Outturn AE WILL N DT B EW , FR E O R IDA NLI ELE Y 3 NE ASE RD AT S DE MID CE DA MB Y ER
Spice up your life: Friday 3 December Issue 11, 2021
SUMMER SERVES & FESTIVE SPIRITS
Join us for our last Outturn of 2021 with a selection of summer serves and our home tasting guide. DAZZLING OVER AT SMWS.COM.AU
Contents Farewell 2021 Matt Bailey ....................................................................................... 3 Samples, starting, sympathy, and strength… Andrew Derbidge ......................................................................... 4 Hosting @ Home Matt Bailey ..................................................................................... 14
SPICY & SWEET Cask No. 135.28 ‘N-ice wine’ ....................................................................................... 8
SPICY & DRY Cask No. 94.13 Follow the furry cheesemonger... ...................................... 8
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
OUR BOTTLINGS
Cask No. 37.133 Magical curing .............................................................................. 9
LIGHT & DELICATE
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW Cask No. 63.70 Plants on the windowsill.......................................................... 7 Cask No. 2.124 Making your mind up................................................................ 7
Cask No. 6.49 The life o’ th’ building!.............................................................. 10
LIGHTLY PEATED Cask No. 66.198 Serene sunset satisfaction...................................................... 10
XMAS BUNDLE OFFERS PERFECT SUMMER DRAMMING... 12
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA Cask No. 71.78 Melt-in-the-mouth biscuits
SPICY & DRY Cask No. 35.281 Gripping fresh fruitiness
SPICY & SWEET Cask No. 2.120 Spinneys and hedgerows 2
FUNKY FLAVOURS.............................. 13
YOUNG & SPRITELY Cask No. 48.118 Trekking in the jungle
SPICY & SWEET Cask No. 28.51 Eminently effervescent
SPICY & DRY Cask No. 94.13 Follow the furry cheesemonger...
SHERRY LOVERS................................. 13
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS Cask No. 30.118 Head in the clouds
SPICY & SWEET Cask No. 128.13 Welsh cobbler sherry cocktail
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS Cask No. 107.23 Spicy and substantial
AMBASSADOR’S ADDRESS
Farewell
2021 I
’ve often thought it’s quite foolish to think that the arrival of a new calendar year also means everything will change, everything will improve, everything will be better than the year that was. I remember friends saying to me in November 2020 “well, 2021 can’t be any worse!”. Well, it kinda was in many ways. I don’t need to build a summary of the lockdowns, protests, earthquakes, and other madness here, we’ve all lived through it, but I can say that I was wrong… It’s not foolish at all. That’s called hope. That’s called looking ahead and saying “OK, we can do better”. That might be exactly what is needed at the moment. A chance for us to take stock of the last two years and know that it’s brighter around the corner. If 2021 has taught me anything, it’s that (a) whisky experiences are best shared, and it doesn’t matter how we do that, we make it happen virtually, we make it happen in-person, and we come together. We ‘gather’. The other thing I really took stock of this year was the value in the community that gathers online and in-person. That’s what the Society is. That’s why
we love what we do, and why I love sharing these experiences with you. So in the spirit of not looking back too much and keeping our focus on what’s to come, 2022 is looking bright. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for Covid to stay away, properly this time, and planning out some exciting experiences for members throughout the year. Champs is (finally) back on the calendar which is still sold out and still the biggest whisky championship in the Australian calendar every two years. The Gathering will return, as will the festival month of May, and more to be announced in the new year. Hold onto your hats, buckle in, and say farewell to 2021! I wish you all a very relaxing, merry, and convivial Christmas break, and looking forward to seeing you all, one way or another, in 22. Cheers, Matt.
Matt Bailey ~ SMWS National Ambassador 3
CELLARMASTER’S NOTE
Samples, starting, sympathy, and strength… T
he nature of my involvement in the whisky industry, in several capacities and roles, means that I receive/acquire a significant quantity of whisky sample bottles from month to month. They might be for a virtual tasting I’m hosting or participating in; they might be promotional samples from a brand or distributor that wants me to review their latest releases; they might be SMWS samples for upcoming cask bottlings; they might be samples I’ve requested for private bottlings that I curate for other entities; occasionally they’re just casual samples that friends and colleagues have drawn off and sent me in the spirit of sharing and collaborating. Samples are exactly that: Samples. I try a dram; I assess it, and the bottle has thus served its purpose. I invariably find there’s still a dram or so left in the wee bottle afterwards. If the whisky was sensational, that left-over dram won’t last long; but even if the whisky was merely just “good”, it seems 4
I don’t get around to finishing the contents of the bottle. There’s just too many, and my weekly alcohol consumption would be more than my doctor would recommend if I was to avail myself of every last drop in every sample. As such, the collection of “dregs” builds and builds over a few months, and I often dispose of them by taking the partempties into my office and offering them to my work colleagues to take home and try at their leisure. (In an office of 55 people, they disappear pretty quickly). It’s always fascinating getting the feedback from people in the days that follow as they report back with their thoughts and reactions. Most of them don’t mind a dram, but they’re hardly enthusiasts, nor would they classify themselves as whisky drinkers per se. Most recently, one colleague helped himself to a couple of SMWS samples that were leftovers from our November Virtual Tasting. It was the first time he’d encountered cask-strength whisky, and the experience was initially too overwhelming for him. “Do people actually enjoy that?” he asked in disbelief!
For me, it was actually a beautiful moment and a wonderful reminder – for we forget these things when we’re too close to the action – of what makes the Society so special: We’re offering whiskies, distilleries, and experiences that you might not otherwise encounter. We’re offering something that is so much more than the generic, non-descript, 40% ABV, bland whiskies that many punters associate with the category. Of course, for those in the know, such as you, dear reader, cask-strength whisky is hardly rare these days. But if you’re outside the whisky community, encountering a spirit of any variety with an ABV higher than 40% is a rare and – at first – confronting experience! Most folks who are seasoned cask-strength drinkers these days would admit they worked their way up to it. It is the same with most other pursuits: No one – but no one – goes out on a surfboard and catches/rides their first wave like a pro. A budding musician doesn’t pick up an instrument for the first time and make it sound sublime. I could go on with the analogies, but I’m sure you get the point: Certain things take practice. If you’ve been a Society member for a while (or, at least, a whisky drinker for a while)
and things seem natural or effortless to you, do not lose appreciation and respect for those who are entering the category for the first time and are finding their way with whisky. It is an amazing journey of discovery as each individual finds their preferred style of whisky; finds the ABV strength they’re comfortable with; and finds the brands / distilleries / Flavour Profiles that they enjoy. To be honest, it’s a journey that never ends. Here’s to us all continuing our whisky journeys in 2022. And if you find yourself sitting next to a newbie at a Society tasting event next year (please, God, no more COVID lockdowns!) welcome them and (figuratively) embrace them. Remember, that was you once upon a time. Cheers.
Andrew Derbidge ~ Director, Cellarmaster & NSW Manager 5
6
PLANTS ON THE WINDOWSILL SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW CASK NO. 63.70
$145.00
REGION
Speyside
CASK TYPE
2nd fill bourbon barrel
AGE
8 years
DATE DISTILLED
24 October 2012
OUTTURN
229 bottles
ABV
62.0%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles We entered a spring-cleaned barn with immaculately groomed horses, shiny saddles and an antique Victorian carriage. We also got a lovely sweet aroma of pineapple, toffee, rose water and Turkish delight. On the palate neat, pineapple slices were grilled with a buttery brown sugar cinnamon glaze as we had a glass of Galliano, an Italian sweet vanilla-anise flavoured liqueur. After a drop of water, we were potting herbs on the windowsill with the bright sunshine coming through while we enjoyed, in a goblet, a Berliner-style Weisse served with sweet woodruff syrup refreshing, floral and herbal with a delicate sweetness.
