January Outturn 2023

40 years of SMWS

Matt Bailey ............................................................................... 4

The sky is not the limit Richard Goslan & Matt Bailey 38

OUR BOTTLINGS

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

Cask No. 26.183 The art of etiquette .................................................................. 9

Cask No. 39.220 Fruit flavour bomb 9 Cask No. 9.217 Spring is in the air .................................................................10

SPICY & SWEET

Cask No. 152.2 (Malt of the Month) Tropical cornucopia 6

Cask No. 80.37 Afternoon tea tot 10

Cask No. 105.39 Distillate on toast 11

Cask No. 105.37 Let’s get fizzy-cle! 11

Cask No. 13.91 A colourful companion 13

Cask No. 70.43 Magical spell 13

SPICY & DRY

Cask No. 78.58 Crunchy crystallised ginger candy

Cask No. 77.72 Admire the architecture 16

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

Cask No. 44.147 Worm cinders

Cask No. 36.187 Hellenistic alchemy 17 Cask No. 12.62 (Vaults Collection) Heaven-sent ............................................................................... 18 Cask No. 24.163 (Vaults Collection) A wizard’s spell 22

OLD & DIGNIFIED

Cask No. 50.116 Sun-kissed island paradise

YOUR SOCIETY

Events in your state

Champs is back for 2023 Introduce a friend to the SMWS and WIN Virtual Tasting: Summer Sippers

LIGHT & DELICATE

Cask No. 42.64 Pleasure garden .....................................................................29

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

Cask No. G10.34 And now, a word from the cask... 20 Cask No. 73.129 Sweeties and beer ...................................................................20

Cask No. 44.144 Extra texture 21 Cask No. 63.88 Greek yoghurt and French wine ................................... 21 Cask No. 5.98 A passionate pavlova 29

Cask No. 19.65 Fifties mouthwash .................................................................30

LIGHTLY PEATED

Cask No. 3.325 Exudes elegance ..................................................................... Cask No. 66.196 Portent of deception

PEATED

Cask No. 122.47 Pirates going crazy on the beach .................................. 31

Cask No. 4.314 Sitting in the sauna 33 Cask No. 122.46 The inland shore ..................................................................... 33 Cask No. 66.210 Mudpie 34

Cask No. 29.285 (Vaults Collection) Fabulous fusion

022 was massive. A huge year for The Society, but a huge year for me personally. After 2020 and 2021 being all about the lockdowns, the virtuals, and bringing the dram to the home in a huge way, it was a real gear change for 2022 to be back in the ‘real world’ again. A year where we all nervously jumped back into the ‘real world’ with events, Champs, tastings, masterclasses, dinners, and more. It’s safe to say we really punched into gear with a bang this year in both diversity of offering and breadth of experience.

For 2023 we’re changing gears again. Always on the quest to improve the membership offering, but also really take the opportunity to tell our story. The story of Pip’s vision and how everyone who told him it “couldn’t be done, were so dull”. Some bloke from Boness had an epiphany. He was bored of mass-produced, indistinct whisky. After a serendipitous meeting with a farmer — he started a revolution. The rest is history. This is the story of adventure, the maverick spirit, the first cask in the boot of his Lagonda. Where it all began with some friends and a kindred spirit.

For 2023, that’s where we kick off. A jump into our past looking at how Pip Hills and his maverick mates put together a whisky club like no other. A whisky club that had distillers, blenders, and whisky companies scratching their heads asking “who on earth would ever want to drink whisky at cask strength, let alone a single cask?!”. 40 years later, still extolling the virtues of how every single cask of single cask whisky is an utterly unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Still breaking the rules, still challenging the status quo, and still pushing new boundaries which we’ll be bringing to you every month this year.

In a nutshell: if you thought 2022 was a full return to form, you haven’t seen anything yet. Come for the ride, let’s break some eggs together and let’s have some fun. Cheers!

The Society thrives on a maverick spirit. Chasing a dream, breaking a few eggs, and building a community of flavour-obsessed whisky lovers. A global group born out of shaking things up, being ‘spirit heretics’ and believing whisky can be so much more than some supermarket-shelf, 40% ABV, mass-produced filler.

Matt Bailey ~

National Ambassador

SMWS

“The Society thrives on a maverick spirit. Chasing a dream, breaking a few eggs, and building a community of flavourobsessed whisky lovers.”

VANCOUVER VACATION

2023 is all about going back to our maverick roots. Our sense of adventure, our playful attitude, our doing things differently mindset, and taking flavour in new directions like you’ve never tasted before.

To kick off our maverick malts for 2023, we’re trailblazing a brand new code. Cask 152.2 ‘Tropical cornucopia’. A 10-year-old, Spicy & Sweet flavour profile, single cask, cask strength CANADIAN single malt whisky. What?!

