Spain

Ok…we’re nearly at the point of publishing reviews for the new Macallan 1824 NAS series.  Before I get to that little bit of fun however, I kinda wanted to knock out at least one more of these Macallan featurettes.  In a previous piece on the Sherry Oak series, I promised at least two, and possibly three, more runs of tasting notes from the Macallan ranges.  Moving on from the Sherry Oak releases we checked out here, let’s take a peek at a handful from the Macallan Fine Oak line.  Here are a few bits of insight regarding this, one of the main branches of the Macallan tree. A few years back Macallan decided to have a little fun.  Or maybe it was a cost-savings venture*.  Not really certain.  Already famous for single malt whisky matured in butts from their own Spanish bodegas, the good folk at Macallan began sourcing ex-bourbon barrels from the US.  These barrels were sherry-seasoned, and whiskies matured in these casks were married with other, more typical, stocks from the distillery.  The result was an entire new range for Macallan that since 2004 has run in parallel with the Sherry Oak releases. *When you consider the price of American bourbon barrels vs the price of Spanish sherry butts…egads!  We’re looking at a difference of (if rumours are correct) around 1000%.  Ouch. Anyway…the whisky…starting with the new make spirit as a benchmark… Macallan New Make Notes:  63% abv.  Crystal clear. Nose:  Slight nuttiness.  Malty.  Fresh bitter fruit.  Rubbery acetone.  Metallic note somewhere in there.  Oh yeah…and some cereals. Palate:  Fire water.  With a bit o’ citrus.  Estery.  Please put this waxy young thing into the rock tumbler (ahem…a fine sherry bucket) and knock those edges off. Thoughts:  Unrecognizable as a Macallan really.  Shows you what the distillery’s wood policy really means.  Cool as hell to see this as a new make. Macallan 10 Fine Oak Notes:  40% abv. Nose:  Dusty oak.  Red fruit.  Barley.  A wee bit dry and mildly figgy.  Orange.  Honeyed woods.  Cereal.  Slightly sharp and thin. Palate:  Again…disappointingly thin.  And a little sharp.  Really?  This is Macallan?  High notes of citrus.  Oak. Thoughts:  Simple.  Underdeveloped.  Pleasant, but…simply not ‘my’ Macallan. Macallan 15 Fine Oak Notes:  43% abv. Nose:  Some orange and just a touch of white pepper.  Lots of soft creamy vanilla.  Grains.  Some light lavendar notes.  Slightly grassy.  A touch of nutmeg and scone. Palate:  Pie crust with a touch of spice.  Some oaky notes and strong vanilla.  The top fire-toasted layer of creme brulee. Thoughts:  Clean.  A definite step up from the 10 y.o.  Quite unassuming, but well-made and refreshingly drinkable. Macallan 17 Fine Oak Notes: 43% abv. Nose:  Green fruit skin.  Hint of ginger.  Caramelized sugars.  Oak peeks through as it opens.  Hay and mellow spice. Palate:  Fruits arrive with a little more confidence.  Oaky and drying.  Everyone leaves but the woods, which arrived late anyway.  Surprisingly drying. Thoughts:  Fresh and vibrant.  Wife called this one ‘wintery’.  Hmmm.  Not so sure ’bout that, but…it does have a rather refreshing coolness to it.  Really liked this one. Macallan 21 Fine Oak Notes:  43% abv. Nose:  Candied or maybe honeyed.  Rising bread.  Tropical fruits.  Hay.  Slightly floral.  Grains.  Sweet buttery toffee.  Honey and a perfect melange of X-Mas spice.  Wood influence at a perfect age.  Sweet.  Orange zest. Palate:  Unfolds slowly.  Woods arrive first.  Spice and zest.  Buttery baking and drying fruit. Thoughts:  A lot more ‘electric’ than the rest of the range.  Great nose with excellent balance.  Palate is a little duller than the nose, but still very good.  This one surprised and charmed me.  More please? Macallan 25 Fine Oak Notes:  43% abv. Nose:  Waxy vanilla.  Green and dill-like (basil?).  Aged bourbon cask notes (ghostly fruit and sweetness).  Caramel apple

