Mackmyra Special:10 Kaffegök at Whiskymessen 2013

Back on our feet after Whiskymessen 2013, which took place last weekend and is Denmark’s largest whisky event. Lots of good people, old drunks randomly falling asleep, revisiting dear old whiskies, and exploring new quality bottles constantly spewing from both the Scandinavian and Scottish distilleries these years.

An absolute highlight was the world premiere of Mackmyra’s Special:10 Kaffegök.

Mackmyra special 10 kaffegök whiskymessen.dk 2013

Mackmyra is one of a dozen active distilleries in Sweden, and by far the most prolific. In fact, if popularity is measured by the amount of Facebook fans a distillery has, Mackmyra is with +150.000 fans among one of the most popular distilleries in the world.

However, Mackmyra is not really a predominant brand internationally and most of these Facebook fans are Swedes. A nation with a dubious reputation for settling with either moonshine or the thinnest beer and priciest spirits in the EU.

One of the things that could improve this bleached Swedish reputation in Denmark is Mackmyra. Not only have they recently switched to a better Danish distributor, which means their whisky is not only available in airports and select stores, but they also seem to make consistently decent and interesting whisky.

Because of the poor Danish distribution, we have never actually had a proper chance to taste Mackmyra before Whiskymessen 2013. But when they showed up with 7 of their bottlings, a world premiere and official brand representatives, we not only decided to taste Mackmyra, but to raid them.

Whiskymessen.dk 2013, Martin Skou Danny Kreutzfeldt whisser mackmyra special 10 kaffegök

A whisky festival raid means high-jacking a brand representative and make him select a line-up of 5-7 of their whiskies, which is then tasted in quick succession. (You can read more about raids and other whisky festival survival techniques here)

Under the guidance of Karl Thögersen from Mackmyra, we went through a line-up of increasing ferocity.

  • Mackmyra Brukswhisky
  • Mackmyra First Edition
  • Mackmyra Vit Hund (More of that Swedish moonshining, not bad though.)
  • Mackmyra Special:08 Handplockat
  • Mackmyra Special:10 Kaffegök
  • Mackmyra Moment Skog

The most important thing we learned about Mackmyra is that they are not afraid to try out new things. While it was hard to pin down a distinct Mackmyra taste, they still often manage to stand out because of the unusual tastes they seem very insisting on. Something that is mainly achieved by filling their casks with all kinds of natural ingredients before maturing the mostly unpeated spirit in the casks.

Nowhere in the line-up was this more prevalent in Mackmyra Special:10 Kaffegök, which premiered at Whiskymessen prior to the official release on the 2nd of May. The ironic subtitle “Kaffegök” means coffee punch (as in boozed-up coffee), and thus Special:10 is (sort of) made the other way around as it has been finished on casks that have previously stored whisky spiced with freshly roasted coffee beans. This spiced whisky is then poured out and replaced by regular Mackmyra spirit, which is then given a coffee-finish in the casks.

The result was a unique single malt whisky with strong coffee taste that still felt potent and complex despite the straining done to the taste buds during a whisky festival. It could easily match a conventional lightly peated whisky, and worked wonderfully as a break.

The coffee taste felt like a natural part of the liquid, and was present throughout the 10-20 seconds it took to develop in the mouth. On top of this, the taste of coffee had a surprisingly refreshing effect, which was probably caused by the placebo effect, as both of us are coffee junkies in our daily lives. At least so our theory goes.

The tasting of Mackmyra Special:10 Kaffegök at Whiskymessen 2013 can be summed up like this: Whisky and coffee together, but in a good way.

Mackmyra special 10 whiskymessen.dk 2013

The Special:10 Kaffegök was a great experience for a number of reasons: It improved our perception of Swedish whisky. It tasted like nothing we had quite tasted before. It was a refreshing peak on an otherwise busy day of heavy tasting. And lastly it was a prime example of whisky innovation.

Not since German Cadenhead’s various Stupid Cask projects have we encountered such well-executed artificial cask finishing. An approach we not only find interesting, but also vital in keeping whisky alive as the most fascinating, wonderful or exuberant liquid on Earth.