When the Society first launched an Irish whiskey in 1988, members tore up their membership cards, wrote hate mail to the editor of The Society Newsletter, and vowed never to return. The outrage was similar in 2002 when we bottled our first Japanese whisky casks. “Our beloved Scotch Malt Whisky Society was bottling Japanese malt whisky?! This is an outrage”, wrote one member.

Now in 2023 in continuing with the maverick attitude of The SMWS, we’re releasing our first ever Canadian single malt, single cask whisky. Aged for ten years, this cask is truly a tropical cornucopia of flavours and the perfect summer dramming companion. Notes of papaya, pineapple, and mango, but also Ovaltine lollies, whipped coconut, and delightful summer fruits in a glass. Take a look on our YouTube channel for our ambassador talking in depth about this release and don’t miss out on this epic new milestone for The SMWS as we head into celebrating 40 years of the club being mavericks in flavour!

REGION Canada

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel AGE 10 years DATE DISTILLED 11 August 2011 OUTTURN 217 bottles ABV 62.9% AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles

On the nose neat juicy pineapple, green apples, rhubarb and custard, limeade with mint, fresh sugar cane juice, vanilla and coconut - simple yet complex and refined. Certainly, plenty of heat on the palate neat but beyond the spice plenty of goodness; Ovaltine, salted caramel, cape gooseberries, treacle and plenty of tropical fruits like mango and passion fruit. Water added a pleasant oakiness combined with gorse and heather as well as candied sweets and fruit pastilles while to taste charred pineapple, mango coulis and chocolate oranges. In the finish, a creamy, indulgent chai-spiced hot chocolate topped with whipped coconut cream.

AGED WAX

Distillery 26 is no stranger to the SMWS, nor is the love of the super waxy tropical spirit that flows from this remarkable distillery. After a string of tropical and waxy goodies we’ve seen in the past 12 months, we’re super excited to present this stunning teenage example of the make. Notes of sweet gorse, marzipan, golden syrup and timeless elegance in a glass. We’re very lucky to have this allocation available for summer 2023.

THE ART OF ETIQUETTE

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK NO. 26.183

$279

Limit of one bottle per Member

FRUIT FLAVOUR BOMB

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK NO. 39.220

$185

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 17 years

DATE DISTILLED 27 February 2004

OUTTURN 218 bottles ABV 54.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We felt we had lifted a veil to discover the secret aromas of sweet gorse, beeswax, freshly chopped tarragon, marzipan and golden syrup. The taste was sheer class, elegant and refined, concentrated rich apricots with a sweet citric note which emphasised the floral aspect of gorse in full bloom along the coast. A tiny drop of water and cherry blossom, eucalyptus and grated hazelnuts next to honey dripping off a wooden spoon made this truly a delight. On the palate; almonds, coconut ginger and Pai Mu Tan (Chinese white tea) covered in white chocolate appeared alongside rice crispies coated with white chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, Matcha and Sencha tea.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 12 years DATE DISTILLED 12 February 2009

OUTTURN 165 bottles ABV 61.2%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The nose was a one-armed-bandit jackpot of fruits – plum, pears and pineapple, lemon tart and fruity rum punch; also combining brown sugar and syrup with oak, balsamic and clove. The palate whispered of cardamom and chilli but sang full-throatedly of juicy exotic fruits, gummi bears, lemon peel and honey. The reduced nose became more citric – Key lime pie and lemon drizzle cake, sherbet straws, perfumed pear and cut flowers scattered over oak floorboards. The reduced palate was a flavour bomb of lemon zest, kumquat and lime sweets, rhubarb rock and Haribos; the finish entertained us with jasmine tea and kiln-dried oak.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK NO. 9.217

$235

SPICY & SWEET

CASK NO. 80.37 $160

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 17 years

DATE DISTILLED 11 September 2003

OUTTURN 210 bottles ABV 56.2%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The nose is a welcome waft of fragrant spring air– golden syrup, mashed banana, barley sugars, honey, fresh linen, flowers and lemon furniture polish on varnished oak. The palate’s main message is sweet lemon – lemon drizzle cake, sherbet lemons and lemon curd, with additional rainbow drops and meringues; the lingering finish has tobacco strands, ginger biscuits, chilli chocolate and liquorice sweets. Leafy notes hit the reduced nose – dandelions, nettles, basil, lemongrass and black tea. The palate now combines iced gem, foamy banana and almond croissant sweetness with hints of apricot, orange, juniper and quinine – memories of Thai curry to finish.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon hogshead AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 16 January 2012

OUTTURN 276 bottles ABV 59.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

The nose led to a garden – sunshine, cut grass, a fruit bowl (with nectarines, tangerines and bananas) and tea served with honey on digestives and granny’s home-made tablet. On the palate, the tea was joined by Turkish coffee and we got burnt caramel, ginger snaps and chewing a twig. The reduced nose made us think of buttered crumpets, Black Forest gateau, bourbon biscuits, pancakes with lemon and sugar and ‘stacking the wooden shelves in a sweetie shop’. The palate turned back to tea, with Danish pastries and hot cross buns; a slightly dry finish of pepper, coriander and suspicions of menthol.