MAKING YOUR MIND UP SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW CASK NO. 2.124
$200.00
REGION
Speyside
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
14 years
DATE DISTILLED
7 April 2006
OUTTURN
221 bottles
ABV
55.4%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles A fizzy, citric, sherbet aroma like that of an old-fashioned cloudy lemonade next to wine gums, some fresh coconut and vanilla, as well as a hint of ginger and white pepper made this a pleasantly intricate experience. There was a spicy heat on the palate but that soon faded and gave way to a tray of summery Pimm’s jelly garnished with plenty of finely shredded mint. Diluted; a floral experience, as we were presented with a gorgeous bunch of fresh flowers delivered to our doorstep accompanied by a sweet love letter. It was Buck’s Fizz and making up your mind time.
7
‘N-ICE WINE’ SPICY & SWEET CASK NO. 135.28
$155.00
REGION
Highland
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
9 years
DATE DISTILLED
13 May 2011
OUTTURN
246 bottles
ABV
59.2%
AUS ALLOCATION 18 bottles One panellist imagined carrying fresh hay into an old, but very well-kept, barn while another was drinking pineapple juice at a petrol station. The palate neat would probably reach yellow on the Scoville scale but it was well balanced by the sweet fruitiness of a tropical fruit syllabub adding plenty of honey and lemon juice and topped with a dollop of cream. After dilution we were out in the middle of a bitter cold night for the ice-wine harvest, picking those grapes left to freeze on the vine to create a sweet concentrated wine with that unique flavour making it an ideal aperitif or the perfect complement to a fruit-based dessert or indeed cheese.
FOLLOW THE FURRY CHEESEMONGER... SPICY & DRY CASK NO. 94.13
$165.00
REGION
Highland
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
12 years
DATE DISTILLED
20 August 2008
OUTTURN
170 bottles
ABV
61.3%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles A typically unusual and charismatic opening for this notorious make. An initial fusion of onion seed bagels and white chocolate nibs. Then Caramac bars, herbal teas, corn starch, sugary breakfast cereals and mushroom powder. Reduction brought out savoury broths, green pepper, vanilla pods in a leather bag and malted milk. In the background that signatory kiss of parmesan emerged. The neat palate was rich in texture and full of grassy olive and rapeseed oils. Curious notes of oranges dipped in iron fillings, farmhouse cider, sheep wool oils and mechanical touches like WD40. With water we noted furry peach skins, baking starch, Matcha green tea, browner butter, pollenheavy flowers and quinine.
8
MAGICAL CURING DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS CASK NO. 37.133
$265.00
Limit of one bottle per Member
REGION
Speyside
CASK TYPE
1st fill STR barrique, Oloroso seasoned
AGE
17 years
DATE DISTILLED
5 November 2003
OUTTURN
276 bottles
ABV
58.3%
CIAL SPE NISH FI
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles Plenty of dark fruits to start with; plums, damsons and sloes were followed by the homely scent of warm apple pie muffins with walnut glaze and poppy seeds. Plenty of spice on the palate neat, but beautifully balanced by an oaky sweetness, black cherries and dark chocolate, prunes and mincemeat as well as cinnamon swirls and a red Pineau de Charentes. Reduced, the nose developed blood orange segments soaked in Port and candied orange peel, while to taste; cured venison bresaola with roasted, honey dressed root vegetables such as parsnip, sweet potato and celeriac. After 15 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a shaved-toasted-recharred and oloroso seasoned first fill barrique.
