October Outturn 2023

IT’S BEER MONTH!

The weather is warming, the drams are pouring, and the beer is flowing. Come join us for October Outturn!

YOUR SOCIETY

IT’S OKTOBERFEST!

BY MATT BAILEY

October. It’s a magical month. The weather is getting warmer, the drams are sweeter, and the cold beer beckons. That’s what our focus for this month is all about.

There’s something I often say when hosting our wonderful experiences, especially for more newcomers to whisky: whisky is, essentially, a distilled beer. Beer is made from grain, usually malted barley, along with yeast, and hops. Hops is almost never used in the production of whisky, and when it has been, the results have been far less than favourable. If you take that beer, without the hops, and you distill it, you’ll make a spirit base, aka new make, and can build a whisky from that. But hops are important to beer, and we’re celebrating beer month!

OVER 60% OF AUSTRALIA’S HOPS ARE GROWN IN TASMANIA AND THE STATE HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE INDUSTRY FOR ALMOST 200 YEARS.”

So what are hops then, and why does beer need it? Hops are the flowers of the hop plant Humulus Lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. It’s a plant, a fruit, and bright green/yellow flower that is an important part in balancing the flavours and aroma of the beer, as well as acting as a natural preservative. Brewers are usually after the lupulin inside hop cones. Hops put bitterness and character into a beer. Without them, beers would be overwhelmingly sweet (because of the malts), so hops add a balance of aromatic herbs and spice. Different varieties of hops have different flavours, like citrus, pine, floral, fruit and more. They will impart different flavours into the finished product and brewers will create new brews using unique combinations. When it comes to bitterness, it really depends on what variety

“SO TO CELEBRATE THE HUMBLE HOP, THE DISTILLED GRAIN, AND THE RELATIONSHIP AND MARVEL OF PAIRING WHISKY AND BEER IS TOGETHER, WELCOME TO OUR OKTOBER OUTTURN!”

of hops the brewer uses (there are over 250 to choose from), how much is added, at what stage it’s added (early on means more bitterness, later on means more aromatic qualities) and how strong the other flavour characteristics from the malt and yeast are.

Where do our local hops come from? Over 60% of Australia’s hops are grown in Tasmania and the state has been at the forefront of the industry for almost 200 years. If you take a moment to drive around Tassie, you’ll spot vast hops farming taking place, and the regions have a wonderful fruity aroma around them when you wind the car window down.

A boilermaker is essentially the art of pairing a whisky and beer together. Just like pairing food with whisky, the trick is often to find either complimentary, or contrasting flavours that ‘lock’ together nicely, and form the 1+1=3 moment. A moment where grains meet and create a special flavour epiphany.

Yes, some spirits are now appearing on the market which have been hopped. I’m not ever going to rule out trying something out like that, but for the most part, the bitterness isn’t a desirable trait in spirits like it is in beer. So to celebrate the humble hop, the distilled grain, and the relationship and marvel of pairing whisky and beer is together, welcome to our Oktober Outturn! We have some stonking good whiskies this month to share, so I hope you take a moment to open a bottle from Outturn, pair it with a suggested beer, and jump into our virtual and in- person experiences.

Matt Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia

BONFIRE BRUISER

A member said to us recently “where’s all the great 53’s gone?”. Well, we’re back! Welcome Cask 53.413 as Malt of the Month. The 413th cask in 40 years approved by our expert tasting panel, who has, this time, categorised this one in the Heavily Peated profile. An absolutely insane 10 year old smokey blast, you’ll have to imagine enjoying a bonfire on a Clyde puffer boat with notes of vanilla pods, dry roasted peanuts, oily rags, burnt apple, and a whiff of wasabi at the finish. Delightfully balanced and incredibly fun big peat.

