November Outturn 2023

ONLI FRIDA NE MIDDAY Y 17 N OV E M A E DT BER

Celebrating on Friday 17 November Issue 11, 2023

FESTIVE ANNIVERSARY EDITION

40 YEARS OF SMWS Join the world's biggest whisky community this November

ONLY THROUGH: SMWS.COM.AU

CONTENTS NOTES FROM OUR TEAM

The festive dram Matt Bailey....................................................................................4 Strip back the noise Andrew Derbidge............................................................... 6 And the river runs through it Scott Mansfield................................................................... 14 The rise of malt whisky appreciation down under Luke McCarthy..................................................................... 24

OUR BOTTLINGS

Welcome to Mel Hack Matt Bailey............................................................................... 48 Timeline of SMWS 40 years of being whisky mavericks..... 52 Our Sustainability Commitment Onward and upwards!............................................. 62

SPICY & DRY

OILY & COASTAL

Cask No 44.154 Terra firma................................................................................... 23

Cask No 93.192 A feast for the soul.............................................................38

YOUNG & SPRITELY

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

LIGHTLY PEATED

Cask No 122.52 Green eyed beastie............................................................. 19

Cask No 4.332 (Malt of the Month) Mythic beast............................................................................... 12

Cask No 4.321 Knitting with peat...............................................................38

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

Cask No 35.310 Marmalade matured cognac................................. 23

Cask No 4.316 Not a genuine ‘philosophical’ paradox......38

Cask No 1.270 Marzipan fruits ....................................................................... 19

OLD & DIGNIFIED

Cask No 3.330 Sherlock Holmes in ‘The Lost world’.............38

Cask No 63.92 A sweet and tasty treat ............................................... 19

Cask No 12.79 On the road again............................................................... 32

PEATED

Cask No 134.12 Peachy Assam Latte ........................................................ 19

Cask No 29.288 (Vaults Collection) Elegant extravagance.................................................... 34

Cask No 127.45 Leviathan.......................................................................................40

Cask No 9.234 Splendiferous!.......................................................................... 20

LIGHT & DELICATE

Cask No 4.333 Surprisingly smoky, so seductively sweet... 41

SPICY & SWEET

Cask No 35.316 (Malt of the Month) Fine floral fruity fragrances....................................... 10

HEAVILY PEATED

Cask No 84.37 Big char........................................................................................... 20

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

Cask No 16.70 The green-fingered Blacksmith............................ 41

Cask No 73.141 Time for a spring clean ............................................... 20

Cask No 128.19 Pretty wacky!............................................................................ 37

GIN

Cask No 19.69 Roasted strawberry and rhubarb crepes.. 20

Cask No 113.63 Carnival of contrasts....................................................... 37

Cask No GN6.3 Yearning for bubbles......................................................... 41

Cask No 72.109 Orchestral manoeuvres in the cask................ 23

Cask No 135.42 Fun in the sun............................................................................ 37

ARMAGNAC

Cask No 138.15 Temptation's tendrils....................................................... 37

Cask No A5.5 Pitch dark fruit......................................................................... 41

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YOUR SOCIETY

November promotion WIN a golden ticket.................................................... 29

The Chilli Penguin Limited Release form BASIK............................ 59

Member quotes What does The Society mean to you?.. 30

Virtual tasting Whisky concierge............................................................ 58

Society advent calendar The 12 drams of Christmas................................ 50

Events Celebrate the close of 2023............................ 60

Photos from the year This was 2023...................................................................... 56

Membership offer Membership + whisky for a year................. 61

AMERICAN BOTTLINGS

BUNDLE OFFERS

RYE WHISKEY

SUMMER SIPPER TRIO...................................... 46

ISLAY 53 TRIPLE................................................... 47

Cask No RW5.3 Exploring new frontiers................................................. 43

Cask No 28.72 Wheat beer with a slice of lemon

Cask No 53.411 A treasure trove of char

CORN WHISKEY

Cask No 9.234 Splendiferous!

Cask No RR53 Honeysuckle petrichor

Cask No CW1.5 Cinnamon sins......................................................................... 43

Cask No 48.147 New balls please!

Cask No 53.447 The edge of midnight

Cask No CW2.3 Buttery baked corn on the cob........................... 43

AFTERNOON TEA TRIO....................................... 46

AROUND THE WORLD......................................... 47

BOURBON

Cask No 39.241 Vibrant lemon fizz

Cask No 138.15 Temptation's tendrils

Cask No B7.3 Penne pasta arrabiata................................................... 43

Cask No 46.125 Undying wood

Cask No 151.3 Skinny dipping in Surströmming

Cask No B7.8 Chilli cherry cotton candy......................................... 44

Cask No 80.37 Afternoon tea tot

Cask No 152.2 Tropical cornucopia

Cask No B7.12 Foraging fruits of the forest..................................... 44

SPICY & SWEET Cask No 140.6 Wicked, wacky, wondrous!....................................... 44

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS Cask No 140.14 Cowpuncher rodeo dram........................................... 44

3

THE

FESTIVE DRAM

BY MATT BAILEY

years as the world’s leading whisky club.

40 years. A 40-year-old whisky to match. A moment in liquid history.

40 years simultaneously feels like a long time and a short blip. It’s a lifetime of work in building the world’s leading whisky club, but barely a blip in the grand scheme of whisky production and enjoyment.

Thousands of years of production, turning barley into spirit, and spirit into whisky. In that context, 40 years is barely a ripple in the ocean. In the context of how far we’ve come as a whisky club, it’s a tidal wave. 40 years

4

ago, Pip met a few friends on a farm and decided to bottle a single cask of whisky, and our ethos hasn’t changed much since.

So, what did the world look like in 1983? Well, from my perspective, I wasn’t quite born yet…but from the angle of whisky production, it was a dire state of affairs for single malt. In Australia, you would have been lucky to find maybe six–seven different single malt brands at retail, and barely behind any pub or bar. Blended whisky was king, cask strength was basically nonexistent here, and the idea of regular ‘whisky tastings’ was some kind of voodoo I’m sure.

ABOVE: The never-ending peated cask at Whisky & Alement.

ABOVE: Society member Ally Bhana chats with W&A team member Aydin.

"DISTILLED THE YEAR THE SMWS WAS FOUNDED AND MATURED IN A REFILL SHERRY CASK, THIS IS THE MOST OPULENT AND IMPORTANT PIECE OF SOCIETY HISTORY WE’VE EVER BOTTLED."

The world has changed a lot in 40 years. Further into this special bumper edition of Outturn you’ll see what I mean. Andrew’s written a great piece about stripping back the noise and contextualising this wavy year we’ve all seen. Guest writer Luke McCarthy has taken a snapshot of what whisky in Australia looked like in 1983, and our own Scott Mansfield has penned a piece around bringing Australia to Lindores Abbey, and the camaraderie that whisky brings.