Other highlights from our day at Whiskymessen 2013:

Stauning whisky mogens vesterby whiskymessen 2013

Stauning 2nd Edition Peated. Served by master distiller Mogens Vesterby.
Read about our tasting of the Peated 1st Edition at the distillery here.

smws Scotch Malt whisky society at Whiskymessen.dk 2013

SMWS had brought the entire range along, as well as furniture, chicks with tits and a photographer.
Read about our visit to Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Vejle here.

Glenfiddich Cask Of Dreams Whiskymessen 2013

Glenfiddich Cask Of Dreams. Another brand new whisky and one of the best at Whiskymessen 2013.
Also, the first Glenfiddich in modern history where the quality of the whisky matches the price.

Lars Lundehave Hansen whiskymessen whisky tasting taste the doom 2013

Hanging out with Lars Lundehave Hansen of Taste The Doom.
Read our feature about his doom metal whisky tastings here.

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A visit to SMWS in Vejle

SMWS in Vejle, Danmark. Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Denmark.

Earlier this year we visited the newly opened Danish branch of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

SMWS was started as a whisky club in Edinburgh some 30 years ago, but has developed into an international franchise with a fairly snobbish ring to it. It is based on making high quality single cask bottlings from predominantly Scottish distilleries exclusively available to its members. An SMWS branch (or Member Room, as it is formally known) is both a whisky bar and bottle shop. Non-members are allowed to enter the bar and buy a glass, but you must be a member to buy a bottle, and members interested in buying a bottle or two can sip on it before buying, which is quite an advantage. Memberships are not at all cheap and paid annually.

On top of this the Danish SMWS branch is quite surprisingly located in the unexceptional city of Vejle, which is only the 9th largest city in Denmark.

Intrigued and confused, we took the trip not knowing what to expect.

Terje Thesbjerg at the SMWS in Vejle, Denmark

We visited as a 7-guy-group on a Saturday afternoon. We had booked ahead and asked if they could prepare a line-up of some of their bottlings with emphasis on surprise and peat. This was not a problem.

The Danish SMWS member room is located in Torvehallerne, which is a hotel and conference center owned by the Best Western chain. Upon entering we were greeted by Terje Thesbjerg, who owns the Danish branch, and acted as our bartender for the two hours we were there. Two hours with no other visitors and plenty of time to learn more about what SMWS has to offer, and why it has opened in a small city as Vejle.

Terje is affiliated with the management of Torvehallerne. He has clearly opened the Danish SMWS in Vejle for two reasons: To make Torvehallerne more attractive for thirsty business men, and because he is deeply enthusiastic about whisky.

Luckily it was the last of the two which was most prevalent on our visit and we thoroughly enjoyed the engaging and knowledgeable company as he took us through the line-up.

SMWS bottle code 66.36

An SMWS bottling does not directly bear the name of the distillery it is from. Instead it has a code and an extremely silly name, which is somehow related to the taste. However, the code actually tells you where the whisky is from, as the first number represents the distillery and the second number is the number of cask from which the bottle is taken. All you have to do is Google it.

Ignoring the silliness of it and disregarding whatever long forgotten reason for why SMWS started doing it like this, the lack of distillery name does have one advantage the first time you’re exploring the SMWS bottlings: You get to play guess the distillery-quiz.

We did this with rather moderate success throughout this line-up, which had been preselected by Terje.

  • 71.37 – Glenburgie, 14yo, 57.9%
  • 35.77 – Glen Moray, 15yo, 56.2%
  • 66.36 – Ardmore, 10yo, 58.2%
  • 33.115 – Ardbeg, 11yo, 55.4%
  • 29.128 – Laphroaig, 21yo, 58.8%
  • 127.21 – Port Charlotte, 9yo, 65.9%

The line-up was exactly as we had hoped; a tour de force through some gorgeous, soothing and intense whiskies with complexity and of quality.

Some of the bottles were so good, a few of us decided we had to own them, and signed up for membership on the spot. When you join the SMWS you get more than just the permission to spend more money on their bottles, but also a Membership Box. This contains four samples of SMWS bottlings, a Handbook, a tasting notebook and an SMWS pin.

Luckily you don’t have to wear the pin at any time during the visit, but once again SMWS shows a dubious combination of something wonderful and something silly.