ON A CLYDE

CASK No. 53.413 $220

REDUCED FROM $255

MALT

We lit a bonfire in the autumn forest while imagining, at the same time, a whiff from a Clyde puffer engine room before peat smoked pears and vanilla pods and dry roasted peanuts took centre stage. On the palate it felt like “we varnished our tongues”, real intense smoke, medicinal, oily and greasy – truly an experience. After the more then needed dilution, we had a burnt baked apple, blackened bananas wrapped in aluminium foil, and we set a blackberry bush on fire. Still big but much more manageable with a sweet fruity plum wine, liquorice all sorts and in the finish a horseradish/wasabi heat.

BEER PAIRING NITRO STOUT

THE 1983 SERIES!

Celebrating 40 years as the world’s leading whisky club, we’ve managed to secure a very small parcel of special casks selected by our panel, with matching special labels to celebrate the founding year of the SMWS. Welcome our 1.9.8.3 set, with a cask from each of those coded distilleries on offer. A specially selected cask from distilleries

1, 9, 8, and 3. Taste them in a lineup and experience a flavour journey back in time, or grab a favourite from the series and enjoy on its own.

CASK 1.283 HAPPY IN A HIPPY SHOP

A uniquely different distillery 1 from an ex-cosecha wine barrique. Floral and an important part of our origin story.

CASK 9.274 TOFFEE APPLE ORCHARD

A full maturation in a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel for 19 years and limited to just 192 bottles worldwide.

CASK 8.43 SHADED BY FLOWERS

A welcome back to distillery 8, which hasn’t been seen in Society livery for more than 17 years! A full cask strength, single cask distillery 8 from a 1st-fill PX sherry butt is a welcome return.

CASK 3.348 MELLIFLUOUS QUINCE

Islay whisky has no right to taste this good. 18 years in a 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel and full of gentle smoke, quince, old dunnage warehouse, and a real statement.

40THAN N IVERSARY

SPECIAL RELEASE

HAPPY IN A HIPPY SHOP

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 1.283

$220

Limit of 1 per Member

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Cosecha wine barrique

AGE 10 years

DATE DISTILLED 26 February 2013

OUTTURN 204 bottles

ABV 60.3%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The nose offered an abundance of orchard fruits – pears poached in port, peaches and cream, and stewed plums with custard – plus sponge cake and pink wafers. On the palate, raspberry sauce on ice cream and black forest gateau preceded a curious finish of winesoaked staves, incense smoke and Indian spices. The reduced nose included hippy shop joss sticks, sandalwood and lavender, sugared almonds and apricot jam. The palate combined Amarena cherries in syrup and shortbread with a rather exotic finish of perfumed wood and ash, menthol and eucalyptus. After five years in ex-bourbon wood we transferred this into a first fill cosecha wine barrique.

TOFFEE APPLE ORCHARD

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 9.274

$370

Limit of 1 per Member

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 19 years

DATE DISTILLED 11 September 2003

OUTTURN 192 bottles

ABV 52.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

Perfumed aromas of lavender and roses mixed with sweet apple and gooseberry pie covered with vanilla custard, dried apricots and redcurrant jam. Spicy notes on the palate delivered ginger and apple chutney enriched with nutmeg, cinnamon and orange skin, while crushed almonds were served with chocolate eclairs and panna cotta. Water combined the aromas into battenberg cake, cheesecake and toffee apples, with orange blossom and fudge joining milk chocolate and almond liqueur. Orange oils now met apricots and pears in a fruity marmalade before wild strawberries were complemented by eucalyptus and menthol in a fresh and oaky finish.

40THAN N IVERSARY

SHADED BY FLOWERS

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 8.43

$199

Limit of 1 per Member

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill PX butt

AGE 7 years

DATE DISTILLED 16 November 2015

OUTTURN 642 bottles

ABV 61.4%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

This opened with a big, no-nonsense initial aroma of custard with mulling spices, warm coffee grounds, walnut cake, dusty old bodega funk, mace, allspice and toasted almond flakes. With time a slightly sweeter, earthier edge emerged, like earthen-floored wine cellar must and walnut wine. Water brought out more aromatic aspects such as hothouse flowers, tobacco leaf and boiled mint sweets, plus a touch of candied grapefruit. The neat palate was surprisingly rounded, featuring lots of demerara sugar, plum wine, fennel seeds and treacle tart with a hint of blood orange.