This issue, as you can see from the cover, is quite an important one for us. Not just that, though — it's our annual November mega-bumper-huge issue, but it’s also the final piece in the puzzle for our 40th anniversary of SMWS bottlings: the 40-year-old whisky.

This is an incredible piece of distilling history through Cask 12.79. Distilled the year the SMWS was founded and fully matured in a refill sherry cask, this is the most opulent and important piece of Society history we’ve ever bottled. You can read more about it further along in this issue.

Elsewhere in this massive Outturn: a custom SMWS EXP.01 Chilli Whisky Chocolate Penguin custom created

by Krsna from BASIK which is strictly limited, a hugely exciting virtual tasting, the launch of the 2023 Whisky Advent Calendar (which is a very different offering this year), a short piece on our sustainability commitment, the launch of a new membership option, and our first ever GOLDEN TICKET offering to members. Willy Wonka would be proud.

There’s a lot going on in these pages this month, so I’m going to keep this address brief. I hope you have a fantastic festive season regardless of your denomination, and am looking forward to sharing a cool highball or dram with you soon.

Best wishes,

Matt Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia

5

STRIP BACK

THE NOISE

BY ANDREW DERBIDGE

6

P

enning a retrospective at the end of the year can often be challenging. The events and hot topics in the latter half of the year are still fresh in your mind, but you have to dig back a bit deeper into the memory banks to recall the mood, happenings, releases, and the whisky zeitgeist that was prevalent for the front half of the year. Surprisingly, 12 months in whisky can be a long time! So, what made 2023 remarkable, and what is looming on the horizon?

As has been the case for several years now, the Society assigned a theme to each month, and we explored a diverse range of topics, flavours, pairings, and themes with each new Outturn. We explored new beginnings, mavericks, food and whisky pairings, music and malts, and of course our regular happenings such as the Gathering events and the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship. Our annual collaboration with Basik Chocolates also goes from strength to strength and — amazingly — somehow manages to raise the stakes and improve on the previous year. The live tastings with Krsna and the Basik virtual tasting are now the most hotly anticipated events on the Society’s calendar!

I’m always a keen observer of our members’ mood, comments, interaction, and participation in all things Society, and it was pleasing to see so many

ABOVE: Aussie Society members gathering for our September Gathering this year.

new members join up at our events this year — as well as plenty of longterm members helping out and making newcomers feel welcomed and relaxed.

I’m halfway through taking the Society’s “Grand Tour of Speyside” tasting around the country and still have a few cities to go, but it was truly wonderful to travel to cities I don’t get to often enough and meet with members whom I’ve known or conversed with for years over email or social media, but never had the chance previously to have a dram with in person.

And, to make plenty of new friends along the way.

I am tremendously proud of the diverse range of whiskies and events that were on offer this year. Whilst

the program and number of events held in the capital cities vary across the country, there was a great mix of tasting events, themed nights, dinners, collaborations, partnered events, and industry participation. Our monthly virtual tastings also offered a great mix of themed tastings, guest hosts and presenters, and — it must be said — delicious whiskies. And, on that note, the offerings in each month’s Outturn continued to expand in their scope, breadth, age range, flavours, and origins.

For those keen to explore and perhaps shift outside their comfort zone, some of the Society’s bottlings this year have certainly strayed from the formula or the perceived notion of what’s “traditional”.

BELOW: Kimi & Lachlan from Whisky & Alement.

"OUR ANNUAL COLLABORATION WITH BASIK CHOCOLATES ALSO GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AND — AMAZINGLY — SOMEHOW MANAGES TO RAISE THE STAKES AND IMPROVE ON THE PREVIOUS YEAR."

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ABOVE: Members discovering full-flavour whisky at a Society experience.

And that, perhaps, is the story in whisky at the moment: It is diversity in all things. It means new distilleries appearing with their debut release. It means new countries entering the single malt whisky arena. (Scandinavian countries, Asian countries, European countries, Pacific countries, the sub-continent, and so on).

It means whiskies made with new yeast strains; new barley types; new mashbills; and new maturation techniques. It means whiskies with young age statements. The spectrum of styles and flavours is ever expanding, changing and evolving our perception of “what is whisky?”.

Behind the scenes, several industry bodies are grappling with this as producers innovate and/or challenge the status quo. Witness the approach Glenmorangie had to take with the Scotch Whisky Association with their release that imparted a smokiness to the malt by kilning botanicals rather than traditional peat. Witness also the growing pressure on the American cask industry and the issues around sustainability as supply and demand do battle. 100-yearold oak trees don’t just grow up overnight, and the American industry’s insistence on using virgin oak casks for bourbon is looking increasingly shaky.

You might question the relevance of that 8

to Scotch, but consider that (a) roughly 90% of Scotch whisky is filled into ex-bourbon casks and, further, that (b) many of the flagship expressions of the commercial brands of Scotch are heavily reliant on 1st-fill ex-bourbon casks to get the desired flavour profiles at a younger age. If the laws change in the USA, the impact on the Scotch industry will be

BELOW: A member gathering.

massive. And that’s before we consider the far-reaching implications for the many other whisky and spirits industries around the world that are fighting for exbourbon casks. One well-known Scottish distillery has already had to change the bourbon distillery it deals with, in order to secure a more reliable and economical source for its casks.

"AS OUR TASTEBUDS SEEM TO GET SHORTER AND SHORTER ATTENTION SPANS, THE PRODUCERS ARE FEEDING THE CURIOSITY AND APPETITE

BY CONSTANTLY ROLLING OUT NEW RELEASES."

Returning to home and the year behind us, 2023 hasn’t all been downhill skiing. Inflation and rising interest rates have hit us all in the hip pocket, and simply meeting the cost of living meant that discretionary spending took a hit for many. Every player and event organiser in the drinks industry reported falling attendance at tastings and meetings this year — whether it was in-store tastings, formal masterclasses, whisky and food dinners, or virtual events.

Whisky retailers and producers have also reported significant changes in consumer behaviour and patterns in the last 12 months. For the whisky producers and distillers here in Australia, many reported that their regular customers who historically would always buy two bottles of something are now only shelling out for one. Similarly, retailers report that sales in the mid-price range have fallen dramatically, with a corresponding boost in the low-price range. (To put numbers to this, whisky sales in the $90-$150 price range have dropped; there’s been a massive uptake in the $50-$90 range.)

For the commercial whisky brands, it has been a year of “blink-and-you’ll-missit” with one-off or limited releases; batch releases that have small allocations and sell out until next year’s batch arrives; and new releases (or packaging) that seek to grab your attention. It is part of a long-term trend witnessed over the last five years, where consumers are less and less likely to commit or return to an “old favourite” but are more likely to continually try something new. The days of drinkers just sticking with the regular

Glen Generic 12yo and never straying too far are seemingly behind us. As our tastebuds seem to get shorter and shorter attention spans, the producers are feeding the curiosity and appetite by constantly rolling out new releases.