SMWS Membership box worth it. Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Of the seven of us who entered, one had been gifted a membership prior to visiting, three signed up on the day, one just a few days later and the rest have been thinking about it since. This is not only a testimony to the high quality of the SMWS bottles, but also to the atmosphere and service of SMWS in Vejle.

This is, however, not an unconditional recommendation to sign up for a membership. Before it makes sense for you, it is our opinion that these conditions must be met:

1. Interest in buying 3-5 bottles of quality whisky a year.
2. Live (or do business) in reasonable vicinity of a branch.
3. Moderate tolerance of silliness

We will return to SMWS in Vejle soon to sample more of their range, but if next time is as joyous as the first time, we will have no problem calling SMWS the best damn whisky bar on the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Well done Terje.

d & m (Thanks to Thomas N. Jensen for the photos)

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Stauning Peated 1st Edition at the Distillery

Upon entering the new year, we deemed it fitting to write something about one of last years best whisky tasting experiences. The tasting of the Stauning Peated 1st Edition at the Stauning Whisky Distillery way out west on the Danish peninsula of Jutland.

We maintain that describing the tasting of a whisky cannot be summed up by explaining what is in the bottle. Lots of other factors play a part, with the most important ones usually being: The place and company around you. Your physical condition and receptibility of your senses. Your mood and your expectations.

Stauning Peated 1st Edition Danish single malt whisky

After a wearisome road trip, we arrived eager and curious at the small distillery. Stauning Whisky Distillery is found near the rural hell hole of Skjern. It is a desolate regressed part of Denmark, which does seem like it has been forgotten by God – despite the comparatively high religious activity of the locals. The Stauning village is however a small idyllic place located on the banks of Ringkøbing Fjord. Just outside this village, the small distillery has been opened on a former pig farm.

stauning whisky distillery destilleri skjern

Stauning Whisky Distillery

We were greeted by master distiller Mogens Vesterby and co-owner Hans Martin Berg Hansgaard who took us on an informal tour around the farm. Throughout the tour they emphasized how luck and pragmatism was the key to their success. Stauning Whisky has been developed from a basement experiment to an upcoming brand in just 7 years despite none of them really knew anything about making or selling whisky.

Mogens Vesterby Stauning whisky

Mogens Vesterby demonstrating the Stauning bottling plant and labeling device

However, the huge amounts of Jutlandian modesty couldn’t hide the pride they feel for the their work. Not only by the attention from Danish mass media, the exclusivity deal with the famous NOMA restaurant and the praise from whisky opinionaters like Jim Murray, who rated the Stauning Peated 1st a rare 94/100 in the 2013 Whisky Bible. But also by making everything out of local ingredients, which as far as we know makes Stauning the only completely Danish single malt whisky in production at the moment.

Stauning Peat from Klosterlund Museum archeological dig

PEAT! Currently delivered to Stauning from a nearby archeological dig.

We were presented with the Peated 1st after the laid back walk around the distillery in a short line-up preceded by the Stauning Young Rye and the Stauning Traditional Single Malt. We both agreed it tasted and behaved exactly as a young smooth peated 62.8 % whisky should: Like a blast beat in a classical symphony. Like a temporary shutdown of all senses but taste and smell or – like finding a warm welcoming place in a cold barren landscape.

Stauning whisky casks

Casks are stored in the old farm garage.

In this sense our high expectations about tasting the Peated 1st were not only met, but also greatly succeeded. All the elements came together on the journey this day, hence; The great whisky we were offered went perfectly in tune with the down-to-earth, unpretentious yet positive atmosphere of the Stauning Whisky Distillery. Something which is often gravely missed when being subjected to a tacky overeager tour guide on a well-established Scottish distillery.

So if you want proof that something is definitely NOT rotten in the state of Denmark, visit an old pig farm in a desolate part of Jutland and taste some peaty Danish single malt whisky.

Whisser Mortlach road trip

Have a safe trip.

d & m (Thanks to Thomas N. Jensen for the extra photos)

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Taste The Doom in Denmark

The best in testosterone fueled experimental whisky tasting is coming to Denmark.