MELLIFLUOUS QUINCE

OLD & DIGNIFIED

CASK No. 3.348

$499

Limit of 1 per Member

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon hogshead

AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 16 February 2004

OUTTURN 252 bottles

ABV 56.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

A gentle smoke poured over a bouquet of flowers, passion fruit and melon. This was immensely tropical on the nose, exhibiting hints of Caribbean rum and a fruity cake mix.Such an elegant palate, with the sophistication of rose water, the freshness of a sea breeze and the charm of an old dunnage warehouse. Mellifluous with water, we tucked into a syrupy fruit salad sprinkled with lemon thyme, eucalyptus and dolly mixture. The texture was now akin to olive oil, quince paste perhaps, revealing notes of lemon and a warm summer afternoon in the garden.

SOIRÉE WITH CRÈME BRÛLÉE

DON’T MISS ALEX MOORES’ PICK: “ALEX’S GRAND ADVENTURE FOR AUSSIE MEMBERS”

The responsibility for picking a whole Gathering cask exclusive is not without its challenges, as our VIC state ambassador Alex Moores found out! The nerve-wracking moments of knowing that what you pick is for the approval of our entire membership. Luckily, Alex picked an absolute winner. Notes of banoffee pie, creme patisserie, burnt sugar, and French furniture polish immediately swirl around the glass. Then notes of pineapple jam, plums, and freshly bloomed roses around tropical fruits and spun sugar. Incredibly diverse, rich, and decadent drinking to celebrate our Gathering 2023! This bottling is available to pre-order now and will be landing on our shores and shipped to Members later in the month.

SOIRÉE WITH CRÈME BRÛLÉE

SPICY

CASK No. 94.43

REGION

years

ABV 60.9%

AUSTRALIAN

2011

AUS ALLOCATION Whole cask - 189 bottles

As the oven timer sounded, aromas of freshly baked banoffee and crème pâtissière greeted us. We ate a slice with some brûléed sugar off a French polished dining table. Carrying the rest outside with a dab of pineapple jam, the palate took a journey through the orchards, with greengauges and unripe plums, and finally reaching the olive grove by the swimming pool. After adding water, the roses bloomed and we retired to the study with aromas of violin boxes and old paper ledgers enrobed in florals and tropical fruits. Finally, spun sugar and peach syrup covered pastries took us full circle.

BEER PAIRING ARICH AMBERALE

EXOTIC PROBIOTIC!

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 112.107

$195

REGION

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 10 years

DATE DISTILLED 24 October 2011

OUTTURN 201 bottles

ABV 60.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

Wow, we went exotic with a probiotic rhubarb and honey soda, warm miso caramel sauce and lychee flavoured tapioca pearls traditionally used to make the popular Taiwanese drink boba. Talking of bubble tea, on the palate we got a vanilla malted milkshake, lime posset, peach yoghurt and a gooseberry fool. Following reduction, the fragrant floral aroma of apple blossom combining with poached pears in a chocolate sauce prepared us for ooey-gooey cream cheese-glazed hazelnut rye rolls as well as hot salted-buttered crumpets and a Swedish almond caramel cake called “toscakaka”, very similar to the German Bienenstich – “bee sting cake”

WHEAT BEER WITH A SLICE OF LEMON

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 28.72

$170

ROASTED STRAWBERRY AND RHUBARB CREPES

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 19.69

$265

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 21 May 2012

OUTTURN 197 bottles

ABV 60.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Plenty to discover on the nose neat with key lime pie with lime jelly, lemon and orange barley water, frosted flakes cereal and pina colada flavoured jellybeans. On the palate a classic dessert, traditionally made crepes suzettes, French pancakes cooked in orange infused butter until caramelised and then flambeed with Grand Marnier. Following the addition of water, the aroma was floral and sweet like fresh sugar cane juice yet at the same time a clean and spritely scent found in a classic mint mojito. On the palate we poured, into a proper German Weissbier glass, a wheat beer without skimming off the top, add a slice of lemon – Prost!

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 17 February 2003

OUTTURN 217 bottles

ABV 54.6%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We imagined preparing either porridge with strawberry compote, figs and pistachios or a charred tomato vinaigrette with sherry vinegar and Dijon mustard. On the palate neat, creamy with an aniseed heat at first but then followed by enticing sweet and sour flavours with a tiny hint of smoke which reminded us of a roasted strawberry and rhubarb crepes. Following reduction, we baked lemon marzipan muffins, panettone with cranberries and ginger and made apricot jam before we enjoyed a creamy mango and coconut smoothie. In the finish hard boiled traditional sweets called aniseed balls with that infamous pip (a whole rapeseed) in the middle.

“25 years of hushed maturation”. Something rare, something special, something quiet. Over on the Isle of Mull, a distillery quietly beavering away on producing richly textural whisky both unpeated and peated. Distilled in 1995, this spirit spent 25 years, unusually, in a 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead, before being bottled at its natural cask strength in 2020. Yes, this has been slept on already, but we managed to snare a little bit for our members in 2023, and in the Sweet Fruity & Mellow profile, this oozes complexity, depth of character, and richness of texture. Don’t hit snooze on this tremendously well-priced example of single cask, cask strength, 25 year old whisky from the Isle of Mull.

QUIET CONFIDENCE

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 42.73

$600

REGION

Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon hogshead

AGE 25 years

DATE DISTILLED 22 November 1995

OUTTURN 187 bottles

ABV 49.7%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

PREMIUMBOTTLING

This dram exuded a quiet confidence which induced a sense of calmness, waited for the right moment with utmost patience and here we are. The aroma was that of sweet tobacco, honey and soft waxy pieces of papaya as a resinous woody leathery scent cast a spell on us. Really gentle, really complex on the palate with salted caramel, coconut oil and pineapple fudge. We were completely captivated, like listening to a song where the lyrics are almost whispered suggesting that you might hear a secret - delicate yet incisive! A drop of water, if you wish, as we then imagined joining meditating Buddhist monks in their chanting.

BEER PAIRING

WHEATBEER

NOT A GENUINE ‘PHILOSOPHICAL’ PARADOX

“A dram fit for Wittgenstein”. Pop this open, pour a dram, take a deep breath, and enjoy cask strength whisky from Orkney. This doesn’t need complicated philosophical analysis. Wittgenstein would probably approve however, and you might be transported to a genuine philosophical paradox. That paradox might be “wow, peated whisky has no right to be this good”, or “how do I not have more 4’s on my shelf?”. Either way, jump into this delightful 13 year old example.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 13 years

DATE DISTILLED 28 January 2008

OUTTURN 246 bottles

ABV 61.3%

AUS ALLOCATION bottles

The aromas neat almost caused a philosophical paradox, on the one hand we got cordite, damp slabs of peat and dulse dried seaweed but then on the other hand, honeyed pears in puff pastry and custard slices emerged. On the palate we were in unison with mintymelon juice, ashy smoke and a jalapeno heat. With water we walked through overgrown ferns to reach the coast where we managed to find a bar serving limeade with mint and a key lime smoked mojito. 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.

NOT A GENUINE ‘PHILOSOPHICAL’ PARADOX

BEER PAIRING SIMPLE&CLEANSINGLAGER

SYDNEY W H ISKYFAIR

CROWD F A VOURITE

VIBRANT LEMON FIZZ

SPICY & DRY

IN A GLASS BY ITSELF

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 68.90

$275

EXTRA MATURED

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 10 years

DATE DISTILLED 10 February 2011

OUTTURN 165 bottles

ABV 60.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

Vibrant aromas of lemon sherbet fizz and eucalyptus merged with apple juice, nut oils and fresh green herbs. On the palate came juicy red apples and peach juice with the velvety tannins of grape skins and stone fruits. With a small dash of water came raspberry sweets and dried cranberries with orange zest and lemon champagne sorbet. The freshness of clean linen in a spring breeze combined with fresh petals as we approached the palate. A vibrancy remained but now with cloudy lemonade and white grape juice. Oily textures arrived with walnuts and hazelnuts before the fragrance of sandalwood completed the finish.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE

1st fill custom toasted American & European oak barrique

AGE 13 years

DATE DISTILLED 18 August 2008

OUTTURN 250 bottles

ABV 59.3%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

A sweet and sultry scent reminded some of us immediately of rums from Central America with aromas of sultanas, raisins, brown sugar, Jaffa cakes and candied fennel seeds. The taste was that of nutty banana bread, with sun-drenched tropical banana slices flambeed in a banana liqueur and served with a creamy-soft butterscotch sauce. Water released more of those sweet banana aromas, this time in a milkshake, next to cranberry juice and rosewater panna cotta. Following nine years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill custom toasted hogshead (70% American oak and 30% European).

ELEGANT EXTRAVAGANCE

There’s not many single casks that leave the expert tasting panel completely speechless. This is one of those. The panel found this to be almost hallucinatory. A taste impossible to describe. A moment in distilling history in Islay back in the mid-90’s. Within whisky circles a single cask of distinction, presented in our Vaults Collection. A representation of how incredible Islay whisky can be, especially when presented unadulterated in this form. A truly remarkable moment in whisky history, and a collector’s item to savour and enjoy with friends. Expect notes of smokey sardines, tempura, vintage cigar smoke, expensive perfumes, and tropical fruit. Remarkable.

VAULTS COLLETCTION

ELEGANT EXTRAVAGANCE

OLD & DIGNIFIED

CASK No. 29.288

$1,950

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 27 years

DATE DISTILLED 4 April 1995

OUTTURN 178 bottles

ABV 55.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

Elegant perfumed smoke met juicy ripe tropical fruits in a near-perfect balance. The effect was almost one of hallucination. The taste was almost impossible to describe; some sort of delicate food fusion, so we tried. A sushi grain bowl with smoked sardines, spicy mayo, furikake and tempura crunchies ... we do hope you get the idea. A drop of water and miraculously we were transported to Havana, Cuba, in the 1920s, and the Sevilla Havane hotel, haunt of the rich and famous; the air heavy with sweet cigar smoke, the allure of the most expensive perfumes and the tropical heat –truly extravagant.

FIFTIES MOUTHWASH

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 19.65

$250

PEATED

CASK No. RR53

$329

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 1st fill & refill hogsheads - American oak PX bourbon

AGE 14 years

DATE DISTILLED 27 May 2008

OUTTURN 2125 bottles

ABV 56.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 126 bottles

Honeysuckle came glazed with a cocktail of rose water, bacon jam and barbecue sauce, plus a side dish of crab meat plucked from a vat of clarified butter. Need we say anything else? To the palate, this dram gifted smoked prune juice and cherry fondant served on driftwood. We also found crushed figs, apricot and brambles singed by a travelling firestarter intent on promoting the skills of cold smoking with peat. Introducing water elevated a smoked apple pie encased in a soft leather satchel, along with potted crab and rye bread. The palate offered a buffet of liquorice, smoked ginger and biltong, served on a bed of ash-dusted pebbles.

BUNDLE OFFER

SWEET & SMOKY BUNDLE

$499

12 available

SAVE $46 ASABUNDLE

Like a great dish that balances sweet & smoky, this bundle covers all bases with a terrific bundle price. Cheerful and spicy, sweet and woody, smoky and rich. This bundle will delight the senses across the flavour spectrum.

