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Tom has kindly offered to host us at The White Horse in Newport (Essex) on Thursday 11th December.

The usual theme of The Unknown Shipper and His Peculiar Friends will be adopted.

The usual procedure of the prior year attendees having first refusal will also be adopted with one exception — the last place from 2024 will be dropped to first reserve in order to create a space for an industry guest.

First refusal seats are offered to:

1. THRA (confirmed)
2. HTWH (confirmed)
3. AHB (confirmed)
4. MSC (confirmed)
5. IDJ (confirmed)
6. MPM (confirmed)
7. WS1 (confirmed)
8. CPR (confirmed)
9. PW (confirmed)
10. Held for an industry guest

RESERVES

• GEAG (confirmed)
• NAC (confirmed)
• JMK (confirmed)
• CEM (confirmed)

Please confirm your attendance no later than 31st October.


Links to previous years: 2024, ’23, ’22, ’20, ’19, ’18, ’17, ’16, ’15, ’14, ’13, ’12, ’11, ’10, ’09, ’08.

Please put me on the waiting list.

I'll definitely be there ....

Wonderful - confirming, thanks.

Confirming my reserve place. Lovely event. Lovely people.

It’s a confirmation from me.

Confirmed.

great news - confirming

Confirming, and very much looking forward to being back at the White Horse

If promoted from the bench then "yes please".

Please put me down on the reserves if a place comes up. Thanks

Links to previous years have been added to the first post. Some links missing; some imperfect — corrections welcomed.

Will come to this event as well!

regards

WS1

Anyone fancy being cheese meister this year?

I'm happy to collect from Toby for you .. call him and place the order ... I'll sort the rest

Do you want ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels?

jdaw1 wrote: ↑20:20 Mon 24 Nov 2025 Do you want ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels?

Yes please

mcoulson wrote: ↑19:58 Mon 24 Nov 2025 I'm happy to collect from Toby for you .. call him and place the order ... I'll sort the rest

Thanks - as I don't know what he has in stock, would you like to make the choice? Budget around £50-£60

uncle tom wrote: ↑08:30 Tue 25 Nov 2025

mcoulson wrote: ↑19:58 Mon 24 Nov 2025 I'm happy to collect from Toby for you .. call him and place the order ... I'll sort the rest

Thanks - as I don't know what he has in stock, would you like to make the choice? Budget around £50-£60

Ok leave this with me ... Baby bells all round !

mcoulson wrote: ↑08:45 Tue 25 Nov 2025

uncle tom wrote: ↑08:30 Tue 25 Nov 2025

mcoulson wrote: ↑19:58 Mon 24 Nov 2025 I'm happy to collect from Toby for you .. call him and place the order ... I'll sort the rest

Thanks - as I don't know what he has in stock, would you like to make the choice? Budget around £50-£60

Ok leave this with me ... Baby bells all round !

can we also have some vache qui rit...

uncle tom wrote: ↑08:30 Tue 25 Nov 2025

mcoulson wrote: ↑19:58 Mon 24 Nov 2025 I'm happy to collect from Toby for you .. call him and place the order ... I'll sort the rest

Thanks - as I don't know what he has in stock, would you like to make the choice? Budget around £50-£60

Leave this all with me ....

uncle tom wrote: ↑08:28 Tue 25 Nov 2025

jdaw1 wrote: ↑20:20 Mon 24 Nov 2025Do you want ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels?

Yes please

Draft of the ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels and TN sheets and voting pages.

There is an obvious bug in the software, which will soon receive attention.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:50 Wed 26 Nov 2025Draft of the ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels and TN sheets and voting pages.

There is an obvious bug in the software, which will soon receive attention.

Bug fixed. Likely, I was the only person who noticed.

mcoulson wrote:

uncle tom wrote: ↑08:30 Tue 25 Nov 2025

mcoulson wrote: ↑19:58 Mon 24 Nov 2025 I'm happy to collect from Toby for you .. call him and place the order ... I'll sort the rest

Thanks - as I don't know what he has in stock, would you like to make the choice? Budget around £50-£60

Leave this all with me ....

Am assuming you've got it sorted, but if any last minute issues give me a shout and I can easily drop in on our local cheesemonger before heading down to the tasting.

Will be placing the steak order in the morning. Am assuming all will be on parade and none have turned veggie!

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:50 Wed 26 Nov 2025Draft of the ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels and TN sheets and voting pages.

Satisfactory? Who is to print?

uncle tom wrote: ↑12:55 Sun 07 Dec 2025 Will be placing the steak order in the morning. Am assuming all will be on parade and none have turned veggie!

Thanks Tom!

I’m not aware of anyone coming being vegetarian.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑15:38 Sun 07 Dec 2025

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:50 Wed 26 Nov 2025Draft of the ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels and TN sheets and voting pages.

Satisfactory? Who is to print?

Point of order: First post attendees list includes Industry Guest, but placemats do not. Do we have one? If so, needs adding to placemat (even if anonymised); if not, then potential for last minute reserve to join us?