Today Dave and I decided we wanted to check out the 2nd largest city in Morocco Fes. Mike decided he wanted to get back to Spain so Dave and I took the train to Fes from Marrakech at 9am just about made it as it as per usual Dave is now known as 39Mr Faffy39 or 39Faffy number 239 by the way.It was a 7 hour train ride however took longer as we were delayed by an hour and a half

Made from Spanish Cedar. The aprons are connected with dowel joints and top is attached with shop made table top fasteners. First table with tapered legs. Finished with Watco teak oil and rubbed down with a few coats of finishing paste.

If this incident, which purportedly happened in Malaga, Spain, is indeed real as claimed and doesn't turn out to be some sort of hoax, then the driver and protagonist of the scene should be considered a prime candidate for the coveted “moron of the year” award. Why? Well, let's take it from the beginning. The man behind the wheel of the Audi, which we believe to be a front-wheel drive (you'll soon see why that matters), first generation A8 sedan – unless we're mistaken about the size and it's an older A6, is said to have had a minor accident crashing into a metal rail. Accidents like that happen all the time, but what took place after, does not… Read more »

Here is a recap of OVW TV Episode 718 which will air in Louisville on 5/25. OUR OVW announce team this week is Dean Hill and “Anchorman” Gilbert Corsey, as “Rocky Mountain Mouth” Michael Titus is probably on assignment or something. We open with the Coalition out at the ring area as “ThunderLats-the Ultimate Male” Joe Coleman, Squad Bravo (Shiloh Jonze & Raul Lamotta), and the recuperated Ghillie Man (a/k/a Spanish Moss Guy) stand outside the ring while OUR OVW Tag Team Champions “The Washington Generals” (Crimson & Jason Wayne) are in the ring at a makeshift podium to give a “State of OVW” address. Crimson says it’s been a good day as a dictator has fallen, referring to Michael (not PS) Hayes being relieved of his duties as OUR OVW Director of Operations last week. Wayne steps up to accept questions from the “press”, really the four Coalition guys on the floor. Coleman asks the Generals about their most glorious moment and they reply that even though they drove the tank that ripped down Saddam Hussien’s statue in Iraq, getting Hayes fired was even more glorious! Lamotta asks about deporting the foreigners here in OVW and Crimson says they are still working on a plan for that. Jonze screams out “Who do I get to kill next?” then Ghillie Man communicates to the Generals “What’s next?” Crimson says “Operation OVW Freedom” is not over-but the Coalition’s dreams would become a nightmare because… Here comes Danny Davis out to the ring and he is very angry! He tells the Generals to stick it! He then informs us that as of 45 seconds ago after a call with the OVW Board of Directors, the Director of Operations position at OVW has been eliminated and now he is in charge of his own company! Davis immediately reinstates Hayes as a wrestler then announces that at the next Saturday Night Special on 6/1, the Generals will have to face Hayes and a partner of his choosing. Davis says Hayes will reveal this person later tonight! Davis then runs off the Generals so he can deal with another matter, calling out Jay Bradley! Davis reprimands Bradley for his behavior last week where he roughed up OUR OVW Ring Announcer Terry Boddie, a cameraman, and Dean then fines him $5000 (since he has that big ol’ TNA contract, ha ha) to be paid within 30 days. Bradley thinks he should be the number one contender for the OVW Championship but OUR OVW Champion Jamin Olivencia comes out to get all up in Bradley’s face. Davis separates them then says he has a contract for a title match but will let anyone sign it before he’ll let Bradley have it due to his actions last week. Davis does make a non-title match with the two for later on tonight. Davis tells Gilbert and Dean to go to break. Davis appears to be getting stuff done since I checked the roster page and finally Michael Titus has his picture up! They also have Boddie’s picture up as well as OUR OVW Ladies Champion Trina Thompson!   Match #1: Marcus Anthony vs “Man-Beast” Ted McNaler (w/Brittany Devore) Anthony is back here for the first time in about 2 years and Gilbert notes that he seems bigger, meaner, and stronger. Anthony shoves McNaler around a couple of times, so Brittany hand McNaler a swig of “rocket fuel”. It works a little as McNaler clubs away on Anthony but doesn’t quite clear him ion a leapfrog and comes down hard on his lower back. McNaler slowly gets to his feet and slips away from a chokeslam but Anthony catches him and gives him a backbreaker. Anthony hits a suplex thing (that Gilbert calls a Gamma Punch) for the pin. Brittany is joined by Adam Revolver and others from the back to check on McNaler. Coalition is in their war room somewhere in the back. The Generals bark out orders to the other four, then remark that they love the smell of war!   Match #2: Taeler Hendrix vs Holly Blossom (w/Hannah Blossom) Blossoms do not have identifying hair ribbons this week. Taeler piefaces Holly then reverse whips her in to the ropes only to get blocked down for 2. All this happens while Taeler is