SPICY & SWEET

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 2nd fill HTMC hogshead

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 14 May 2012

OUTTURN 292 bottles ABV 62.6%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

At first we noted mixed dried herbs along with new leather shoes, then fresh savoury breads and pastries. Beyond than some orange oils, heather sprigs, sweet hay and hoppy new world ales. Freshness and light galore! With water it became a little firmer and more medical with wintergreen, cloves, hessian and eucalyptus bark. In the mouth we found youthful Calvados notes, hints of coconut rum, vanilla pods, polished hardwoods and lanolin. Water brought it more towards pineapple tart, lemon syllabub, chocolate limes and honey-drenched porridge. After five years in a bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 2nd fill heavy toast medium char hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel AGE 11 years

DATE DISTILLED 19 August 2010

OUTTURN 204 bottles ABV 63.0% AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Bubbles which tickled our noses like those effervescent libations from the likes of Champagne, Prosecco or Cava combined with t typical yeasty, bready, doughy and toasted oak aromas making this quite an experience. On the palate plenty of sweetness in the form of lemon meringue pie and butterscotch but at the same time a noteworthy spiciness coming from a stinging nettle soup with chilli flakes. When adding a liberal dash of water, the scent of beeswax and whipped cream was followed by fluffy lime cupcakes, coconut whip and golden syrup sponge. In the finish we were back to the bubbly stuff, a Frangelico Prosecco concoction.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 1 December 2011

Nosing neat the colour ‘yellow-orange’ came to mind with pictures of mango flavoured Turkish delight, saffron, peeling a satsuma and lemon butter biscuits. Turning greener on the palate we were reminded of a pistachio cake with matcha green tea, green peas and kombu (Asian seaweed) and green sweet jalapeno jelly chilli sauce. After reduction, the lovely sweet and creamy scent of lemon balm developed, followed by aromas of a gooseberry and vanilla custard tart as well as Battenberg cakes. The taste was now soft and honeyed, marshmallows, vanilla pods and red apple flavoured tobacco while in the finish a refreshing lemon-lime mint tea.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 27 years

DATE DISTILLED 5 July 1993

OUTTURN 171 bottles ABV 53.5% AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles

OUTTURN 201 bottles ABV 62.5% AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles The gentle sweet fruitiness of mango, guava, melon and plums combined with the delicate aroma of elderflower and lime tree blossom cast a spell on us. The surprisingly fresh and zesty flavour of an Indian dip called lime and coconut dhal, with warm naan bread spread more magic. A drop of water and we smoked cigars as we took shelter from a sharp downpour under palm trees in a garden. Waxy and resinous on the palate; plenty of tropical hardwood spice met the sweetness of lavender honey, strawberries and cream as well as fresh pineapple and grapefruit in the finish.

SHERRY BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

What?! This is a whisky that will make you exclaim some big questions from a big malt. Cask 78.58 is that magical mix of heavy spirit character, old-school production, a Society ex-sherry cask maturation from Cask 136.1, and one of those noses and palates that will definitely make you wonder “how on earth do those flavours exist in malt whisky?!”. That’s what we do best when it boils down to it: curate incredible single casks that take on flavour journeys you previously thought couldn’t be had. This isn’t a “smooth” whisky. This isn’t a “common” whisky. This is a wildcard and wild fun in a glass. Boom!

CRUNCHY CRYSTALLISED GINGER CANDY

SPICY & DRY

CASK NO. 78.58

$170

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill Oloroso hogshead

AGE 9 years DATE DISTILLED 22 November 2012 OUTTURN 281 bottles ABV 60.2% AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We were baking an Earl Grey tea cake with dark chocolate and orange zest as well as hot cross buns while we nibbled honey roasted peanuts, cinder toffee and homemade chewy, crunchy crystallised ginger candy. Diluted the aroma turned to honey granola and chocolate swirl ice cream but also yoghurt coated raisins and dried apricots. On the palate slices of sweet braided yeast bread lightly spread with salted butter and naturally crystallised granulated honey, while in the finish, aromatic herb and spice. Following five years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 2nd fill Oloroso hogshead.

ADMIRE THE ARCHITECTURE

SPICY & DRY

CASK NO. 77.72 $185

SUN-KISSED ISLAND PARADISE

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE Refill bourbon hogshead

AGE 12 years

DATE DISTILLED 7 April 2009

OUTTURN 236 bottles

ABV 59.4% AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

A familiarly firm, ‘highland’ style aroma from this one to begin. One which included cooking and mechanical oils, tool box rags, aromatic hessian, nettles and a touch of manzanilla sherry style salinity. We also noted pine wood, mineral oil and shoe polish. Water brought out aged mead, salted honey, dried flowers, aniseed and malty shilling beers. The neat palate was richly textural and waxy. Lots of herbal medicines, bandages, hardwood resins, putty, lanolin and cough mixtures. Water brought out notes of new leather, mentholated tobacco, dried herbs, bouillon stock, orange peel and various fruit teas.