PhilW wrote: ↑11:45 Mon 08 Dec 2025First post attendees list includes Industry Guest, but placemats do not. Do we have one? If so, needs adding to placemat (even if anonymised); if not, then potential for last minute reserve to join us?

There was a blank name, the last-moment reserve; I have added “Guest”.

I’m about to book a taxi from the Cross Keys hotel to the White Horse and back.

Pick up from the Cross Keys at 17.30.

Return pick up from the White Horse at 23.55.

2 seats taken.

Who else would like to share the taxi?

I'll be via train, not staying over, so no taxi need for me this year.

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑09:42 Tue 09 Dec 2025 I’m about to book a taxi from the Cross Keys hotel to the White Horse and back.

Pick up from the Cross Keys at 17.30.

Return pick up from the White Horse at 23.55.

2 seats taken.

Who else would like to share the taxi?

Yes please Alex.

And an unrelated question. Does anyone have a set of Port tongs they’d be happy to use to open bottles?

I’ve got a pretty full load and it would help if I don’t need to bring tongs.

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑14:34 Tue 09 Dec 2025 And an unrelated question. Does anyone have a set of Port tongs they’d be happy to use to open bottles?

I’ve got a pretty full load and it would help if I don’t need to bring tongs.

Yes, I can bring tongs.

PhilW wrote: ↑14:47 Tue 09 Dec 2025

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑14:34 Tue 09 Dec 2025 And an unrelated question. Does anyone have a set of Port tongs they’d be happy to use to open bottles?

I’ve got a pretty full load and it would help if I don’t need to bring tongs.

Yes, I can bring tongs.

Thanks. That makes life a little easier for me.

Yes please for the taxi

Pls do post here what is opened.

My bottle chosen, vintage known but only bottler's name known (Sandiford and Armstrong)

A vintage I've never opened before - the Marquess of Salisbury was First Lord of the Treasury at the time (The title 'Prime Minister' was not officially adopted until a few years later) William McKinley was in the White House

Taxis have been booked.

Leaving the Cross Keys at 17.30.

No large cars available for the return journey so 1 car booked to do two runs from the White Horse at 23.45 and (roughly) 00.01.

PhilW wrote: ↑11:45 Mon 08 Dec 2025

jdaw1 wrote: ↑15:38 Sun 07 Dec 2025

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:50 Wed 26 Nov 2025Draft of the ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels and TN sheets and voting pages.

Satisfactory? Who is to print?

Point of order: First post attendees list includes Industry Guest, but placemats do not. Do we have one? If so, needs adding to placemat (even if anonymised); if not, then potential for last minute reserve to join us?

I've not seen anyone mention printing. I've therefore just printed pages 37-40, 2-up, double-sided, to create a single A5-size double-sided page for notes - my personal preference given our limited space - and then printed another 10 in case others might want, along with voting sheet.

PhilW wrote: ↑09:14 Thu 11 Dec 2025

PhilW wrote: ↑11:45 Mon 08 Dec 2025

jdaw1 wrote: ↑15:38 Sun 07 Dec 2025

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:50 Wed 26 Nov 2025Draft of the ‘placemats’, meaning sticky labels and TN sheets and voting pages.

Satisfactory? Who is to print?

Point of order: First post attendees list includes Industry Guest, but placemats do not. Do we have one? If so, needs adding to placemat (even if anonymised); if not, then potential for last minute reserve to join us?

I've not seen anyone mention printing. I've therefore just printed pages 37-40, 2-up, double-sided, to create a single A5-size double-sided page for notes - my personal preference given our limited space - and then printed another 10 in case others might want, along with voting sheet.

I have printed sticky labels for everyone.

Voting sheets would be very useful, as would sticky labels.

Thank you both for coping.

ETA crosskeys @ 1645

flash_uk wrote: ↑15:24 Thu 11 Dec 2025 ETA crosskeys @ 1645

I got here at 3.30pm this year-go figure!

ETA approx. 16.30

idj123 wrote:

flash_uk wrote: ↑15:24 Thu 11 Dec 2025 ETA crosskeys @ 1645

I got here at 3.30pm this year-go figure!

A man is thirsty!

Arrived. Checked in. Unpacking and will be in the bar before 17.00.

Now in the bar at the Cross Keys.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑20:09 Tue 09 Dec 2025 Pls do post here what is opened.

The bottles were as follows:

1. Gould Campbell 1920
2. Unknown (est 1900-ish), blank cork
3. Croft 19xx (est 1935-55)
4. Da Silva 1937 colheita, bottled 1972
5. Sandeman 1852 colheita, bottled 1886 (sic)
6. Grahams 1917
7. Warre 1963
8. Unknown 1900, bottled in 1902 by Sandiford, Son and Armstrong Ltd
9. Unknown (est 1900-ish), blank cork
10. Kopke 1963 colheita, bottled 1984
11. Unknown 1904, Burne Turner bottling
12. Tuke Holdsworth 1947
13. Okęcie Babunia mead (est 1960s/70s)
14. St Johanner Steinberg Ortega Beerenauslese 1992 Rheinhessen
15. Warre 1977
16. Unknown (est 1900-1920), blank cork

And the scores: