, and that time has now come, with Sotheby's due to hold the charity auction on 2nd April 2017.

As you might expect, for a one-off set as rare as this, bidders will be bidding on more than just the 6 decanters. To quote the press release:

"...this special Legacy Collection is housed in a unique, bespoke cabinet in natural ebony created by Lalique, which will also hold six Macallan Fine and Rare miniatures; two from each of the 1937, 1938 and 1939 vintages (signifying the zenith of Lalique’s contribution in the French Art Deco period). 

This cabinet will feature six pairs of Lalique Macallan glasses, each serial numbered to commemorate this unique partnership.  To complete the collection, autographs of the masters behind the collection will be included inside the cabinet, and will allow for the buyer to have their own name engraved within it."

None of which changes the whisky of course, but if our own experience with the 65yo is anything to go by, these are already incredible whiskies in their own right. Not just old, but old and very good.

No word on which charity or charities are being supported here, but we'll try to find out. An estimate of HK$2,000,000 – HK$4,000,000 has been placed on the lot, which is obviously significant, but considering The Macallan's continuing dominance in the whisky auction / rare whisky market, not unexpected.

 

The auction takes place on Sunday, 2nd April 2017 at Hall 5, The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong.  For assistance in bidding at this auction, please contact Sotheby’s on +852-2822-8142

Cheers,

Martin.

Dragon 8 Auctions Fine & Rare "Gamma" Wine / Whisky Auction wrap-up (June 2016)

Dragon 8 Auctions held their second ("Gamma") auction for 2016 last weekend, following their February whisky auction which we covered here. Held again at Grand Hyatt's Pool House, the auction this time included both fine and rare wine and whisky, with each making up around half of the lots.

There are several whisky auctions in Hong Kong and we can't get around to all of them, but Dragon 8's are ones we're always happy to cover. Sure the catering is fantastic (this time around there were Magnums of Champagne, a beautiful old Rioja and a selection of whiskies including The Macallan Rare Cask Black and Highland Park Sigurd, last time there was this 1938 Macallan), but it's more than the catering - Dragon 8's auctions are actually very enjoyable to watch, whether you're buying, selling, or considering either.

Again led by jovial founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz, the auction kicked off with the wine lots (which included some incredible wines, most of which we missed sadly) before moving onto the whisky - with Gil encouraging us to go and grab ourselves a dram and pair it with whatever we wanted from the buffet - "sushi, tomato, dessert, whatever!"

There are no "ordinary" lots at Dragon 8 Auctions, and this one was no exception, with several whiskies over 50 years old, two over 60 years old, several pages of vintage Macallan 18s and a whole section dedicated to The Macallan "Fine & Rare" series. Not to mention Silver Seal indies, a Bowmore Bicentenary 1964, a smattering of Hanyus and Karuizawas and the incredible new Macallan 65yo in Lalique, which we tasted recently.

To save you the suspense on that Macallan 65yo, despite only being released last month and retailing at $280,000HKD / $35,000USD, it sold for a whopping $480,000HKD (almost $62k USD)! One to watch, clearly.

Bidding in general was strong, with all but a few lots selling. Interestingly the Silver Seal indies didn't seem too popular, with a few being passed in, but other indies seemed to fair well, with a 62yo Glenlivet (1952 G&M "Private Collection") selling for $65,000HKD, and a 55yo Macallan (1950 G&M "Speymalt") selling for $26,000HKD (both prices pre-buyer's premium).

Other results included (all prices pre-buyer's premium):

• 1964 Bowmore Bicentenary - $24,000HKD
• 1954 Macallan 18yo (OB "Gold Label) - $40,000HKD
• 1971 Macallan 18yo (OB "Gold Label) - $18,000HKD (sold to Gil himself!)
• 1937 Macallan Fine & Rare 32yo - $190,000HKD
• 1948 Macallan Fine & Rare 53yo - $170,000HKD
• Hanyu Ichiro's Malt "The Joker" (colour) - $14,000HKD
• Karuizawa 1975 Vintage Single Cask - $32,000HKD
• Karuizawa 1971 Vintage Single Cask - $42,000HKD

There was clearly a trend for the older (by vintage) whiskies to be more popular, with strong bidding on the older Macallan 18s and Karuizawas (often between two bidders), but not as strong bidding on the younger vintages, with a few of the late-1980s and early 1990s Macallan 18s being passed-in. Still, every Hanyu and Karuizawa sold, either at or (in some cases) well above their estimate, indicating that whilst we might not be seeing the crazy prices of mid 2015, these are still highly sought-after whiskies. 