REGION Lowland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel AGE 31 years

DATE DISTILLED 26January 1990 OUTTURN 78 bottles ABV 45.8% AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

The nose evokes a table laden with fruit (fresh figs, blackberries, perfumed pear, kumquats) – in the middle there’s a violin case holding a Stradivarius and a caramel log. The complex palate has green melon and custard apple, butterscotch and coffee creams, hints of prosciutto, Armagnac and leather (like toting your 1930’s suitcase through Funchal markets towards Blandy’s). The reduced nose is a sun-kissed island paradise – aromatherapy oils (sandalwood, patchouli, sage) a glass of port, hints of tobacco and floral perfumes, coffee and marshmallows. The juicy palate has peach, pear, citrus and sweet mint; then mouth-drying oak, orange peel and balsamico to finish.

WORM CINDERS

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK NO. 44.147 $179

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso butt

AGE 8 years

DATE DISTILLED 7 November 2012

OUTTURN 600 bottles

ABV 67.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 60 bottles

We initially noted the worm tub heft of this distillate shining through from beneath the sherry. Very typical of this underrated Speysider. We noted twigs coated in blackcurrant jam, wild garlic, aged Malbec, burnt raisins and treacle tart. With reduction we got gamey vibes of roast pigeon, orange travel sweets, BBQ softened figs and cocoa with hints of vanilla cream and marzipan. The neat palate displayed immediate, distinctive notes of sherry vinegar, malt extract, grist and chilli oil. Some roast chestnuts bobbing about in the darkness too. With water there came cinder toffee, coal dust and Belgian waffles drizzled in maple syrup. A lovely impression of wild strawberries drizzled with balsamic reduction. Matured for 6 years in an American oak oloroso sherry butt before transfer to a 1st fill Spanish oak oloroso sherry butt.

HELLENISTIC ALCHEMY

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK NO. 36.187 $220

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead

AGE 12 years

DATE DISTILLED 8 June 2009

OUTTURN 297 bottles

ABV 56.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

On the nose neat we got powdered sugar on treacle tart, chocolate soil mixed with Greek natural yoghurt and marmalade on a slice of rye bread. We were then served venison with a cranberry wine sauce prepared with Dijon mustard, coarsely ground pepper, beef broth and apple jelly. The addition of water added aromas of red onion chutney, venison carpaccio, charred steak and Greek lamb stew while we enjoyed a Greek sweet liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin with a slightly cedar-like flavour aptly called Mastika, as a digestive. Following ten years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead.

STRAIGHT FROM THE SKY

Read the tasting notes from our expert panel on this one. Then reread them. A sherried whisky you’ll never forget would be the perfect summary of Cask 12.62 in this case. Every so often we see the kind of whisky that displays that rare balance of being both very obviously old and stately, but at the same time tropical and lively. A whisky that strafes that balance of being both clearly displaying the age statement, but holding onto its youth in the background. This is that whisky. It's had a long time in full sherry maturation so the age and grace of that level have held on — but, at the same time, there's that classic ’12’ distillate of mango and lychee, all wrapped up in a sublime ‘heaven-sent’ experience.

DATE DISTILLED 7 September 1989

OUTTURN 514 bottles ABV 57.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

An aroma of incense of the most valued scented aloeswood which noblemen of the ancient Japanese imperial court called ‘Kyara Kongo’ and translates into ‘Diamond Kyara’ filled the room. On the palate somewhat heavy and dark but at the same time fruity and light as we envisaged watching the show ‘How the Andalusian Horses Dance’, an equestrian ballet accompanied by Spanish music in the Royal Andalusian School in Jerez. With a drop of water, we imagined the beating wings of a hummingbird, gracile, filigree, a playful elegance and seemingly without the slightest effort. A heaven-sent enjoyment you will not easily forget. After twenty-nine years in an exoloroso butt, we transferred this whisky into a first fill PX butt.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM THE CASK...