A CHEERFUL SOUL

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 72.107

THE SWEET KISS OF LEATHER SPLINTERS

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 105.40

DOGS, TIGERS AND CRABS

PEATED

CASK No. 66.212

GREETINGS FROM SYDNEY WHISKY FAIR

The SMWS was proudly back on the stage for 2023 Sydney Whisky Fair! Thanks to all the current members, new members, and flavour adventurers who came up and said hi!

Check out our top-rated picks from Sydney Whisky Fair in this issue of Outturn.

SOCIETY EXPERIENCES

HOBART

THE GATHERING REDUX!

Amazing partner bar, amazing international casks, one big night with your state ambassador Tom Rofe. Don’t miss this Gathering at the New Sydney Hotel!

21 Oct 2023, 6:30pm, New Sydney Hotel

ADELAIDE

BOILERMAKER BRILLIANCE

Beer & whisky, the perfect pairing. Cody Banks, our SA ambassador is leading the charge on pairing barleys together. Watch this space.

Saturday 28 October 2023, 3pm

Spier & Wright Whisky Merchants

MELBOURNE

HEARTWOOD VS SMWS

A battle-off between two heavy hitting indie bottlers for one night only! Historical and upcoming goodies plus banter between Tim & Matt.

Tuesday 10 October 2023, 7pm

Whisky & Alement

MELBOURNE

30TH BIRTHDAY OF SMWS JAPAN

SMWS Japan is turning 30 this year, and we’re serving up their exclusive casks. A super rare evening of incredible special releases.

Thursday 26 October 2023, 7pm

Whisky & Alement

SYDNEY

TBD

Andrew Derbidge loves finding that magic of pairing beers & whiskies, especially with the magic 1+1=3 moment.

Date TBC BRISBANE

TBD

Brisbane, get ready to party. Your national ambassador will be hosting a special evening for QLD members which will be up on the site soon.

Date TBC

SHARETHE SOCIET Y

WE’LL BRING THE BEERS

To celebrate the golden elixir of great beers and their pairings, we’re going large this month and sending every referring member a full case of Hop Nation Rattenhund Pilsner on us! Valued at $70, this case of crisp and complex summer beer is all yours if you refer a friend to join, and they put your name in the referrer’s box at checkout. It’s that simple. The Rattenhund is the perfect ‘summer sipper’ as the weather warms up, it’s crisp, complex, and Melbourne Royal Gold winning beer.

INVITE A MATE TO JOIN AND THE BEERS ARE ON US!

Terms & Conditions: The referring Member must have joined the SMWS before 1/10/23. This offer closes on 31/10/23 at 23:59 or while stocks last. Limit of one case of beer per Member.

WIN A VIP MEMBERS’ EXPERIENCE

MEMBERSCASK SELECTION

Be part of our 2024 cask selection panel at The Vaults

VIRTUAL TASTING

MALTERNATIVE BOILERMAKERS!

MONDAY 23RD OCTOBER @ 7PM AEDT

Every Outturn of late, you’ll probably eyeball a few single casks from outside the single malt coding system. Casks starting with A, B, C, or even CW this time! These are phenomenal spirits from a wide range of distilleries from around the world, and we invite you to share in discovering these single casks from the ABC’s.

Come along for this malternative boilermaker night, which includes over $1,800+ in single cask spirits, for just $99 + delivery. Includes 5 x drams, 1 x craft beer, and a night of fun banter!

Join us for this impressive lineup, and warm night of virtual fun from your living room, either live, or watch it at your own leisure.

ARMAGNAC COGNAC AMERICAN RYE WHISKEY CORN WHISKEY AMERICAN BOURBON WHISKEY

CASK No. A9.1 MUSCOVADO MERINGUE

CASK No. C8.1 MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

CASK No. RW5.3 EXPLORING NEW FRONTIERS

CASK No. CW1.5 CINNAMON SINS

CASK No. B7.12 FORAGING FRUITS OF THE FOREST

“THOSE WHO SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE WERE SO DULL.”