The auction also served as a prelude to an upcoming collaboration between Dragon 8 Auctions and famous Hong Kong actor Michael Wong - in the forum of a 35yo single cask The Glenlivet. We'll keep you posted about this one (hopefully along with some tasting notes) shortly.

Dragon 8 are firmly establishing themselves in the Hong Kong whisky auction market as the auction house to watch in our opinion, for both the variety and rarity of lots they present, and entertaining way in which they do so. We can't wait to see what future auctions bring.

Cheers,

Martin.

This week in whisk(e)y #31 - Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championships return, Dragon8's next HK Whisky Auction, Auchentoshan American Oak and Glenfiddich 'Artists in Residence' returns to Australia

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph, Hendy & or I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...

Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championships return
In 2013 we had a ticket to the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship, then couldn't attend at the last minute due to an interstate trip. We vowed to one day right that wrong...

Fast forward to 2016, and the next championship was announced, to be held on 23rd July - incredibly, coinciding with our trip back to Australia (well, after we changed our flights...)

So what is the AMWTC? In a nutshell it's a tasting competition, open to all, hosted by the Australian Scotch Malt Whisky Society, with a focus on fun. Whilst there are prizes, and those who take it very, very seriously, the focus is on having a good time - evidenced by the fact that not only can you buy tickets to enter the championship, you also buy tickets to spectate, while you enjoy all food and drinks from the Glenfiddich Bar, single cask SMWS drams from the SMWS bar, and sensory cocktails from our good friends at Sydney Cocktail Club.

Having spoken to previous attendees, we're told it's an incredibly fun night (for entrants and spectators alike), and a good challenge for budding whisky fans The competition involves 8 well-known and commercially available drams, and a list of 9 from which entrants have to select their 8 (i.e. one is a red herring).

Prizes this year are as follows:

1st: 2 x return airfares to Tokyo, Japan, where the 2016 Champion and friend can stay at and sample from the SMWS Bar at the Park Hotel, Tokyo
2nd: Cask Strength Survival Kit with a rare single cask Japanese single malt encased along with "all the tools you’ll need to go on your wild Society adventure"
3rd: Generously donated by The Oak Barrel on Elizabeth St as a $500 voucher to help you stock up on your single malts, wine, and beer.

A pretty incredible line-up of prizes - though sadly (for myself at least), there doesn't appear to be a wooden spoon prize. We'll just have to make do with all the SMWS drams and cocktails at the afterparty...


Dragon8 Auctions Hong Kong next auction - Saturday 11th June
Dragon8's last Hong Kong auction, which we attended back in February, was quite a spectacle, with a number of rare lots going under the hummer - not just whiskies, but whole casks.

Their next auction, being held this Saturday, 11th June looks set to be no different. Whilst wine is also featuring (including some incredible lots like full cases of DRC Romanée-Conti), it's the whisky we're most interested in, and it's no less impressive than last time around, with a selection of rare Japanese malts (Hanyu, Karuizawa), a large selection of Fine & Rare The Macallans, and most impressively, a world first - The Macallan 65yo in Lalique, which we tasted earlier this week.

Commenting on the origin of some of the lots, Dragon 8 Founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz:

“Sourcing for this auction has come from several varied and distinct collections, including a major West Coast collection from the United States, a top private Hong Kong based collector and a variety of Dragon 8 friends and supporters. “As our name has become more well-known and trusted, several different consigners are coming forward,” says Lempert-Schwarz. Two that really pleased all involved were the reps of this U.S. based collection who contacted us with a selection of beautifully stored wines and the Hong Kong based collector who has a lot more than what we’ll be presenting on this day. Look forward to what else we’ll bring on the block from this major consignor."

We'll be attending and bringing you the usual updates - always interesting to chart how rare whiskies are trending at auction, and they don't get much rarer than the whiskies Dragon8 auction.

Auction details:
Saturday, June 11th, 2016 - 12 Noon (HKT)
Lunch/Wine & Whisky Served
12:30pm Auction
The Pool House, 11/F, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Further details and registration details can be found at www.dragon-8.com

Glenfiddich to host second 'Artists in Residence' competition
Last year Hendy wrote about Glenfiddich's first "Artists in Residence" competition in Australia, and the distillery has just announced that the competition will continue for a second year in 2016.

“Submissions for the 2016 Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Prize are now officially open as William Grant & Sons brings the coveted art competition to Australia for a second time to celebrate the Glenfiddich commitment to the arts, and the communities it serves.

Celebrating its fifteenth year globally, the program offers the winning artists a residency prize valued at $21,000, where they work and live for a period of three months (between April and October 2017) at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland.

The contest is an open call to all Australian artists who are welcome to use any art medium. These include, but are not limited to print, photography, animation, performance and installation. During the residency, the winning artist will create work taking inspiration from the distinctive location, history, heritage, people and craftsmanship of the distillery.

An exhibition of the five finalist's work, along with a Glenfiddich pop-up bar, will take place at No Vacancy Gallery located at QV Melbourne from the 8th to the 13th of November. 

Guests attending the Glenfiddich pop-bar at No Vacancy Gallery can join the Glenfiddich Explorers Program and vote for their favourite piece of art. The Program is accessible to all whisky enthusiasts and offers numerous benefits at Glenfiddich hosted events. By voting, Glenfiddich Explorers will go into the running to win a collection of whiskies from the Glenfiddich range."

For more information to enter visit https://www.glenfiddich.com/au/latest/2016-australia-artists-in-residence



Auchentoshan "Distilled Different" campaign calls on Australian bar teams to get creative
Auchentoshan American Oak recently launched in the Australian market, coinciding with a new Beam Suntory campaign combining mixology and photography in a bid to discover Australia’s “Distilled Different” bar team.

(Auchentoshan, of course, being the only Scotch whisky distilled three times, which definitely qualifies it as being "distilled different" in our books).

To quote the press release

“Twelve finalist bar teams will then be chosen and paired with an up and coming Australian photographer, scouted by art talent agency Art Pharmacy Consulting, who will create a body of work that captures the personality and essence of each team. The finalist teams’ images and cocktails will be displayed in exhibitions nationally where consumers and media alike will be invited to taste the differently distilled concoctions while enjoying the photographic showcase.

One team will officially be named the Auchentoshan Distilled Different Bar Team of the Year and along with their partnering photographer, win a trip to Glasgow, Scotland to discover more about the home of the Scotch whisky."

Competition dates:
Open – 1st May 2016
Close – 30th June 2016
Winner announced – 16th September 2016
Exhibitions will take place between August and September 2016.

Auchentoshan American Oak is available in Australia now and retailed for $59.90AUD. We'll have tasting notes (and maybe even an idea or two for a suitable cocktail) on the site in the coming month.


Thats all for this week. Until next time...

Cheers, 
Martin.

Dragon 8 Auctions "Fine & Rare" Whisky Auction wrap-up

Although never our intention when we started this site roughly 3 and a half years ago, we've recently started covering the whisky auction scene a little - first with Bonhams' August 2015 Hong Kong whisky auction, and more recently with their January 2016 auction (not to mention the odd update on UK auctions via our Facebook page). 

The former saw some incredibly high prices (especially for anything Japanese), whilst the latter saw prices for many lots cooling off a little (while the ultra, ultra rare bottlings still brought in lofty bids).

We were keen then to see how Dragon 8's inaugural Hong Kong Whisky auction would fair, held yesterday at the Grand Hyatt's stunning Pool House (also the venue for 2014's Highland Park "Freya" launch).

The format and approach taken by Dragon 8 was noticeably different to that of Bonham's (in our opinion, for the better). For a start, Dragon 8 clearly took a "quality over quantity" approach, with a smaller, but more focused high end selection of lots (approx 160 in total). Whisky auctions usually have one or two "highlight" lots, whereas this auction had several - four separate whole casks (The Macallan, Dalmore, Highland Park and Bowmore), an entire vertical of The Macallan 18yo from 1954 to 1985, The Macallan Lalique V 62yo, the 70yo 1940 Glenlivet "Generations" from Gordon & Macphail (AND the 75yo 1939 Mortlach under the same label), not to mention a several bottles from The Macallan Fine & Rare series.

Hanyu and Karuizawa also featured, but Scotch (especially Macallan) was the star. There were even a few interesting non-whisky lots, including a 58yo Long Pond rum, and a  30L bottle (Melchisedech) of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Champagne.

The other point of difference was the set up of the live auction - held in the more intimate surroundings of the Grand Hyatt Pool House, all guests were treated to a buffet lunch with a selection of Champagne, wine and truly fantastic drams on offer (including a few incredibly Rare Macallans, one dating back to 1938. We'll have tasting notes on that one up shortly). Dragon 8 founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz conducted the auction, and was vastly more entertaining than any other whisky auctioneer we've seen too.

So....how were the results? In summary, positive and realistic. There wasn't a huge amount of frenzied bidding, but almost every lot sold (unlike previous auctions in HK and UK where we've seen several lots passed in), and, as evidence that Dragon 8 had read the market well, most lots sold within, or very close to their estimate range.

The Macallan "Fine & Rare" bottlings performed very strongly, proving the demand for rare and aged Macallans is definitely still there. as did Springbanks, Bowmores, and the G&M "Generations" decanters to name a few.

Specific results of note were as follows (amounts exclude premiums):

• 75yo Mortlach 1939 "Generations" decanter by Gordon & Macphail: $180,000HKD
• 70yo The Glenlivet 1940 "Generations" decanter by Gordon & Macphail: $180,000HKD
• 27yo The Macallan bottled by Silver Seal (in a 2.75L decanter): $110,000HKD
• The Macallan Peter Blake Decades set: $70,000HKD
• 1986 cask of Dalmore: $1,000,000HKD
• 1988 cask of Highland Park: $900,000HKD
• The Macallan Lalique V 62yo: $260,000HKD
• Highland Park 40yo (Original Bottling): $18,000HKD
• Glenfiddich 50yo First Edition (bottled 1991): $140,000HKD 

Strong bids against realistic estimates.

One thing we would have liked to see done differently (though it's a minor point), is splitting up of some of the multi-bottle lots. There were a few lots we would have bidded on if they were single bottles (like Longmorn 83 and a few Macallan 18s), but the 6 bottle lot prices were more than we were happy to part with. Still, it's a testament to the seller (and Dragon 8's) savvy that they were easily snapped up.

Dragon 8 plan to hold several wine and whisky auctions throughout the year, and we're already looking forward to the next one.

Cheers,
Martin.

50 Year old Karuizawa, 1902 Highland Park and other results from the Bonhams Hong Kong Whisky Auction (Jan 2016)

Back in August last year we did a little write-up of the Bonhams Hong Kong whisky auction we'd just attended. That particular auction saw some ridiculously high prices, including over $900k HKD (over $160k AUD at the time) for a single bottle of Karuizawa (1960 52yo), and a complete set of Ichiro's Malt Cards (for $3,797,500 HKD, or $685,000AUD).

At the time, we questioned whether the bubble was about to burst....

Well, we've just returned from Bonhams' latest whisky auction tonight, and whilst it wasn't a disaster by any means, prices (in almost all cases) definitely seem to have come down from their peak in August last year.

Right from the outset, it was clear that bidding activity wasn't going to be on par with August. Lots were selling...but in many cases, at the very bottom of their estimate range, if not even lower. A 1986 Macallan 18 couldn't fetch $6,000HKD ($1,097AUD), and lots that would typically command bidding frenzies seemed to finish in the middle of their estimate range (like this 32yo Macallan Fine & Rare 1970, which went for $67,375HKD inc premium, compared to this younger 1976 which fetched $88,200HKD last time around).

When we moved onto the Japanese whiskies (always a favourite in Hong Kong), it was a similar story. Whereas last August, 1981 Karuizawas were fetching in the $30k HKD range, and some as high as $58k, this time most barely managed to reach $25k, with one going for $19k.

As we'd speculated before though, the super, ultra rare whiskies (i.e. not your average ~30yo Karuizawa of which there seems to be a LOT) fared well, with this 1960 50yo Karuizawa selling for $490,000HKD ($89,800AUD) - double its highest estimate. It must be quite a rare bottle, because we couldn't find any information on it outside of this auction. It looks a lot like this 1960 Karuizawa (a 47yo), and is even bottled at the same ABV, but is clearly from a different cask. We'd love to know more...

This 42yo Karuizawa also fared well, smashing its estimate to take in $232,750HKD inc. premium. Clearly the ultra rare Japanese whiskies are still in demand.

Last August we made specific mention of how Glenfiddich didn't garner a lot of interest in that auction, and how it often doesn't fare well on the auction circuit in general (hey, more for us to drink!) Interestingly, one of two bottles on offer at tonight's auction actually exceeded it's $18-$22k HKD range, selling for $25k HKD ($30,625HKD inc premium). Sometimes you just can't tell...