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK NO. G10.34

$175

SWEETIES AND BEER

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK NO. 73.129

REGION Lowland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill HTMC hogshead

AGE 15 years

DATE DISTILLED 12 July 2005

OUTTURN 197 bottles

ABV 61.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

The initial aroma suggested hot cocoa with honey. Then touches of hessian, pears baked in Calvados, caramelising muscovado sugar and hot treacle full of molten marshmallows. Further notes of children’s cough medicines, red liquorice and strawberry jam. Water brought a firmer edge that suggested waxed canvass, dried apple rings, candy floss, foam banana sweets, lime cordial, citrus curds and toasted marshmallow. The palate was initially very rum like, lots of rum ‘n’ raisin ice cream, pickled sultanas, demerara sugar, walnut oil and booze-soaked fruit salad. Reduction brought out Battenberg cake, brake fluid, pistachio nougat and green walnut liqueur. Matured in a bourbon barrel for 11 years before transfer to a 2nd fill heavy toast medium char hogshead.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 10 years

DATE DISTILLED 19 April 2011

OUTTURN 218 bottles

ABV 58.6%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

A rich and satisfying aroma that displayed notes of raw barley along with vegemite on brown toast, hot pine resin, toasted nuts, clean cereals and a generous slice of vanilla sponge cake. Water offered a grassier edge with condensed milk and a scatter of sherbet lemons in there too for good measure. The palate was surprisingly juicy and fat. Lots of orange sweets, black tea, ripe pineapple, malt syrup, barley sugars and apricot jam. With water we got pear drops, ginger cake, white chocolate, new leather, soft wood spice and milk stout beer.

EXTRA TEXTURE

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK NO. 44.144 $210

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 2nd fill red wine barrique

AGE 14 years

DATE DISTILLED 23 October 2006

OUTTURN 213 bottles

ABV 62.1%

AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles

The nose was initially punchy and aromatic, full of rosewater, metal polish, young Gewürztraminer, heather honey, apple upside-down cake and zingy gooseberry tart. Some soft, luxurious waxes and baked pineapple circulating underneath. Water brought out the warmth of English mustard powder, posh olive oil, chamois leather, red liquorice, old rope and mineral notes like clay and flint. The neat palate offered marzipan, balsamic onions, sheep wool oils and umami paste. Unctuous, savoury and full herbal medical touches. Water brought sweetened herbal teas, spiced vanilla cake, old school shilling ales and mechanical oils on an old hessian rag. Wood spices and roasted nuts in the aftertaste. Matured in a bourbon hogshead for 12 years before transfer to a 2nd fill red wine barrique.

GREEK YOGHURT AND FRENCH WINE

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK NO. 63.88 $225

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 19 years

DATE DISTILLED 9 May 2002

OUTTURN 182 bottles

ABV 52.3%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Some panel members found themselves on the beach with coconut scented sun cream, melted ice cream, strawberry fondant creams and peppermint creams whereas others moved straight on to the terrace overlooking the sea to enjoy a glass of perfectly chilled Sauternes’ wine with almond and lemon tarts as well as meringue. A drop of water and the aroma became even more intense, honeyed apricot, butterscotch, coconut, mango, honeysuckle and toasted baking spices. On the palate so smooth and so sweet like a Greek yoghurt honey cream served with wedges of juicy fresh, sweet peach or clotted cream on scones.

A WIZARD'S SPELL

Distillery 24 is perhaps the most iconic distillery in the whole landscape of Scotch whisky. If there's one single malt brand that's forever imprinted on the whisky lover's mind, it's this one. A rather unique distillation process of small stills and narrow spirit cuts, combined with access to the best sherry casks on earth, make this a rather rare find. Truly an experiential dram that will take your senses on a journey into another realm of flavour, Cask 24.163 is one of the rarest examples of delicate, slow, and sherry cask brilliance from the deepest archives of the Society's offering for 2022. Something to treasure and open on a rather special occasion.

EXTRA MATURED VAULTS

We gave it a mesmerising stare in the glass, a bright dark burnt umber colour which was followed by a magical wave of a wizard’s ‘Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa’ incense stick - a rich smell of frankincense, other fragrant herbs and resins. Incredibly gentle but still with a ‘tannic grip’, a perfect marriage between dark chocolate, Grand Marnier and candied orange rind – all in a truffle. A tiny drop of water and you will be on a magic carpet ride to Alcaiceria, the Great Bazaar of Granada, while on the palate you watched the sunset over the city and the Alhambra. After twenty-nine years in an ex-Oloroso butt, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill PX sherry butt.

SOCIETY EXPERIENCES

MORE EVENTS BEING ANNOUNCED

IN OTHER STATES SHORTLY: KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR INBOX AND VISIT SMWS.COM.AU/EVENTS

SYDNEY

FULL BURNS SUPPER

Let’s kick our year of tastings off with a full Robbie Burns supper. Pipers, haggis, dinner and a full Society dram lineup as we celebrate the life and poetry of Robbie Burns.

WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY

6:30PM ARRIVAL FOR 7PM START ISC Room, Royal Automobile Club, Macquarie St, Sydney.

MELBOURNE

MAVERICK BOILERMAKERS!

Warm weather, cold beers, and six new Society casks to share in this special pairing of malts with malts — with some extra flavour surprises along the way.

THURSDAY 19 JANUARY

6:30PM ARRIVAL FOR 7PM START Whisky & Alement, 270 Russell St, Melbourne.

INVITE A FRIEND

Introduce a friend to the SMWS this January and automatically go in the draw to win one of ten January ‘Summer Sippers’ virtual tasting kits valued at $79 each! All they have to do is enter your name on the referrers box, simple as that.