TASTE THE DOOM from Berlin – Dec 14th in AARHUS and Dec 15th in COPENHAGEN.

Here we present our view on the matter and a short interview conducted with the guys behind Taste The Doom.

Taste The Doom Whisky Tasting

In a rare case of entertaining whisky innovation two guys with backgrounds in extreme music have come up with one hell of an idea. Why not play doom metal at a whisky tasting – and present both with as much enthusiasm as is humanly possible for a misanthropic European?

Over the course of a Taste The Doom session 7 increasingly intense whiskies are presented in a line-up where a selection of diverse doom metal master pieces are chosen to fit each whisky in some way or another.

After six completely sold out sessions in Berlin and some hype from the local press, Taste The Doom has now been taken on the road with the two Danish dates as the first outside Berlin.

It all goes down at:

  • Trøjborg Beboerhus, Aarhus on December 14th, 21:00 – 0:00
  • Mayhem, Copenhagen on December 15th, 21:00 – 0:00.

The limited amount of tickets is available exclusively from the Route66 record stores in Aarhus and Copenhagen and priced at 222 dkr. We suspect both sessions will sell out fast, so stay up-to-date about the ticket situation on the Taste The Doom site.

Needless to say, we’ll be there.

Here’s what Lars & Peter had to say to us about Taste The Doom

Lars Lundehave Hansen, Peter Votava

Taste The Doom – Lars Lundehave Hansen & Peter Votava.

W: What goes on at a Taste The Doom event?

Typically we greet the lucky attendants and then we present the line up consisting of seven excellent whiskies that will be enjoyed with seven excellent mixes of doom/sludge/stoner/drone metal. In between the servings quirky facts about distilleries, production and whisky in general as well as info about the bands that play are given to the audience in a lively manner that seem to sit well with the crowd.

W: Why does doom metal and whisky go so well together?

There seems to be a mysterious link between whisky and music, that can’t be explained as such but only ascribed to the nodness-factor. A factor which, odd as it is, can’t be deciphered but only vaguely explained as a principal correlation that can be expressed as an inverse proportion between the PPM and the BPM.

W: How did you come up with this wonderful idea?

It was a beautiful summers eve on the balcony of Peter’s, in the quickly gentrifying Neukölln area of Berlin where we enjoyed the Ardbeg Allligator Committee Release with Buried At Sea at a decent volume, when the thought arose: If we enjoy this, then chances are that in a city such as Berlin someone else must enjoy this as well. So we set forth to find out if this was the case, and after six very successful events we must conclude, that there is a lot of interest in an event such as Taste The Doom – even from the media, both serious newspapers, hipster magazines and TV!
-
It may seem odd or at least the contrast is somewhat striking, that two people enjoying a high level of input/output in most aspects of life have found it suitable to join forces in presenting some really slow music at a whisky tasting, a thing that still has a ring of old man and contemplation to it. But that’s all changing…

Taste The Doom Info

Who:  Lars Lundehave Hansen & Peter Votava

Backgrounds:  Both have some 15-20 years of experience in the music-scene and are behind such things as the first techno raves in Austria, Wasted breakcore events in Berlin, founding of the legendary organization Noisejihad, co-curators at music-festivals and art events. Both are “currently mostly focused in the digital domain be it death ambient or soundart” behind monikers such as Pure, Heart Chamber Orchestra, Wäldchengarten or simply just sound-art as Lars Lundehave Hansen.

The PPM vs. BPM theory

As any peathead will know, PPM is an abbreviation of “Phenol Parts per Million”, which means the higher PPM the more peaty the whisky is.

Respectively, BPM is a music-related abbreviation of “Beats Per Mintue”, which means the lower BPM the slower the music is.

What is doom metal?

d & m

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Jutlandian Whisky Festivals

Whisser at Mac Y Rum & Whisky Festival 2011.

At Mac Y Rum & Whisky Festival 2011.

Whisky festivals are becoming an increasingly popular phenomenon throughout the developed world. Even on the Danish peninsula of Jutland. And deservedly so, as they offer good fun for lovers of the holy water. What greater way to spend a day with your mates, than to stroll from brandstand to brandstand and taste as many whiskies as you can possibly feel like, while finding your way through large sports halls or conference centers with thousands of old drunken men.