Despite securing the La Liga title this season, Barcelona suffered some gut-wrenching defeats in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League this spring, suggesting that changes are necessary in order for the European power to reach new heights in 2013-14.With Lionel Messi in the midst of his prime and playing at an unrivaled level, luring top talent to Camp Nou shouldn't be all that difficult. Here we'll break down a pair of transfer rumors surrounding the club, both of which could potentially have a mighty impact on the look of the squad moving forward. Neymar On His Way to Camp Nou?According to ESPN's Max Bretos, Barcelona is getting very close to acquiring electric forward Neymar from Brazilian club Santos: The 21-year-old striker has been linked to Barca through numerous reports recently, and given that the Spanish powerhouse is routinely vying for La Liga titles and seemingly always in the UEFA Champions League mix, who wouldn't want to be in Camp Nou?Neymar has scored 136 goals in over 220 appearances for Santos since 2009 and is widely regarded as one of if not the top young strikers in the game today.A player with very few weaknesses on the pitch, Neymar is a wizard with the ball at his feet, capable of creating for himself or others. There are no questions about his ability to finish around the box or navigate through opposing defenses.If teamed with Lionel Messi at the top of the Barcelona lineup, Neymar could become even more lethal. Thiago Alcantara Headed to Old Trafford?While Barcelona looks set to bring in a new talent this summer, there's a chance that the club could be waving goodbye to another young face. According to Goal.com's Paul Clennam, English Premier League champion Manchester United still has interest in Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, a 22-year-old who has struggled to earn playing time in Camp Nou: Manchester United's new manager David Moyes has identified Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara as a key transfer target this summer. The former Everton boss, who arrived at Carrington on Monday to meet with club staff after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, is set to maintain United's long-standing interest in the 22-year-old. Sir Alex made informal enquiries regarding the youngster's availability two years ago but was rebuffed by Barcelona, who rewarded Thiago with a four-year contract in 2011. Alcantara has 11 goals in 99 appearances for Barca since 2009, but hasn't been featured quite as often as he would like for the Spanish Primera Division champions. Clennam adds the following regarding Alcantara's release clause:The midfielder has a release clause of €90 million (£77m) in his current contract with the Spanish champions - though reports in Spain have suggested this may have been dropped to as low as €17m (£14.5m) in recent weeks.It's not expected that finances will be much of an issue to bring Alcantara to Old Trafford, assuming the club can muster up roughly £15 million to cover his release clause. And given the energy and skill Alcantara can bring to United's midfield, it's hard to argue he isn't worth every bit. Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

Customers in 21 cities across 6 counties will receive higher speed data this fall C Spire Wireless, a regional carrier primarily serving the Southeastern U.S., has announced today that it will be expanding its LTE coverage to South Alabama and Northwest Florida starting this fall. The rollout, which will offer customers drastically higher data speeds, will cover a total of 2,899 square miles across 21 cities and offer the service to 687,000 people utilizing and 146 cell sites. Here's the city breakdown: Alabama: 15 cities in the south Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin, including Mobile, Prichard, Saraland, Satsuma, Chickasaw, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, Loxley, Orange Beach, Summerdale, Robertsdale, Silverhill and Spanish Fort Florida: 6 cities in four northwest Florida counties, including Gulf Breeze, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Cinco Bayou and Miramar Beach There isn't a detailed schedule for when the areas will start to roll out other than "this fall", but we'll surely hear more about the specifics as we near that launch window. Source: C Spire Wireless