For many of the big commercial brands, sales of their flagship 10yo or 12yo have dropped, but the overall volume of sales across the brand has remained constant or risen as they simply add new (but temporary) product lines to the portfolio.

So, what am I looking forward to in 2024? While COVID has certainly not gone away, the darkest days of the pandemic appear to be behind us, and it would be nice to see a sense of normalcy return to the many different sectors of the whisky industry that still bear some scars. Believe it or not, the hospitality and on-premise industries are yet to return to full strength (chiefly due to a labour/skills shortage) which impacts how and where we can hold our events with respect to venues and the associated costs. Whisky tourism remains affected; not helped by high airfares to Europe and the insanely high price of accommodation and hospitality in the UK. (Fun fact: We got unbelievably close to locking in another Ultimate Whisky Tour to Scotland trip for our members in 2024, only for pricing to come back at an unviable figure that was 2.5 times the cost of the last tour we ran in 2017!

Accommodation and catering were the key drivers of this).

For me, then, I’ll be spending 2024 trying to strip back “the noise” and focussing on what’s front-and-centre for whisky. For me, that means not just enjoying good whisky, but, importantly, enjoying it with good company. The world seems to get faster and faster, and our lives get busier and busier. Ironically, and in contrast to this, good whisky takes time. And so should enjoying whisky.

So let’s take time next year to savour and enjoy what lies at the heart of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society: Enjoying good whisky in a convivial setting with good friends and colleagues.

Cheers.

Andrew Derbidge ~ Chairman and NSW State Manager (since 2005!)

BELOW: Akash from Crows Nest Partner Bar, Captain's Balcony.

9

BRING THE

FRUIT

T MALTHE OF NTH MO

Distillery 35 is no stranger to the Society, and members know the quality of spirit we’ve bottled over the years from this popular code. We’re bringing the Light & Delicate for the summer sipping season, which is both bright and delicate, whilst remaining cask strength and full-flavoured. It’s a magical thing when that happens and the perfect summer sipper is born. After 9 years in a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel, this whisky oozed cherry blossom, melon, green grapes, Juicy Fruit gum, and orange zest, with a finish of tea, oak, brown sugar, and syrup. Keep an eye on our YouTube channel for the full review.

FINE FLORAL FRUITY FRAGRANCES

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

9 years

LIGHT & DELICATE

DATE DISTILLED

28 June 2012

CASK No. 35.316

OUTTURN

180 bottles

ABV

59.6%

$169

REDUCED FROM $189

AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles We all enjoyed this gentle nose, which ranged from carnations and cherry blossom fragrance to fruit salad chews, melon, green grapes and candied plums, with pale hints of cotton and blackboard chalk. Fruit dominated the palate – Juicy Fruit gum, apple peelings, orange zest, brambles and strawberry jam; then blue lady tea (with flower petals), sherbet and mild spice to finish.

The reduced nose gave us perfumed incense smoke and charred wood, bergamot, sage and honey. The palate still delivered fruit (including medjool dates) but now with greater complexity – tea and oak, gentle smoke, mace and menthol, brown sugar and syrup.

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11

UNLEASH THE BEAST

M MIU THE E R P T OF MALMONTH

In our November 2021 bumper Outturn, we were lucky to release an old cask from Distillery 4. In November 2022, we managed to go for round two. In November 2023, we're pulling the hat trick and offering up an absolutely mythical beast for our special Premium Malt of the Month. Cask 4.332 Mythic beast is a masterclass in sherry maturation for a long-aged whisky. 17 years in an ex-Oloroso sherry butt, then an additional 3 years of maturation in a 1st-fill PX sherry butt. This Orkney beast is thick, unctuous, and certainly something special to put on the Christmas table this year. It’s rare to see full-sherried expressions from this distillery, even rarer to see them at this age, and then practically hen's teeth to see them at natural cask strength! Don’t miss this rich and rare premium offering. Tasting notes of exotic hardwoods, coastal flowers, sandalwood embers, tree bark, soft fudge, dark fruit jams, and chocolate sauce. Some singed smoke, lapsang souchong tea, and smoked sea salt on the finish. Divine.

MYTHIC BEAST

REGION

Highland

CASK TYPE

1st fill PX butt

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

AGE

20 years

CASK No. 4.332

DATE DISTILLED

20 August 2001

OUTTURN

565 bottles

ABV

59.9%

$469

REDUCED FROM $499

RA EXT URED MAT M MIUING E R P TTL BO

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AUS ALLOCATION 72 bottles Big and generous aromas at first, characterised by fragrant exotic hardwoods, resinous herbs, coastal flowers, salted liquorice and singed raisins. Some sandalwood embers and cooking rum in the background too. With water we found orange oils, ginger cake, tree bark and tiger balm. A spicy and deeply layered dram.

The neat palate opened with toasted walnuts and subtle, thick smokiness. Beyond which we noted things like soft fudge, pork scratchings, dark fruit jams and game salami.

Water released hints of smoked sea salt, chocolate sauce, booze-soaked cherries and lapsing souchong tea. Some natural tar and scented wood smoke in the aftertaste.

Matured in an Oloroso butt for 17 years before transfer to a 1st fill PX sherry butt.

13

AND THE RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

BY SCOTT MANSFIELD

A

s with each new Society cask, we are all unique but alike in form. We are shaped by the course of history, grand and personal. The alchemy of who we are is the product of the people, places and events that flow through our lives.

The River Tay takes its name from Ancient Celtic ‘Tausa’ which means ‘strong one’ or ‘flowing’. Famed for its fly fishing, Scotland’s longest river, pulses down from the Highlands until it pours through the Firth of Tay into the North Sea. On its banks, much of the history of Scotland and of its favourite spirit has been shaped by the great and good. Kings, crowned atop Scone’s Stone of Destiny, ruled from the medieval capital of Perth. Centuries later, Victorian captains of industry in Perth and Dundee grew rich plying their wares around the globe. Entrepreneurial grocers

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"MANY AN EXPAT SCOT HAS BEEN SPIRITED HOME NURSING A DRAM. NOTHING EVOKES SUCH POWERFUL MEMORIES AS A GREAT CASKSTRENGTH WHISKY. LITTLE WONDER DISTILLERS AROUND THE WORLD SOUGHT TO EXPRESS."

15

ABOVE: A view from the stillroom at Lindores Abbey.

Matthew Gloag, Arthur Bell and John Dewar mastered the art of blending.

Their successors shipped these blends to distant ports. Whilst the whisky barons brought Perth prosperity, they owed a debt to a then-unknown monk who had lived down the Tay 400 years earlier.