But danger lurks ahead: Whisky festivals are highly disorganized events, with many brands and retailers each offering a variety of quality and whisky types. And as the day progresses, the collective intoxication reaches critical levels, which strains the festival infrastructure and decreases the patience and sociability of the crowd. If you merely choose to walk around drinking whatever you stumble upon, you will end up with a very unsatisfying result: Mouth numbed by the spirit of cask strength whiskies, tasting buds scorched by peat and terminal amounts of alcohol in a starving stomach.

Festival backpipers & the occasional cask rollin' at Whiskymessen 2012.

Festival backpipers & the occasional cask rollin’ at Whiskymessen 2012.

For the last couple of years, we’ve been attending both of the two big annual Jutlandian whisky festivals:

  • Mac Y’s Rum & Whisky Festival in Autumn way out west near the military airport in Karup. It offers a bafflingly long list of free whiskies and has an annual appearance of self-proclaimed whisky deity Jim Murray selling and signing the annual gospel of whisky tasting objectivity. This is very much a festival for experienced drinkers.
  • Whiskymessen in Springtime down in the triangular area of Kolding, Vejle and Fredericia. It’s comparatively well organized, has lots of master classes with sturdy brands and the atmosphere is pretty easy going, as 1/3 of the crowd are more or less rookies.
Jim Murray & his bible at MacY Rum & Whisky Festival 2011.

Bible salesman at Mac Y Rum & Whisky Festival 2011.

We’ve been attending these festivals with great thirst for the large selection of whiskies, but increasingly also for the journey itself – from the moment we enter the festival bus till the last drop has been licked from the worn down Glencairn glass. Because of this, the purpose of whisky festivals has shifted for us somewhat over the 3 years. From being a way to taste some specific pre-selected drams into a sort of sporting exercise, where the goal is to taste as much great whisky as possible – within the limits of tasting abilities, dignity and self-preservation.

We get more out of the festival opening hours by making our way through some +30 whiskies rather than trying to savour each dram as a holy experience or – even worse – as a scientific sample in a tasting journal. It is hard work but in the end, we obviously end up in a state of whisky-induced nirvana.

Late afternoon. Whiskymessen 2012.

Very late afternoon. Whiskymessen 2012.

To some, this makes us whisky pigs. But we beg to differ. Tasting notes are a poor and most uninteresting description of a specific tasting experience. A whisky is always a new experience in a different time and setting, and generally speaking tasting journals are for people with no soul. Besides, the bustling setting of a whisky festival does not exactly invite to singling one tasting experience out as something profoundly different from the others.

Berry's Own Selection. Whiskymessen 2012.

Berry’s Own Selection. Whiskymessen 2012.

However, this is probably also the great thing about whisky festivals: You are not bound to some certain order of whiskies and they are not presented to you in the traditionally passive setting of a whiskytasting. Instead it’s up to you to construe your line ups and to design your own tastings amongst the hundreds of different whiskies.

This is quite a challenge and requires a fine-tuned ability to maneuver in an environment of joy, alchohol, bizarre incidents and whole lot of disorganization. Over the years, we have improved our festival experience by adapting a few simple techniques:

  • The Thinking Bourbon is the first drink of the day. It’s the most interesting or expensive bourbon of the festival ordered straight on arrival, and something to enjoy while getting situated at the festival and planing the first line-up of the day.
Palate neutralizing coffee break at Whiskymessen 2012

Palate neutralizing coffee break at Whiskymessen 2012.

  • Line-ups & meals are the main components of the day. A good line-up consists of 7-10 whiskies of increasing spirit and peating levels. The line-ups are divided by a meal and a cup of coffee to neutralize the palate more effectively. It’s important to scout food stands and the general situation about food on the festival. At the 2011 Mac Y festival there was a 1½ hour queue in the small overrun cafeteria. We could only passe the waiting time drinking more whiskies…
Line in front of sold-out hot dog stand. Whiskymessen 2012.

Line in front of sold-out hot dog stand. Whiskymessen 2012.

