The brandy brotherhood had an outing at South China Dim Sum Bar on Long Street, Cape Town, yesterday with a dozen legal eagles from neighbouring law practices.

10 000 Km north in Aberdeen, competing cabinets under David Cameron and Alex Salmond set out their stalls for the oil industry ahead of the upcoming Scottish secession referendum. If it succeeds, what will be the effect on Scotland’s other export, whisky? Could we see a swing away from peat and TCP to brandy which is after all what pucker Englishmen drank a century ago before Johnnie Walker started perambulating. This was one of the topics of conversation as we paired Oude Molen René Single Cask Limited Release with umami max mushrooms.

Forget about five spice, Oude Molen distiller Kobus Gelderblom explicated the secrets of the five brandies in his range, subconsciously mimicking the hand moves of Bruce Lee on the wall.

This matching of dim sum with brandy was a first for Kobus who is used to pairing spirit with chocolate and cheese. Since his VOV 14 year old was judged best brandy in the world in Hong Kong, east would seem a natural direction in which to look for inspiration and sales. East and perhaps north if Alex Salmond carries the day.