We have just ten of these packs to go around and referrers will be randomly drawn on Wednesday, 1st of February, 2023, by 2pm AEDT. There’s never been a better time to join the Society as we kick the maverick spirit off for 40 years of the SMWS!

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 26 years

DATE DISTILLED 23 September 1994

In an instant a story unfolded, and a picture developed in front of our very eyes. We were walking on a late afternoon, the sun just coming out following plenty of rain that day, in a meadow by a gorse covered beach. The sun quickly warmed the air as we sat on the beach and got our Tupperware out to enjoy a ‘mangocumber’ salad, using fresh cucumber, ripe mango, lime juice, black pepper, chai seeds and almonds. Be extra careful when adding water, but you will be entering ‘a garden in Eden’; fruitful, wellwatered, or another interpretation which associates the name with the Hebrew word for ‘pleasure’.

REGION Lowland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 27 January 2003 OUTTURN 203 bottles ABV 58.2% AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

OUTTURN 142 bottles ABV 48.0% AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles We imagined entering a room smelling of French lavender fragranced potpourri as we sat down at a French polished table and tucked into a brioche French toast with peach yoghurt, berries and honey. On the palate amazingly expressive fruit flavours such as pineapple and apricots but also a zingy blackberry lemonade with mint. Following the addition of a couple of drops of water the fruits turned more tropical with guava and mango while to taste now sweet, fruity and creamy like a passion fruit pavlova, crisp meringue with a tangy lemon curd and passion fruit curd, whipped cream and melted white chocolate.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 17 February 2003

OUTTURN 201 bottles ABV 57.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

A typically rich and satisfyingly deep aroma to begin, lots of malt syrup, mothballs, cough mixtures and herbal resins all betray this is an older style highland malt. We also noted toasted nuts, bergamot, citronella wax and tea tree oil. With water we found milk bottle sweets, cold cubes, vanilla sponge cake and dusty waxy tones. The neat palate opened in classically waxy and syrupy form, lots of tinned fruit juices, myrtle, wintergreen, herbal teas, ointments and spiced custard. With water emerged lemon oils, fir wood, hardwood resins, furniture oil, camphor and honeyed brioche toast.

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel AGE 17 years

DATE DISTILLED 10 February 2004 OUTTURN 198 bottles ABV 57.5% AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles

“Immediately exudes elegance”, chalky sweetness, heathery purple smoke, lavender and violets – “aromatherapy in a glass”. Gentle honey glazed sweet smoke on the palate neat, followed by heather honey and lavender blackberry jam on toast leading to a serene moment as we dug into our Wakame salad with shaved pineapple, pine nuts, sliced teardrop tomatoes and mango slices. Water released the perfect infusion to augment the calm as we imagined a ‘purple smoke’ rising from a mug of lavender tea. The taste was now so smooth. Tropical fruits combined with a dark chocolate-seaweed ice cream using nori sheets giving it an unmistakable earthiness and minerality.

PORTENT OF DECEPTION

LIGHTLY PEATED

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill Port hogshead

AGE 23 years

DATE DISTILLED 23 October 1997 OUTTURN 253 bottles ABV 53.5% AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles

A stunning nose! We found an immediate density of sweetness, like smoked honey infused with heather ales, wild forest flowers, petrichor and tree bark. The denseness of fatty game meats, damp mosses, earthiness, herbal teas and fragrant jasmine. Water brought a brittle, metallic peat smoke, black pepper, anchovy paste and hessian. Some old-school farmyard notes along with peppery waxiness and dusty old coal scuttles. The palate was thick and sweet, like aged mead and notes of herbal cough medicines, natural tar extracts and punchy herbal bitter notes - like a 1950s bottle of Fernet Branca. Water brought out gentian eau de vie, tarragon, medical embrocations and brilliantly old-style, herbal and waxy peat. Stunning evolution and complexity! Matured for 21 years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a second fill port hogshead.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel AGE 8 years

DATE DISTILLED 3 May 2013 OUTTURN 233 bottles ABV 61.1% AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

Lots to discover on the nose, but everything was suffused with heather and lavender smoke – preserved lemons, tonka beans, gooseberries, marker pens and dousing a fire with a can of Sprite. The palate was full of fruity character – apple, lemon sherbet, peaches, pear drops, dried apricot – tangy and tasteful, but again all rumbled up in a madness of smoke. On the reduced nose we imagined a pack of pirates swigging rum and toasting marshmallows over a beach bonfire. The palate now – exotic, ash-smeared fruits, blowtorched mango, pineapple concentrate, chocolate limes, passion fruit, melon and flaming lemon thyme – ‘Hell Yeah!’