9
THE LIFE O’ TH’ BUILDING! LIGHT & DELICATE CASK NO. 6.49
$150.00
REGION
Speyside
CASK TYPE
2nd fill bourbon barrel
AGE
11 years
DATE DISTILLED
29 January 2009
OUTTURN
233 bottles
ABV
57.2%
AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles A rather brusque and charismatic initial aroma of camp coffee, sweet camphor, rubber plimsolls, honey-centred lozenges and crisp cereals. Also some lighter notes underneath of wildflowers, linseed oil, tobacco leaf and mint tea. Reduction brings Carnation milk sweetness, rye bread with honey, lemon curd and things like dates and chopped walnuts. The palate opens with a little sharp citrus, buttery corn on the cob, mojitos, pink wafers and orange bitters. Water softens all this out with a breath of cut grass, juicer fruits and a drier and more supple mineral quality. Some kiwi and custard creams in the aftertaste.
SERENE SUNSET SATISFACTION LIGHTLY PEATED CASK NO. 66.198
$320.00 CIAL SPE NISH FI
10
REGION
Highland
CASK TYPE
Refill French oak barrique
AGE
23 years
DATE DISTILLED
23 October 1997
OUTTURN
235 bottles
ABV
53.1%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles We nosed clean, tantalising wood smoke and honey, icecream in a garden and paella or Sunday roast savouriness. The palate found hickory chip barbecued pork ribs, golden syrup, treacle and chalky sweets; leaving long-lingering impressions of clove, cinnamon, sandalwood and leather. The reduced nose evoked a dinner party for one panellist (paté, melba toast, honey-glazed ham) while another was smoke-puffing his beehive by the sea-shore. The reduced palate oozed sophisticated maturity – ruby port and sweet tingling cigar smoke; smooth and satisfying as the sunset on an unruffled sea. This went into a refill French oak barrique after 21 years in bourbon wood.
11
XMAS BUNDLE OFFERS PERFECT SUMMER DRAMMING
$479.00
6 available
SAVE
$90 AS A BUN
DLE
A hat-trick trio and only opportunity to grab Cask 71.78. All three casks will make for delightful warm weather dramming selections. Limit of one per member
MELT-IN-THE-MOUTH BISCUITS JUICY, OAK & VANILLA CASK NO. 71.78
GRIPPING FRESH FRUITINESS SPICY & DRY CASK NO. 35.281
SPINNEYS AND HEDGEROWS SPICY & SWEET CASK NO. 2.120 12
XMAS BUNDLE OFFERS FUNKY FLAVOURS
$399.00
6 available
A triple bottle deal for those who like to live on the funky side of life. Worm tubs, wild spirit, wacky flavours to excite and delight. Limit of one per member
TREKKING IN THE JUNGLE YOUNG & SPRITELY CASK NO. 48.118
EMINENTLY EFFERVESCENT SPICY & SWEET CASK NO. 28.51
FOLLOW THE FURRY CHEESEMONGER...
SAVE
$71
SPICY & DRY CASK NO. 94.13
AS A BUN
DLE
SHERRY LOVERS
$529.00
6 available
Sherry lovers unite! Three massive fortified or wine cask wonders to pour over the pudding this month and delve into some deeper cask profiles. Limit of one per member
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS CASK NO. 30.118
WELSH COBBLER SHERRY COCKTAIL SPICY & SWEET CASK NO. 128.13
SAVE
$56 AS A BUN
DLE
SPICY AND SUBSTANTIAL DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS CASK NO. 107.23 13
Hosting @ Home BY MATT BAILEY
14
We’re putting Covid behind us and looking to December, which is a month of festive gatherings, family lunches, and opportunities to open something special from your SMWS stash and share with friends and family (if you dare…) With that in mind, we’ve written up our top tips on how to host your own home tasting, how to bring the unconventional, unexpected, and often otherworldly flavours in the glass to newcomers and fellow members.
TIP 01
CREATE THE SETTING You don’t need chesterfields or stuffy boardrooms to host your own whisky tasting, but you also might want to avoid the kitchen where aromas might throw or overwhelm your senses. Pick a spot at home that is welcoming and comfortable to enjoy a dram or three.