Lawd Jesus it’s an exorcism. Catholic Church Gives Exorcism Training According to Raw Story Catholics in and around Madrid concerned that they or their loved ones are suffering from demonic possession may be about to get some much needed assistance from the archdiocese. A spokeswoman confirmed to the Associated Press that the Church in considering training more priests in the exorcism rites to counter increasing demand for its one trained priest’s time. The spokewoman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the AP, “The devil exists. That’s a fact.” News of the exorcists-in-training was first reported by the Spanish-language Catholic site Religion en libertad, which claims there are eight priests currently in training to learn how to perform exorcisms based on the De Exorcismus et supplicationibus quibusdam, approved by Pope John Paul II in 1998, which replaced the exorcism rites first published in 1614. Catholic World News described the new rite in 1999: The liturgical ritual itself is centered on supplicatory prayers, asking for God’s help, and “imperative” prayers addressed directly to the Devil, commanding him to depart. The prayers are to be said as the exorcist lays his hand on the individual, and are part of an overall ritual which includes specific blessings and sprinklings with holy water. The ritual also includes the litany of the saints, the reading of the Psalms and the Gospel, and a proclamation of faith which may be either the familiar Creed or a simple question-and-answer (“Do you renounce Satan? I do.”). The ritual concludes with the kissing of the Cross, and the final prayer, proclaiming the triumph of Christ and his Church. ReL’s Álex Rosal reports that the eight candidates are additionally studying the 1614 rites as well as the so-called Roman Ritual of 1952, which served as a bridge between the older rites and the final liturgical version issued in 1998. Candidates are also said to be reading the books of Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s chief exorcist and a controversial figure in his own right. Rosal further reports that there are eight candidates to correspond to each of the eight dioceses, and decisions may be made with the input of local psychiatrists to rule out mental illness and drug abuse before beginning an exorcism. Spanish website The Local reports that there are only 18 registered exorcists in Spain, the most famous and active of which is, according to exorcism expert and author José María Zavala, Father Salvador Hernández Ramón, who reportedly studied under Amorth in Rome. The training itself is reportedly being led by Bishop Cesar Franco. Some of these beyotches in America need an exorcism to exercise that demon they got stuck up their a**. Shutterstock

The best performers of the 2012/13 season. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts The votes have been counted, over 100,000 of them, and we can now reveal the Premier League best XI of 2012/13 as decided by our readers. Goalkeeper - David de Gea (Man United) Man United man has well and truly proved any doubters wrong. Spaniard has been assured and more than capable this term, picked up over 30% of the vote. Left-Back - Leighton Baines (Everton) Consistent as ever the England man is as always competent at the back but even more effective going forward. Received 19% of your votes. Centre-Back - Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham) Belgian defender has worked well at both the centre of defence and at left-back but got the vote in our centre-back poll, managed 14% of the vote. Centre-Back - David Luiz (Chelsea) Brazilian may have impressed many with his foray into a defensive midfield role but was selected by our readers to sit alongside Vertonghen in a very trusty central defensive pairing. 21% of centre-back vote. Right-Back - Rafael (Man United) Perhaps the most improved player of 2012/13 the young Man United defender has made the Old Trafford right-back spot his own this term. 18% of your votes in our full-back poll. Central Midfield - Michael Carrick (Man United) Old Trafford veteran romped to victory in the central midfield poll, claiming a whopping 30% of your votes. Left Midfield/Wing - Gareth Bale (Tottenham) Unsurprisingly the Tottenham wing wizard received the highest portion of any poll, registering 42% of the votes in our winger poll. Attacking Midfield - Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) Crafty Spaniard gets the nod in the attacking midfield slot, the Arsenal man providing assists and goals with regularity and consequently getting 30% of the votes in our creative midfield poll. Right Midfield/Wing - Juan Mata (Chelsea) Another Spanish flair player, the Blues magician clearly impressed many, receiving 24% of the votes to secure his spot in our final XI. Striker - Robin Van Persie (Man United) Old Trafford striker finished the season as the Premier League's top scorer and picked up a slot in our Best XI attack, receiving 29% of the votes in our striker poll. Striker - Luis Suarez (Liverpool) Uruguayan proved a popular choice in our readers poll, collecting the second highest percentage of his respective poll getting 38% of the votes cast in the striker poll. Honourable Mentions Petr Cech, Rio Ferdinand, Mikel Arteta, Eden Hazard, Theo Walcott, Coutinho, Christian Benteke all received substantial numbers of votes but not enough to warrant a spot in the final XI.