East of Perth, the small town of Newburgh, looks across the Firth of Tay to Dundee. The Tironensian Order of Monks founded an Abbey here in 1191.

Renowned for its orchards and sitting on the site of a 6th-century Celtic church, Lindores Abbey lay on a major crossroad.

Kings and the famed William Wallace passed this way. It is here that Friar Jon Cor, commissioned by King James IV, distilled the first ‘whisky’ ever to be recorded in Scotland’s long history.

All the while townsfolk in Newburgh went about their business next to or on the River Tay. Between the wars, Thomas Muir piloted his boat across the firth’s currents between the wars, and from Dundee. His son Gordon ran Lindores Farm milk to the town during WWII. Long after the Abbey’s ruin, Newburgh’s townsfolk continued to harvest its fields.

The youngest Muir found work on Bell's bottling line. By the 1960s Perth’s whisky 16

jobs drained away. Young Beth, successive waves of Scots, Young Beth sailed off land to make a home and have a family. She never lost her love of Scotland.

Many an expat Scot has been spirited home nursing a dram. Nothing evokes such powerful memories as a great caskstrength whisky. Little wonder distillers

ABOVE: The idyllic landscape around the distillery.

around the world sought to express themselves by producing a local spirit.

From the start, colonists distilled whisky in Australia, despite government restrictions. Challenged whilst fishing by his Scottish father-in-law in 1989, Bill Lark, successfully lobbied for distillation laws to change. Experiments with local

"OVER A GLASS OF 148.2 WE TALKED OF NEW WHISKIES, SCOTTISH AND AUSTRALIAN, OVERLOOKING THE ABBEY RUINS FROM THE DISTILLERY’S LEGACY BAR. DREW SUGGESTED THAT WE EMBRACE THE IDEA OF A WORLD OF WHISKIES AS A KALEIDOSCOPE OF EXPRESSIONS, EACH VALUABLE IN THEIR OWN WAY."

peat saw Lark craft a spirit redolent of the Tasmanian highland bush inspiring a generation of distillers to create their expression of Australian whisky.

In 2021 the Society affirmed Australia’s place in whisky firmament. Led

by Matt Bailey and Andrew Derbidge, casks from a Melbourne and Sydney distillery were selected. Casks 147 and 148 were added to role call. Each outturn from these casks has been met with overwhelming demand.

In the years since my last visit to Scotland, the turbulent course of history has transformed the world. Our plan for a 2020 family trip, instead directed our journey in 2023. In 2015, I shared a dram with Drew Mackenzie-Smith, custodian of the Lindores Abbey ruins, and talked about his plan for a new distillery. On my return, I had the prospect of visiting the distillery to look forward to. This time I also had an Australia Society cask to share.

On my way north I visited the Vaults for the first time. I was struck by how Leith was like so many ports, a place of last goodbyes and promises of new hopes over the horizon. On sharing 148.2 Kirsch Me Quick with members Ronan, Sam and Michael I was pleased with their positive reception. “It’s the perfect blind.

Who would guess a 3-year-old would be so complex.” It doesn’t take long to feel at home with the warm welcome at the Vaults.

Travelling north, my pilgrimage complete, the new Lindores Abbey Distillery was so much more than I could have imagined or hoped for. It would

ABOVE: QLD Ambassador Scott Mansfield in his 'spiritual' home.

have been easy for Mackenzie Smith to lock the distillery into a permanent homage to a distiller from half a millennium ago. Rather, the distillery pays its respects to the past but aims to create a future for Newburgh and its people.

Over a glass of 148.2 we talked of new whiskies, Scottish and Australian, overlooking the Abbey ruins from the distillery’s Legacy Bar. Drew suggested that we embrace the idea of a world of whiskies as a kaleidoscope of expressions, each valuable in their own way.

Lindores Abbey Distillery lies on a gentle sweep of fertile land which ends at the edge of the Firth of Tay. It’s overlooked by Newburgh’s manicured graveyard where my grandparents and now my mother lie. Below, Newburgh’s orchards and fields of barley continue to

bring forward nature’s bounty. Whisky now flows again where Friar Cor once tended to his still. Beyond this, a river runs into the sea taking us to distant lands.

Postscript The day an Australian whisky was first tasted on the site of Scotland’s first recording of whisky distillation marked the 200th anniversary of the Whisky Excise Act which transformed the whisky industry. Also next to a canal in Falkirk, after 30 years of silence, Rosebank distilled anew.

Scotland’s longest river was once better known as the lifeblood of a burgeoning whisky industry in the late 19th century.

17

18

GREEN EYED BEASTIE

MARZIPAN FRUITS

YOUNG & SPRITELY

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 122.52

CASK No. 1.270

REGION

Highland

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

8 years

AGE

10 years

DATE DISTILLED

24 September 2013

DATE DISTILLED

25 January 2012

OUTTURN

145 bottles

OUTTURN

228 bottles

ABV

62.5%

ABV

59.8%

$169

'S REWION D N A LECT SE

$199

AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

The initial nose popped and fizzed with coconut shavings, green under ripe melon, crème Catalan, rum and raisin fudge and a wee hint of buttery shortbread. Water evolved it towards dusty hay lofts, sultanas, honeysuckle and snapped green twigs.

We also noted white pepper, pine cones and vanilla foam with a hint of crème caramel. When neat the palate was punchy and peppery with elderflower, nettle tea, brown sugar and lime juice. Some impressions of fruit salad gunk, fermenting banana and lanolin too. With water it was still pretty lively and displayed flavours of banana chips, yellow plum, biscotti, hessian and dried herbs.

We were greeted by big juicy, yellow fruit aromas and some rum-like sugar cane notes reminding us of clairin the so called ‘wild spirit’ of Haiti. On the palate the fruits did turn red with a cinnamon apple turnover and a cherry puff pastry tart exuding an immense sugary sweetness, very unusual but certainly enjoyable. Following reduction, we were back in yellow fruit territory with banana bread, physalis and lemon pastilles on the nose. The taste certainly benefitted from the addition of a splash of water with the balanced, sweet fruitiness of cherry chews, honey and lemon lozenges, lemon verbena thyme and bergamot and in the finish marzipan fruits.

A SWEET AND TASTY TREAT

PEACHY ASSAM LATTE

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 63.92

CASK No. 134.12

REGION

Speyside

REGION

Goa, India

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

Refill bourbon barrel

AGE

19 years

AGE

5 years

DATE DISTILLED

9 May 2002

DATE DISTILLED

30 November 2016

OUTTURN

178 bottles

OUTTURN

201 bottles

ABV

54.2%

ABV

59.2%

$249

$399

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 18 bottles

A freshly baked soft, fluffy and slightly sweet slice of braided yeast bread (Hefezopf or challah) topped with sugar crystals and sliced nuts spread with butter – a light and tasty treat! On the palate a rich New York cheesecake which had a dreamy creamy flavour with a hint of lemon and vanilla wafer crumbs as the crust. Following reduction we enjoyed marshmallows, chocolate limes, cookie dough and melon balls as we drank a luscious Melontini cocktail – crema di melone, vodka, Amaretto liqueur and cream all shaken, strained into a Martini glass and then garnished with melon balls - living la dolce vita!