SITTING IN THE SAUNA

PEATED

CASK NO. 4.314

$190

EXTRA MATURED

THE INLAND SHORE

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 13 years

DATE DISTILLED 28 January 2008 OUTTURN 244 bottles ABV 61.4%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

Have you ever had a California roll dipped in spicy soya sauce, sitting in the sauna while a lime/mint flavoured water is added to the hot coals – you haven’t, nose this sample! There was thyme, lemongrass, indeed a whole potpourri was on fire and the only thing we could do was dowse it with a bottle of Pouilly-Fume Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire valley. Reduction gave us more smoke, more floral and sweet aromas and on the palate, have you ever heard of coconut bacon which is made with coconut flakes mixed with salt and spices and baked in the oven? At nine years of age, we combined selected hogsheads from the same distillery into a variety of different casks to develop further. This is one of those casks.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE Refill bourbon hogshead AGE 15 years

DATE DISTILLED 22 March 2006 277 bottles 53.6%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The panel encountered a particularly savoury and crisp peat smoke at first. Then plenty of fresh, coastal salinity, smoked olive oil, preserved lemons, citrus air fresheners and sardines charred over hot wood embers. Water brought a zing of hot acrylic, warm vinyl, sandalwood, umami paste and a hint of seawater. The neat palate opened with bath salts, fragrant dried herbs, cured white fish, bacon frazzles and finally a waft of more grubby, organic peat coming through. Reduction added layers of complexity that suggested sheep wool oils, rock pools, dried seaweed, mineral oils, umami pasta water and an increasingly sharp saltiness.

FROM THE BIG SMOKE

Like a whiff of clean highland smoke from the glass, if you snooze you’ll lose on peated whiskies of this calibre. First featured at the national John McCheyne tour last year, this particular 66 is quite a bit heavier than we anticipated! Still that clean highland smoke (as opposed to peat) but a lot more rich beef stew and truffle chips by the beach! Something to open over the summer at your next picnic and blow some minds!

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 12 years

DATE DISTILLED 21 November 2008

OUTTURN 189 bottles ABV 59.8% AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

The nose was typical of this make and suggested oily sheep wool infused with sea kelp. Then smouldering dried herbs, pickled black olives and smoky porridge. Some water brought medical vapour rubs, marjoram and smoked limoncello with poster paints. The palate opened with natural tar, a hot farmyard muddy quality (nicer than it sounds) and burnt brisket ends. Some water brought lovely notes of smoked olive oil, iron filings, medicinal embrocations and things like gorse, seawater and miso paste.

FABULOUS FUSION

Cask 29.285 Fabulous fusion is a delightful 23-year-old Vaults Collection release from a member-favourite distillery. Old coal embers and vintage sherry are notable in this aged Islay cask — an absolute must for any Islay enthusiast or peat lover. For those die-hard distillery 29 enthusiasts, 1998 was a rather special year of distillate for this iconic Islay powerhouse distillery. Burnished old leather, deep sherry embers, roasted cashew, barbecued pineapple and banana bread. Insanely delicious.

We felt transported into a kitchen where fusion cooking took place, stir fried duck breast served with in ash rolled pineapple cubes, liquorice dipped in honey and deep roasted cashew nuts. The initial comments, after a breathless moment, were ‘insane’, ‘huge’, ‘spectacular’, ‘this is a knockout’ – you get the idea? Peat smoked mackerel on crusty bread with a creamy horseradish sauce – delicious. With water we barbequed calamari and pineapple slices, as well as fresh porcini on banana bread. On the palate still intense but at the same time a gentle finesse – maybe flavour encapsulation à la Heston Blumenthal? After twenty years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill shaved toasted and recharred Oloroso seasoned barrique.

The sky is not the limit

How can outdoor activities heighten our appreciation of whisky? We tackle everything from a gentle stroll to throwing yourself off a cliff in a wingsuit (saving the whiskies until afterwards of course). Here are 12 different takes on how to combine your favourite freshair pursuit with a Society dram.

Young & Spritely: Yoga

NEIL AITKEN, PORT OF LEITH DISTILLERY

Early morning yoga on Portobello beach draws the most parallels with the unforgettable first sip of an anticipated dram. Unlike the other activities, yoga is not high octane – it’s more mindful, delivering a heightened awareness of sense of environment and self. Time and pace go into slow motion, and you remember that perfect moment for the rest of the day.

Sweet, Fruity & Mellow: Open-Water Swimming

CALUM LAWSON, VENUE MANAGER, SMWS GLASGOW

As you swim out in the open water of Loch Lomond it feels as deep as the mountains are high. You pass the islands that inspired the names of distillery 112 and 135 and you can’t help but dream of a well-earned dram on your return to the shore, with all the depth of the flavour and character inspired by this beautiful place.

Spicy & Sweet: Skydiving

JOE MCGIRR, FOUNDER, THE BOATYARD DISTILLERY

My history in skydiving began in 2006, a few years after I had started with The SMWS. We were visiting Tullibardine distillery in the Highlands and discovered the Strathallan dropzone in Auchterarder. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to jump from bridges, balloons and many planes — with a Society dram the perfect way to celebrate a safe landing!