2

TWO MEN

TWO DEGREES OF SEPARATION

Simon Seward and Pip Hills whisky connection

Unfiltered #86 Preview

BY CHRIS MIDDLETON

This story began forty years ago: Pip Hills in Edinburgh, a whisky anorak, started a specialist malt whisky distribution and retail business, and Simon Seward in Melbourne, a fellow entrepreneur and recent owner of Victoria’s leading whisky and wine distribution company.

1983 was the momentous year for whisky and their two new business escapades. Pip Hills led the formation of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Leith. The same year, another cofounder of the Society and close friend of Hills’, the Edinburgh University historian Ian Duffield returned from his PhD sabbatical in Sydney, where he discovered well-established wine societies similar to British organisations selling exclusively chosen vintages to members from specially selected wineries.

Starting the world’s first malt whisky society was a novel and unique concept, purchasing individual casks of promising whisky chosen from distilleries without attribution, bottled as a non-chilled filtered liquid at cask strength, then marketed as one-off cask releases with engaging and approachable communications, conducting educational events selling directly to Society members. Even bottling at cask strength was an unorthodox offer as only one distillery since the Great War marketed a cask strength expression. Meanwhile, three and a half kilometres south of Leith, the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL), whisky leviathan, was completing plans to launch the first single malt series, Malt Whisky Cellar, in early 1984. The Scotch industry was stirring, and the sleepy malt whisky dragon was awakening.

SMWS Founder Pip Hills sitting with original syndicate members Kay & Duncan, reliving how it all started 40 years ago.

1983, Simon Seward set up a new Melbourne liquor venture after selling his family’s wholesale business, Taylor Ferguson, to Anglo-Thai Inchcape in 1979. The same year, across Port Philip Bay from Melbourne, United Distillers Limited (UDL) ceased whisky production at their Corio distillery in 1983, moving whisky operations to their Nuriootpa distillery until the early 1990s. W. A. Gilbey’s had stopped whisky distilling at their Moorabbin distillery in Melbourne three years earlier when the global whisky industry hit its nadir. 1983: Scotch held an 80% volume share in Australia, serving an older franchise of drinkers, as North American whisky rapidly rose to 15% market share, commandeering 18 to 24-year-old entry-level drinkers.

The balance of whisky sales was the running down of Australian stocks of Corio, Bond 7, and Four Seasons, plus some languishing Irish and the recent arrival of Japanese whisky. Jim Beam Australia was preparing the launch of the world’s first branded premix whisky in a can that would soon transform Australia’s whiskydrinking habits with Ready-to-Drink formats. 1983: Scotch malt whisky in Australia sold less than 18,000 9L cases (0.7% of total whisky), compared to 2020 at around 250,000 cases (6% of total whisky, excluding RTDs), from over two dozen countries, including 125 Australian brands, from some of the over 200 distilleries (of over 600 nano to large distilleries) producing a whisky in their spirits portfolio.

You can read the full essay, Two Men, in October Unfiltered #86. The full article is a prelude to a new series of essays, Australian Whisky Chronicles, by Chris Middleton, published in future editions of Unfiltered from October. This will be an odyssey through the past, present and future of whisky production and consumption in Australia. Spotlighting some domestic whisky distilleries during the past two hundred years — key people who contributed to the industry — major determinants that affected both manufacturing and drinking — and changing consumer habits, whisky styles and competitive brands that have made whisky the leading spirit in Australia since the late 1870s.

Chris Middleton is a long-standing Society member with an international career in whisky, a writer on spirits history, production and trends, and a founder of STARWARD.

“EVEN BOTTLING AT CASK STRENGTH WAS AN UNORTHODOX OFFER AS ONLY ONE DISTILLERY SINCE THE GREAT WAR MARKETED A CASK STRENGTH EXPRESSION.”