Other lots of note included:

• 1950 52yo Macallan Fine and Rare $170k HKD (before premium) on a $160-190k estimate
• Yamazaki "Age Unknown" only reaching $45k HKD (before premium) on a $50-65k estimate (and apparently not selling)
• A lot of 4 Van Winkles (not including a 23yo) failing to sell, only reaching $25k HKD (before premium) on a $30-38k estimate
• This Highland Park, from 1902, which went for $85,750HKD (inc premium).

Springbanks fared reasonably well, with some exceeding their estimates, and some Hanyus also did well, especially this Ace of Spades which went for $85k HKD (before premium) on a $60-80k estimate.

Now of course, it's important to keep a level head here. The prices attained for most of the whiskies are still huge amounts of money. Even $19k HKD (almost $3,500AUD) for a "common" Karuizawa is a significant amount of money, and still well ahead of what it sold for just 2-3 years ago...

...but I can't help but feel we're on a downward slope, and we might see this "cooling off" continue throughout 2016. Only time will tell of course, but if it means more whiskies will be opened and enjoyed, and more people will be buying whiskies to drink, then we're all for it!

(As a final note - huge thumbs up to Bonhams for their fantastic range of drams served to attendees tonight. Amongst the 13 whiskies on offer were TWO Port Ellens, a 1960's Henry McKenna Bourbon, a Cask Strength Macallan and a 10yo Old Rip Van Winkle. Tasty drams indeed.)

Cheers,
Martin.

New world record price for Japanese Whisky at Bonhams Hong Kong Auction - 52 yo Karuizawa sells for over $900,000 HKD

Tonight we attended Bonhams Hong Kong's latest Whisky auction which, in addition to having a full set of Ichiro's Malt "Cards" series (all 54 "cards", including the incredibly rare Monochrome Joker), also featured more Karuizawa than we've seen in a single auction ever.

I went along not planning to buy anything (I did register, just in case), but more out of curiosity and to get a feel for the market. Having attended a few Spink auctions in Hong Kong, I knew that there were a lot of crazy prices being asked for whisky (in particular, Japanese whisky), but it didn't always seem those prices were being achieved. I wondered if the Japanese whisky market had hit its peak.

Well if tonight's auction was anything to go by - it most certainly had not.

Single cask Karuizawas (always a hit) consistently smashed their estimates, often going for 30-50% above their upper estimate. Hanyus and other single cask Japanese whiskies were similarly fetching far more than the higher estimates set in the catalogue. It was not uncommon to see a 30+ year old single cask 'zawa fetch $75,000 to $110,000 HKD ($13,500 to $20,000 AUD).

You almost got the sense that even the auctioneer (a consummate professional, we should add), couldn't believe his luck, but was loving it regardless. Certainly some of the audience (both online and in the room) were slightly in awe.

Is it investors looking to move their money somewhere other than the Chinese stock market? An insatiable love of whisky (we doubt it), or something else? Who knows, but it seems the popularity of Japanese whisky on the auction circuit just keeps rising and rising (for now). Even whiskies from current distilleries performed incredibly well.

The small parcel of Scotch on offer, mostly made up of Macallan but with a few interesting Bowmores, Laphroaigs and others, did reasonably well too, although as seems to be the case often in these auctions, there wasn't a lot of interest in the Glenfiddichs.

The full results can be found here, but the two lots that clearly stole the show were as follows:

• Karuizawa 1960 52 year old ("The Cockerel"), which sold for $918,750 HKD (inc. premium). For our Aussie readers, that's $165,000AUD. For one bottle of (admittedly very rare) whisky.

• Hanyu Ichiro's Full Cards Series (54 bottles), which sold for $3,797,500 HKD (inc. premium). In AUD? $685,000AUD.

You can see a video of the Karuizawa's winning bid over on our Facebook page (and give us a "Like" while you're at it).

Choo choo, or bubble bubble? Only time will tell.

Cheers,

Martin.

PS: Whether or not buyers are buying to drink or invest, we have to commend Bonhams for their whisky selection offered to all attendees, which included a mix of Japanese, Taiwanese, Scotch, blends, malts and even some IBs. 15 whiskies were on offer and (along with the generous food) made staying through the long proceedings just that little bit better.