The first impression was a sweetness coming from a coconut panna cotta with pineapple salsa, which was then followed by Turkish delight and Calvados-glazed apples. A lovely texture neat, now the apples were baked with pecan and maple syrup before a fruity, peppery zing surprised us in the finish. Water added on the nose a red onion, carrot and hazelnut tatin as well as brownies filled with sweet red-wine raisins and toasted walnuts. To taste, cherries soaked in rum as well as chai-spiced banana bread and spiced cinnamon buttered popcorn followed by a peachy Assam latte, using rich coconut cream and vanillainfused sugar 19

SPLENDIFEROUS!

BIG CHAR

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 9.234

CASK No. 84.37

REGION

Speyside

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

18 years

CASK TYPE

2nd fill heavy char #4+ hogshead

DATE DISTILLED

11 September 2003

AGE

12 years

OUTTURN

200 bottles

DATE DISTILLED

4 March 2009

ABV

55.8%

OUTTURN

274 bottles

ABV

59.8%

$260

AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

RA EXT URED MAT

$190

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

Childhood memories of rushing out the door on hearing the jingle of the travelling ice cream van and buying soft served ice cream in a chocolate waver cone sprinkled with multicoloured sprinkles. Sweet on the palate, a fresh fruit salad with strawberries, slices of oranges and pink grapefruit as well as apples and pears accompanied by a refreshing limeade with mint. Reluctantly we added a drop of water, and the fruity scent was now more exotic and tropical with aromas of pineapple, mango, papaya and lychees while to taste the rounded sweetness of orange Chantilly cream and in the finish, fresh pineapple syrup.

The panel initially noted after dinner mints, fresh strawberries drizzled with white balsamic, light earthy tones, cask char spice and touches of cider apple, new leather and chlorophyl. With water this profile adopted new leather, resinous hardwood, cinder toffee and red ales. Some wildflowers laden with pollen and notes of tinned peaches in syrup. The palate was initially full of creamy coconut, menthol tobacco, flatbreads, hessians and crushed ferns. Dilution added white pepper, aniseed, fennel seed, red liquorice and salted butter. Matured for 10 years in a bourbon hogshead before transfer to a 2nd fill heavy char hogshead.

TIME FOR A SPRING CLEAN

ROASTED STRAWBERRY AND RHUBARB CREPES

SPICY & SWEET

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 73.141

CASK No. 19.69

REGION

Speyside

REGION

Highland

CASK TYPE

1st fill barrel

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

10 years

AGE

18 years

DATE DISTILLED

17 October 2011

DATE DISTILLED

17 February 2003

OUTTURN

237 bottles

OUTTURN

217 bottles

ABV

58.3%

ABV

54.6%

$179

$265

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

A fresh minty aroma gave us the impression of a spring-cleaned room with a bouquet of white roses as the centre piece. The palate was therefore no surprise as being ‘clean as a whistle’, with extra strong mints as well as Kendal mint cake before we made a bit of a mess eating salt and vinegar crisps to then wash it all down with a Jamaican sorrel drink. Following reduction, the bouquet of flowers consisted of white chrysanths and green foliage as we enjoyed a classic, totally crowd-pleasing dessert of banoffee pie made with a thick caramel sauce on a buttery biscuit base before we finished with olive oil popcorn.

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.

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21

22

ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE CASK

MARMALADE MATURED COGNAC

SPICY & SWEET

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 72.109

RA EXT URED MAT

CASK No. 35.310

RA EXT URED MAT

T'S MAT CTION E SEL

$399

$220

REGION

Speyside

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

1st fill heavy char #4+ puncheon

CASK TYPE

1st fill heavy char #4+ puncheon

AGE

10 years

AGE

20 years

DATE DISTILLED

23 June 2011

DATE DISTILLED

17 May 2001

OUTTURN

636 bottles

OUTTURN

489 bottles

ABV

57.4%

ABV

57.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 66 bottles

The nose spiralled from earthy base notes of cask char, black pepper and rye through mid orchestra exotic woods into heavenly harmonies of toffee apples, rum fudge and lemongrass. The palate stirred deep swirls of ash and toasted oak up into malted biscuits and wood resins, with top notes of heather flowers and freeze-dried strawberries. Water sweetened the nose to crème brulée, manuka honey and Sauternes, with hints of orange, lemon, rosewater and tobacco. The palate found pumpernickel bread, muesli, almonds and ginger, maple-cured bacon and waxy cherries.

After eight years in an oloroso butt we transferred this into a heavy-char first-fill puncheon.

Complex aromas merged marmalade, tinned fruit salad and fruit loaf with black tea, aged cognac and bees wax on toasted oak. The palate was rich and complex with sherry notes mixing with cranberries, almonds, hazelnuts while hints of matchbox joined sticky caramel. Water accentuated the cognac aromas but now with figs, walnuts and Christmas pudding. Then layers of herbs and chocolate covered ripe banana, melon and oak tannins with a hint of wood polish. Tannins continued onto the palate to be joined by orange peel, cranberry sauce and cola before warming spices and espresso coffee combined with cask char, roast venison and match sticks. After spending 17 years in an ex-oloroso butt this was transferred to a heavily charred first fill puncheon for the remainder of its maturation.

TERRA FIRMA SPICY & DRY

CASK No. 44.154

RA EXT URED MAT

$230

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead

AGE

14 years

DATE DISTILLED

30 August 2007

OUTTURN

259 bottles

ABV

60.3%

A spicy and leathery profile at first nosing. Hot cross buns, cured game meats, aged pinot noir and sautéed forest mushrooms. We also had a sense of leaf mulch, petrichor and hoisin sauce. Water brought further meaty vibes such as beef jerky, rib glaze, hessian, putty and jasmine tea. The neat palate was a dive into a spice market, with bitter cocoa, charred steak, some 1950s Fernet Branca and something akin to mulled Buckfast! With water we found big umami things like soy sauce, cocktail bitters, beef stock and natural tar extract. Matured for 11 years in a bourbon hogshead before transfer to a 1st fill Spanish oak oloroso sherry hogshead.

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

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WHISKY IN AUSTRALIA 40 YEARS AGO

THE RISE OF MALT WHISKY APPRECIATION DOWN UNDER

BY LUKE MCCARTHY

I

n the early 1980s, Australia was like a giant, sundrenched playground for the senses. It was a time of perms and mullets and paisley shirts, shoulder pads, power suits and shrimps on the barbie. It was a time when fruity rieslings were kicked to the curb by bold and buttery chardonnays. Australian wine was about to launch its ‘bottled sunshine’ onto the international stage, while local shiraz and cabernet were wooing fine wine fanciers at home and abroad.

On the other hand, if you were a malt whisky lover in Australia in the early 1980s, you were living in a barren, drab, wasteland of a place.

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“The world was a blended whisky world then,” recalls Bruce Ferrier, a veteran radio announcer who first got into malt whisky in the early 1980s. Ferrier is also The Laird of The Gillies Club, Australia’s, and possibly the world’s, first single malt whisky appreciation society. It was founded in February 1977, just a few years before the groundbreaking formation of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, at a time when finding quality malt whisky was nowhere near as simple at it is today.

“All that was around in Australia was the likes of Glenlivet and Glenfiddich and that’s about it. It was a terrible selection as far as general retail was concerned,” Ferrier says.

“I FOUND THAT THE ONLY SPIRIT THAT HAD ENOUGH CHARACTER FOR GETTING INTERESTED IN WAS MALT WHISKY.” DAVID LE CORNU

ABOVE: Early club bottlings for the Gillies Club.

Alongside the woeful Scottish single malt offering then, Australian-made whisky was also in its death throes. Malt whisky making had flourished in Australia since the late 1800s. But after World War II, the international conglomerates like Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) that controlled the major Australian whisky producers had shifted the industry to blends. In the 1970s, Australian import tariffs were then removed and excise

duties increased. The writing was on the wall for the rudderless local distillers.

“That was when the original Australian whisky industry died,” says Adelaide-based publican and whisky importer David Le Cornu. “I started in the industry in the 1960s, so I remember when you came into a hotel and asked for a whisky, you got Australian whisky.

You had to pay two cents extra to get a Scotch. And then they changed the

tax regime in the late 1970s and it just went dead.”

Le Cornu opened the Earl of Zetland pub in the early 1980s and turned it into a specialist malt whisky bar, eventually amassing a collection of over 360 malts.

“I found that the only spirit that had enough character for getting interested in was malt whisky,” says Le Cornu. “I tried to have the biggest range of malt whiskies available by the nip in the world.

BELOW: A Gillies Club import of a Port Ellen.

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Above and Below Early bottlings of Australian whisky from the 'pre Lark' era that did exist.

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"BY THAT STAGE IN THE MID-1980S, A SMALL GROUP OF AUSTRALIAN MALT WHISKY ENTHUSIASTS HAD BANDED TOGETHER THROUGH VARIOUS SPECIALIST RETAILERS AND CLUBS."

ABOVE: The Gillies Club continues today in appreciating whisky.

I never heard of anyone who had a better one then. In those days, you could chase up virtually all the malts that existed in the world. Whereas today, it would be an impossible task.”

By that stage in the mid-1980s, a small group of Australian malt whisky enthusiasts had banded together through various specialist retailers and clubs.

Gillies founders Dr Peter Boon and Norman Case gave their blessing to the establishment of other club branches in towns and cities across the country, with Le Cornu establishing one of the earliest in Adelaide.

Norman Case soon became the largest specialist importer of malt whisky in Australia. Like Le Cornu, Case started

selecting and bringing in whole casks of Scottish malt whisky for his customer base. The most famous cask from this era even inspired the Black Bowmore, as Ferrier fondly recounts.

“When the Gillies members got to try their very first full cask import, it was a Bowmore, which happened to be distilled in 1964. Everybody was stunned at the colour of it, and so they named it the ‘Black Bowmore’. It was a 17 year old then. A piece of absolute magic.”

Bowmore’s owners remembered this Gillies Club nickname when they eventually released an official Black Bowmore in 1993 as a 29 year old. A further four ‘Black Bowmore’ bottlings were released by the distillery over a

BELOW: Bruce Ferrier, The Laird Himself of Gillies Club Australia.

two-decade period, evolving into one of Scottish whisky’s legendary collections.

“It was there. There was definitely a scene then, it just didn’t have as much enthusiasm and size as the boom of the late 1990s.” Graham Wright, founder of online retailer The Odd Whisky Coy, vividly remembers these various strands of malt whisky mania coming together in the 1980s. Wright started at university in Melbourne in 1981 and quickly fell in a with band of malt whisky devotees. “My dad was drinking Corio at that stage and other Australian blends like Gilt Edge, so those cheaper brands predominantly.

But when I went to university, I ended up meeting with a group of people that saw whisky, and saw malt whisky in particular, as something quite special. We had gatherings and various events and we’d go out and hunt down what was available in the Melbourne market.”

The Corio Distillery, originally built by Distillers Company west of Melbourne, was being dismantled, like much of the industry, at the same time Wright’s career in wine and spirit retailing was kicking off. “From the Melbourne perspective, it was an interesting scene. In 1983, we famously had a whole heap of colleagues come in from interstate and we did a whisky tasting and put on a big bash. We would have had 20-odd bottles of malt whisky opened, mainly DCL products.

At that stage, that was basically all you could get.”

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“WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN GREAT ADVOCATES FOR TREATING SCOTCH WHISKY WITH THE RESPECT IT DESERVES. BUT THERE’S NO POINT HAVING THE FINEST PRODUCTS IF WE DON’T ALSO HAVE THE BEST EDUCATED TRADE AND CONSUMERS TO ENJOY THEM.” ROB HIRST

While blended Scotch whisky was still far and away the dominant article in Australia, change was on the horizon.

A number of industry leaders saw malt whisky starting to gather momentum.

Even those who’d been working to promulgate Scottish blends in Australia for decades recognised this quiet but growing fascination with malt whisky.

“Premiumisation was starting to take place across the whisky and spirits industry in the 1980s and I think that was definitely a part of it,” says Rob Hirst, the chairman of Tucker Seabrook.

Originally the wine and spirit merchant Tucker & Co, founded in Sydney in 1838, Tucker Seabrook first started distributing Scotch whisky in Australia way back in the 1840s. In the 1920s, Hirst’s family also started working with Teacher’s to distribute their popular Highland Cream blend. A prosperous partnership developed between the companies for several decades.

“Teacher’s had a 28

higher percentage of malt whisky – most prominently Glendronach and Ardmore – than other blends, and it was just a fascinating story,” says Hirst. “There were some enlightened people at the helm then who saw the future there with malt whiskies and they wanted to be a part of that premiumisation. I’d like to think that the Keepers of the Quaich had something to do with that as well.”

Hirst was the very first Australian Keeper of the Quaich, inducted at the inaugural ceremony in 1988.

His wife Judy was also the first Australian woman to be inducted into the Keepers – she was one of the first women to start writing articles about Scotch whisky and the emerging malt whisky trail back then.

Now a Master of the Quaich and one of the Australian wine industry’s most respected figures, Hirst has long been involved in education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

Over his nearly 50 years in the industry, he firmly believes that the sharing of passion and knowledge that malt whisky seems to cultivate more so than any other spirit has been one of the key drivers in

its continued success. “We’ve always been great advocates for treating Scotch whisky with the respect it deserves. But there’s no point having the finest products if we don’t also have the best educated trade and consumers to enjoy them.”

Fast forward to today, where specialist malt whisky retailers, bars and distilleries can be found in every Australian city, and it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t always this way. A determined group of enthusiasts blazed the trail, some of them among the most forwardthinking in the malt whisky world for their time. And while there are plenty of things from the 1980s we’d often prefer to forget, the efforts of these whisky pioneers are definitely worth toasting and remembering.

Luke McCarthy is the Editor of OzWhiskyReview and one of our ‘go-to’ whisky experts within the SMWS family. Check out OzWhiskyReview.com.au for more of Luke’s writing and reviews.

21 TICKETS WITH OVE

$2,49R 0 WORT H OF VALU

E

WELCOME TO OUR GOLDEN TICKET NOVEMBER PROMOTION Every single order for a Society bottle placed in the whole month of November & December goes in the draw to receive a golden ticket in their order. We’ll be randomly placing the tickets in orders throughout both months. You have a chance to win simply by ordering a bottle on the site!

The Golden Tickets you may find include: • 10x $100 site vouchers • 10x virtual tasting kits (valued at $99) • 1x $500 site voucher Willy Wonka had just 5 golden tickets to give out, and we’re going to 21. With over $2,490 worth of value being randomly placed in your orders. Gotta be in it to win it!

KET

GO

TIC LDEN

NS

O ATI

L ATU

GR CON

WHAT DOES THE SOCIETY MEAN TO YOU? The SMWS in 2023 both helped me reach the end of an odyssey and also followed me on the start of another journey.

My quest has been to open my eyes completely to peated whisky, and, with the release of Distillery #3 Fruity Time Travel, I can now say I have found a peated whisky (and maybe distillery) that I love! While this has been happening, I also relocated from the big smoke to a seaside country town. Worried that this would severely restrict my in-person event interactions with the Society, they kindly decided to partner with a wonderful regional bar in The Whiskery that enables me to easily and regularly get my SMWS fix. Too kind!

JUSTIN FARMER SMWS MEMBER

For me, the Society is all about the people and the lifelong connections forged over a dram of quality whisky whilst having a great time. The champs are a great example, 2023 saw me relinquish the bragging rights of (almost) winning in 2022, but having an absolute ball celebrating with everyone either way!

ALEX UZIALLO SMWS MEMBER 30

The society is kinship. I have found and formed a tight group of friends through the events. We are now scattered across states and overseas but still manage to get together in person annually. Tradition dictates we each share a Society dram with the group, blind, before taking guesses and revealing what we have poured.

A catch-up and tradition I look forward to continuing into my dotage.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has provided an exceptional platform of discovery and appreciation over the past year for me. I’ve managed to get along to a few Society events, participated in virtual tastings and even had the pleasure of entering my first Whisky Champs — what a blast! Joining the Society has not only expanded my palate and whisky knowledge but also provided me and the friends I joined with with a sense of belonging and community thanks to Alex, Adam, Andrew and in particular Matt. The whisky is what drew me in, taking the guesswork and dice rolling out of the search for better whisky with their unmatched tasting notes and colour-coded profiles, but it’s the community of like-minded whisky enthusiasts that will keep my subscription rolling on each year. I’m looking forward to continuing my whisky journey with you all and hopefully see some of you at an event soon!

ABE WILLIAMS SMWS MEMBER

NIRMAL MENON SMWS MEMBER

Being an SMWS member to me means being included in a wonderful group of like-minded people enjoying amazing whisky and sharing those experiences to make everyone’s experience of whisky and life better.

DARREN HOWIE SMWS MEMBER 31

40 YEARS OF THE SMWS DESERVES A

40-YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT 40 years ago when Pip Hills, our founder, bottled Cask 1.1, never in his wildest dreams did he think the Society would become what it has become today. A global club of flavour trailblazers and spirited adventurers.

In 2023, we celebrate 40 years of being at the forefront of the whisky landscape, and so it’s only fitting we proudly bottle a 40-year-old single cask, single malt whisky to celebrate.

Welcome Cask 12.79 On the road again — distilled in our foundation year of 1983. Literally distilled the year we started.

After 35 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, the remainder of this liquid was transferred to a refill Spanish oak ex-Oloroso hogshead and carefully monitored for the additional 5 years of maturation. At 40 years of age, this masterpiece was deemed ready to bottle by our expert tasting panel.

This is the most important release the SMWS has ever had the privilege to offer up to members. Each and every single bottling of 12.79 is also unique in its wax-dipped pattern and individual wooden plinth.

Primary tasting notes from our expert tasting panel of sandalwood, pipe tobacco, minty dark and ginger nut biscuits, exotic fruits, camphor, rum cream, and salt crystals.

Applications of interest are welcomed by emailing our Branch Director directly: bailey@smws.com.au Available from Friday, November 24th and strictly limited to 12 bottles for Australia.

Scan the QR Code to express your confidential interest in acquiring Cask 12.79

ON THE ROAD AGAIN OLD & DIGNIFIED

CASK No. 12.79 Limit one per member

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

Refill Spanish oak sherry hogshead

AGE

40 years

DATE DISTILLED

6 April 1983

OUTTURN

130 bottles

ABV

43.7%

RA ULT RE RA

AUS ALLOCATION 12 bottles Like many highways converging at a single place, ripe apples, pears, sweet sandalwood and fragrant pipe tobacco gathered at the intersection of perception. As minty dark chocolate and ginger nut biscuits merged with cherry fondant and exotic fruits, our journey so far had become clear.

With a customary drop of water we embarked on a voyage into camphor and rum cream cakes with a few salt crystals on top. Flakes of toasted coconut now stuck to sticky caramel biscuits before arriving at what seemed like a destination of peach ice cream on stewed apple tart. However, it was only just the beginning. After spending 35 years in an ex-bourbon barrel this was transferred to a Spanish oak sherry hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.

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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.

LTS VAU TCTION LE COL

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ELEGANT EXTRAVAGANCE OLD & DIGNIFIED CASK NO. 29.288

$1,595

REGION CASK TYPE AGE DATE DISTILLED OUTTURN ABV AUS ALLOCATION

Islay 2nd fill bourbon barrel 27 years 4 April 1995 178 bottles 55.8% 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.