What's going on at Dodger Stadium for three game series against the St. Louis Cardinals? For the series against St. Louis, Levy Restaurants is offering a special extreme loaded dog, the St. Louis BBQ dog will feature an all-beef hot dog topped with pulled pork and crispy onions. Extreme loaded dogs concession stands are located on the Loge and Reserve level. Friday May 24 7:10pm Prime Ticket Chris Capuano vs Lance Lynn Lil Jon, rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and international DJ who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Lil Jon will also announce the Dodgers’ starting lineup. It is YMCA Night at Dodger Stadium. Several local YMCAs will be on hand. Tonight, U.S. Army Specialist Tyler Jeffries will officially start the game with “It’s Time for Dodger Baseball!” Jeffries was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2012 and spent six months overseas until he was severely injured on a clearing mission in October 2012. Jeffries lost both of his legs and is undergoing vigorous physical and occupational therapy at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington D.C. He is currently in Los Angeles to meet his new Red Cross service dog and service dog trainer, Brandon McMillan, who has been preparing Jeffries’ new dog to be of service to him. Tonight, A.J. Ellis and Brandon League will host a total of 500 guests from Vision to Learn, including kids who received eye glasses through the charity and their families. The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation recently partnered with Vision To Learn, a non-profit organization that provides free eye exams and free glasses to elementary students in low-income communities throughout Los Angeles, and held a launch event on May 13 at Dorris Place Elementary School, where Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti, Ellis and League joined the charity’s founder, Austin Buetner, to distribute glasses to students. The youngsters will be recognized on the field as part of pregame ceremonies. The Vision to Learn Mobile Eye Exam vehicle will be in lot F. All fans are invited down to the field for Friday Night Fireworks presented by Denny’s. Saturday May 25 4:15pm Fox 11 Ted Lilly vs John Gast It is Jaime Jarrín Bobblehead Night presented by Time Warner Cable. Auto and stadium gates open early at 1:45 p.m. The first 50,000 fans in attendance will receive the first-ever Dodger Stadium bobblehead of Jarrín. The first 20,000 fans will receive a Universal Studios coupon for a free kids’ ticket with a purchase of an adult ticket. The Hall of Fame Dodger broadcaster and “the Spanish Voice of the Dodgers” is in his 55th season at the helm of the Dodgers’ Spanish-language radio broadcast on Univision Radio KTNQ 1020 AM. A native of Ecuador, Jarrín began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1959 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the same year the club won the World Series, the first in Los Angeles franchise history. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. During his unprecedented Spanish-language broadcasting career, he has called three perfect games, 16 no-hitters, 26 World Series and 21 All-Star Games. Jarrín called the Dodgers’ World Championships in 1959, ’63, ’65, ’81 and ’88. Since broadcasting his first game on April 14, 1959, Jarrín has called countless iconic moments in Los Angeles Dodger history.Saturday’s Veteran of the Game is U.S. Army Master Sergeant Bobby Farmer of Bluefield, West Virginia. Farmer enlisted in 1992, took Special Forces training and was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group. Farmer was an engineer with Operational Detachment Alpha 391. He has served in Kosovo, Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan on several deployments. He is currently undergoing treatment for injuries he sustained from an improvised explosive device. His accolades include the Bronze Star for Valor, the Army Commendation for Valor and the Purple Heart