Spicy & Dry: Skiing

MARKKU ELO, SMWS MEMBER, @WHISKYFINLAND

I’m quite obsessed with nature and being outdoors, with skiing, hiking and fly-fishing my particular passions. Is there anything better than being out there, listening to the sounds of nature, and enjoying a lovely dram of whisky? Moments like this make any dram even better, with natural ingredients at their best. Don’t hesitate to hit the outdoors, grab a dram and just enjoy.

Scotland isn’t just blessed with the finest drink in the world…it’s also home to some of the most amazing mountains. They don’t come any more challenging or exhilarating than the Cuillins on Skye, a monstrous ridge of jagged peaks. Pick your route carefully, and celebrate your ascent with a Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits flavour profile dram – a suitably decadent and powerful tipple for the top of the (Scottish) world.

I love a good walk. You can rely on the SMWS to deliver a tasty dram, but you can’t always rely on GPS in the hills. This April (2021) marks the 85th anniversary of the first OS Trig Pillar being installed and I love finding these old relics of cartography on my adventures with my hip flask. They’re portals to the past, each with a unique serial number, just like our whiskies!

Light & Delicate: Rowing SUMMER

AUSTIN, AMBASSADOR, SMWS GLASGOW

There’s not much that can motivate someone to venture into the brisk camhanaich* repeatedly, but rowing can. The crisp air, the subtle splash of the blade entering the water, the harmonised shunt of the oars, the synchronicity of a body and a team in motion. Whisky and rowing also share many similarities: both are sensory experiences, heightened by the scenery, relying on teamwork and finding that perfect balance.

*Gaelic for ‘the half-light of dawn’

Juicy, Oak & Vanilla: Speyside Canoeing

There’s not much that can motivate someone to venture into the brisk camhanaich* repeatedly, but rowing can. The crisp air, the subtle splash of the blade entering the water, the harmonised shunt of the oars, the synchronicity of a body and a team in motion. Whisky and rowing also share many similarities: both are sensory experiences, heightened by the scenery, relying on teamwork and finding that perfect balance.

*Gaelic for ‘the half-light of dawn’

Some years ago, I joined Dave Craig from Spirit of the Spey on a paddling trip down the River Spey. Five days on the river, from Aviemore to Spey Bay, offers a unique perspective on the Scotch whisky landscape and its distilleries. A dram from distillery 37, sampled outside its place of origin, was a highlight. For me, whisky always tastes better outdoors, whether on the banks of the Spey or halfway down a glacier in the French Alps.

DR ANDY FORRESTER, SMWS SPIRITS EDUCATOR

Lightly Peated: Fly Fishing

FRANCESCO RAMELLA, SMWS

ITALY BRANCH

I always bring my hip flask with me when I go fishing. Probably the best moment of the day is when I sit on the bank watching the sunset and sipping some whisky. I think it’s a celebration of the two! Our blends perform well in a hip flask, you still have all the flavour that you are looking for and they’re easier to drink without water on the side.

Oily

& Coastal: Wild

Swimming

ANNABEL MEIKLE, DIRECTOR, KEEPERS OF THE QUAICH

In January, I raised funds for Maggie’s Edinburgh by taking 50 swims in the month. I swam in the morning so a dram afterwards wasn’t an option, but it really set me up for the day. I’m looking forward to taking my VW campervan around Scotland to swim and camp and will certainly enjoy a dram post-evening dip. Drams from a hip flask are always the best!

Peated: Mountain Biking

KAI IVALO, SMWS SPIRITS DIRECTOR

Some years ago while I was planning to go out for an evening mountain bike ride with friends I decided to take my hip flask. We had a break to regroup and get ready for the descent and all took a swig (just the one) in turn and everyone remarked on what a big and intensely flavourful dram it was. It had never stood out as big and full flavoured previously, so our earlier exertions had clearly had an effect! Since then I have enjoyed the occasional carefully selected alfresco sip and ensured that if it is a Society whisky it’s not at full strength!

Heavily Peated: Wild Camping

MADS SCHMOLL, SMWS

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU

There’s something to be said for having moments where you feel like you’re the only human for miles around. For me, that’s being in a kayak in the middle of a loch watching the sun come up. Sometimes it’s staring up at the stars from a campfire with a contemplative dram. Being outside amplifies my senses in a way that makes me feel truly alive. I never take the same whisky with me, so each experience with that dram is as unique as the environment itself!

This article first appeared in Unfiltered April 2021 and has been faithfully republished for members to enjoy.

WHERE DOES YOUR SMWS DRAM TAKE YOU?

Take a photo of your Society dram in the most adventurous location for a chance to win one of three Society hipflasks valued at $69 each. Post your photo to the Facebook group or tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #SMWSAdventure Winners will be picked at random by the 31st of January.