  • Doing a raid is a good alternative to a festival master class. Choosing the stand of an interesting distillery or bottler and picking out 5-7 of their whiskies under the guidance of a brand representative gets some fast rough insight into their selection. This often beats the time and energy spent with a festival master class, where an official brand representative tries to impress a room of predominantly old tired festival drunks, which potentially results in a slow pace and the lowest common denominator setting the standard for the humor and anecdotes.

If you want to attend a Jutlandian whisky festival, we recommend them both. Whiskymessen for the potentially good master classes and fine infrastructure, Mac Y’s Rum & Whisky Festival for the long list of free whiskies and the atmosphere created by a crowd of a thousand experienced drinkers standing upright till the joyous end.

MacY Rum & Whisky Festival shuttle bus. Silkeborg 2011.

Mac Y Rum & Whisky Festival shuttle bus. Silkeborg 2011.

d & m

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Black Metal Blend

What to do with boring near-empty whiskies? How to hit the right mood for a black metal concert? This guide answers both.

Boring near-empty whiskies are a common problem in any sensible whisky collection. A near-empty bottle loses taste fast, so either you have to geek out and pour the whisky into a smaller bottle, or you have to drink it. If the whisky has started boring you since the opening neither of these seem worth the effort.

The right mood for a black metal concert comes easy for some and not at all for others. But even the first group of people may still need some aid: The band does not play up to expectations. Local support acts strain your patience with mediocrity. The venue is poorly suited for the action. In all instances; the right kind of intoxication helps. However, due to the unpredictability of most concert schedules, getting warmed-up at home is a balance act between arriving late and arriving sober to the support acts. And most venues only offer bland lager and generic booze. This will not help to set the mood for grim Nordic darkness.

To solve both problems you will need something like this:

Black Metal Blend

GlenDronach 12, Talisker 10, Finlaggan Original Peaty, Big Peat, Hip flask

Getting the size of the hip flask right is important. Bringing a flask is frowned upon by most venues, so it has to be concealable. Secondly you need to figure out how many acquaintances you are likely to pass the flask around to at the venue, and if any of them are bringing their own flask to pass around. Missing this last bit of info is a common reason for downfall.

There is something about peated smokey whisky that fits black metal. Maybe it is because peat has a brooding Nordic character to it. Maybe the smoke is bit like standing next to a burning church. There is a lot of peated whisky around for small money these days – it seems that you cannot pass your local street corner without someone throwing peat at you and not asking for more than a couple of dimes – hence; it is easy to end up with too many strange bottlings and blends of Islay malts (Finlaggan, The Ileach, Smokey Joe, Islay Storm, Black Bottle, Auld Reekie, Smokehead, Big Peat, Islay Mist,..). It is recommended to fill 3/4 of the flask with your boring near-empty peated whiskies.

Cutting yourself to add blood will probably set the mood, but it is not recommended because it will dilute the blend, and most likely make you too dizzy to withstand the blast beats. Instead we recommend filling 1/4 of the flask with boring sherry/wine cask finished whisky. This will give the blend a fitting soft bloody edge, but will also very likely improve the one dimensional character of the whiskies in the blend. Cask finishes is another type of whisky undergoing inflation right now, which means the truly priceless gems (like Bruichladdich Black Art 2) are well hidden beneath heaps of intriguing whiskies that quickly lose appeal. These boring specimens pile up, and are put to better use in a blend than open on the shelf.

Ok, now shake it, enter the venue, drink when you need to – and you are ready to join the fun.

Taake

Taake

d & m

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Why?

So we have started a whisky blog. Why?

1.

Most whisky blogs are unbearably bad. Littered with irrelevant tasting notes and dishonest rating systems, which somehow end up rating all whiskies pretty good out of 100. The fact is that the experience of whisky is hugely affected by all the stuff not in the bottles: The story behind the specific bottles. The context it is being ingested in. This is what we want to write about.


Bruichladdich, April 2009

2.

We have decided that whisky is not an interest, escape or a pile of collectables. It is a passion and a life style. We want to expunge whisky from its traditional comfort zone and bring it into inspiring social contexts and the center of fulfilling adventures. We will strive to make these efforts a good read. Thus we want to show that worshipping the dram is not reserved for old red nosed drunks with a tasting journal ready at hand.


MacY Festival 2011

3.

Perks.

d & m

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