TIP 02
PREP YOUR SPACE Print off a few copies of the home tasting kit (free on our site), lay out some appropriate glassware like our SMWS tasting glasses, a water jug, a pipette (or teaspoon for water), and a few bottles of drinking water too.
TIP 03
LESS IS MORE Less is sometimes more! For my first home tasting I asked everybody who came to bring a bottle of whisky of any choice, but that was too much. Now if I’m hosting at home I’ll have between 8-10 whiskies and choose them based on a specific theme, for example different bottlings from the same distillery (a vertical tasting as it’s sometimes known), or SMWS vs original bottlings, or blended malts vs single malts, or a “then and now” theme can be fun. 15
TIP 04
GO ONE BY ONE It’s amazing how much joy people can have in coming together and having a dram, with a little guidance of course. The expectation for the next tasting and the sheer happiness in their eyes when I send them home amazes me every time! My advice would be not to pour the whiskies all at once. It helps to keep the crowd focused when you pour them one by one. Also, it’s okay not to know everything – but try to find out the answers to any questions before the next tasting. It gives you a nice ‘follow up’ to start with the next time you get together.
TIP 05
DON’T RUSH IT Take your time! People new to sampling Scotch whisky may not have used a Society or Glencairn tasting glass before and need to be introduced to nosing the whisky as part of the experience. Those who are used to having whisky on the rocks or with water also need to be encouraged to try at least a sip neat before adding a drop of water. Encourage a revisit to the nose and delay finishing the whisky for 15-20 minutes or more. Jump back into Andrew’s article in this Outturn about newcomers to whisky and how some training might be required here!
TIP 06
PREPARE SOME TASTING NOTES You don’t need a thesis of tasting notes for every whisky, but even a condensed tasting note like on the front of Society bottles will especially help those unfamiliar with the breadth of flavours in great whisky can go a long way. Tasting notes should be used as a guide to help find what’s happening in your glass, not the definitive on what is or isn’t there. If your guests pick up fresh lavender, but not the note of “crisp cinnamon on a Wednesday afternoon”, don’t be disheartened. 16
TIP 07
WATER, WATER, WATER Cask strength single cask whisky can be daunting, especially to those unfamiliar with spirits above 40% ABV. Give your guests an opportunity to add water to their whisky, sometimes even liberally, even to the point where you think “Gah, that’s drowned!” and then some… everyone will bring something different to the table in experience and will find their ‘sweet spot’ for enjoyment.
TIP 08
FOCUS ON FLAVOUR It’s more than just a phrase we say at the Society: it’s a way of looking at and enjoying whisky in a whole new way. Take the brand out of it, take the preconceived expectation out, and hone in on flavour. The way I like to do this is to discuss each whisky a bit, ask what flavours people are getting, and use food or nostalgia to draw this out initially. If someone says a whisky is “sweet” then see if you can go one layer deeper: what kind of sweetness? Brown sugar? Sweet nuts? Meringue? Honey? There’s so many levels to just ‘sweet’ that can drill down. Then go another one deeper: what type of honey? What kind of nut? This makes for a fun exploration where there are no wrong answers, just subjective enjoyment.
TIP 09
MIX IT UP While I’ll always recommend tasting some of these special whiskies with a drop of water or just neat, there’s no harm in mixing it up even further. You or one of your guests might find a malt or grain that would just do wonderful things in a whisky sour, or an old fashioned, or just a highball! (PS try a Society Lightly Peated profile cask in a highball this summer, and thank me later…) However you enjoy it, however your guests approach it, can make for an incredibly fun evening of gathering over the Christmas season, discovering great flavours, and taking your tastebuds on a journey. 17
FESTIVE SPIRITS AT
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Society bottlings are offered and sold through The Artisanal Spirits Company Pty Ltd, Liquor Licence LIQP770017428.