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PRETTY WACKY! JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 128.19

RA EXT URED MAT

$235

CARNIVAL OF CONTRASTS JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 113.63

$195

REGION

Wales

REGION

Speyside

CASK TYPE

2nd fill barrel - #4 char 24 month air seasoned oak with toasted heads

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

11 years

AGE

11 years

DATE DISTILLED

4 August 2010

DATE DISTILLED

25 September 2010

OUTTURN

194 bottles

OUTTURN

186 bottles

ABV

61.8%

ABV

59.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles Wow, amazing, exotic fruits from a different planet, had the Brecon Beacons National Park got a tropical climate for maturation – all these exclamations from the panel captured the aroma coming from this glass very well indeed. Water caused an explosion of those tropical fruity flavours as we now chewed skittles, those colourful crispy shell yet chewy in the middle – ‘we tasted the rainbow of fruit flavours.’ Following eight years in an ex-bourbon barrel, we transferred this whisky into a 2nd fill barrel with a #4 char, 24 months air seasoned oak and toasted heads.

Have you ever cleaned the leaves of a rubber tree plant with water and a teaspoon of fresh-squeezed lemon juice? If you have not, then imagine a fresh, clean, green and sweet aroma filling the room. On the palate bursting with flavours such as a lemon sorbet spiced up with ginger and pepper creating a carnival of contrasts, smooth yet sharp and sweet even peppery. Following dilution, we prepared sweet cherries and pears with a sabayon cream alongside candied orange slices before we tasted a coconut panna cotta with a mango coulis and sautéed strawberries in a red wine pepper sauce.

FUN IN THE SUN

TEMPTATION’S TENDRILS

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 135.42

CASK No. 138.15

REGION

Highland

REGION

Taiwan

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

21 years

AGE

6 years

DATE DISTILLED

26 July 2000

DATE DISTILLED

6 August 2015

OUTTURN

138 bottles

OUTTURN

177 bottles

ABV

54.9%

ABV

56.5%

$270

$275

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

A truly irresistible scent awaited us waiting to be discovered, sparkling white chocolate lime truffles next to a tropical fruit salad with cacao nibs and guava juice. On the palate neat we ran out of superlatives, so superbly smooth with flavours of kumquat, quince, monstera deliciosa (a mixture of pineapple, coconut and banana) and tonka beans. If you so wish you can add a drop of water and a whiff of sweet spices was followed by candied orange peel and white raspberry popping candy chocolate. Luscious, tropical on the palate like a La Vina cocktail, using one part of East-India solera sherry and sweet Amaro next to one part of Bourbon and a dash of orange bitters.

We encountered a nose full of dusty pollens, sandalwood, oily rags, camphor, aged mead, white pepper, damp tobacco leaf and hints of melon liqueur, rose syrup, Battenberg cake, lemon curd and fruit salad juices. With water we found a waxier element of furniture polish and beeswax. Putty, lime infused olive oil, chai tea, camphor, aged muscat wines, kumquat and cherry syrup. The palate displayed super richness and texture.

Bright fruits, warm, toasty spices, paprika, spiced dark teas, aged cheng pi orange peels, heather flowers, marzipan and pear cordial. Water brought rose syrup, citrus curds, grapefruit peel, dried herbs, orchard fruits stewed in old calvados and muscovado sugar caramelising with oatmeal.

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A FEAST FOR THE SOUL OILY & COASTAL

CASK No. 93.192

M'S A DA C T I O N E SEL

$179

KNITTING WITH PEAT LIGHTLY PEATED

CASK No. 4.321

$180

REGION

Campbeltown

REGION

Highland

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

8 years

AGE

9 years

DATE DISTILLED

11 September 2013

DATE DISTILLED

24 January 2012

OUTTURN

240 bottles

OUTTURN

236 bottles

ABV

59.8%

ABV

64.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles

This was simply all over the place nosing neat, ranging from olive oil and firelighters to nutmeg and cinnamon, then quince jelly and finally oyster shells. The taste had an intriguing sweet and dirty aspect to it like burnt marshmallows on a stick over a barbeque fire. There was also white chocolate with vanilla and salt crystals, and a slice of panettone. Water initially released a faint medicinal whiff, soon replaced by a charcuterie board filled with olive bruschetta, cured meats, cheeses, almonds, olives, dried fruits and plenty of crackers – truly a feast for the eyes, stomach and soul.

A superbly fresh and aromatic example with abundant notes of fresh linens drying by the shoreline, olive oil, trampled ferns, sea air, rock pools and beach pebbles. Mixed dried herbs, tea tree oil and a dash of liquid smoke. With water it became thicker with notes of hessian, dry earthiness, waxed canvass and an ethereal background peat smoke. The palate was initially a wonderful mix of sweet and salty: frying pancetta lardons, olive brine and sweet peat smoke. Sheep wool oils, camphor, aniseed and seared tuna. At 5years of age, we combined selected casks from the same distillery. We then returned the single malt into a variety of different casks to develop further. This is one of those casks.

NOT A GENUINE ‘PHILOSOPHICAL’ PARADOX

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN ‘THE LOST WORLD’

LIGHTLY PEATED

LIGHTLY PEATED

CASK No. 4.316

CASK No. 3.330

REGION

Highland

REGION

Islay

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

Refill Guyanese rum barrel

AGE

13 years

AGE

17 years

DATE DISTILLED

28 January 2008

DATE DISTILLED

16 February 2004

OUTTURN

246 bottles

OUTTURN

184 bottles

ABV

61.3%

ABV

57.4%

$220

RA EXT URED MAT

$350

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 54 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 minty-melon 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.

We paddled a day on the Demerara which cuts a silvery path across the lush green landscape as we sat by the riverside in late evening placing clumps of heather (we brought them with us) on the embers of the campfire. On the palate, a sensationally sweet savoury smoke, tropical fruit salad and venison carpaccio with orange and horseradish – a fascinating combination. With a little water, slices of smoked coconut cheesecake were served, perfumed with musky, flowery aromas and flavoured with notes of caramel and smoke. After 14 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, we transferred this whisky into a refill barrel which previously held rum from Guyana.

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LEVIATHAN PEATED CASK NO. 127.45

$795

Limit one per member

REGION

Islay

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

20 years

DATE DISTILLED

5 July 2001

OUTTURN

176 bottles

ABV

58.7%

AUS ALLOCATION

18 bottles

M MIU PRE T TLING BO

An aroma that is deeply entwined with, and specific to, these early production vintages of this, now cult, Islay make. Hugely medicinal and powerful, sharp and direct notes of farmyard-accented peat smoke, green fruit eau de vie, saline fino en rama notes, coal fire sizzled bacon and thick tarry rope. With water we found marmite, Twiglets, malt syrup and heady notes of tiger balm. The unique complexity and concentration of heavy peat at a mature age.

The neat palate opened with a rush of seaweed and pure iodine. Camphor, tree moss, Elastoplast, embrocation, seawater, resinous peat smoke, carbolic acidity and smoked tobacco leaf. Water brought a stunningly mouth-slathering texture, hay smoke, ashy Goat curds, salted liquorice, peppermint, lemon verbena and warm rock pools.

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SURPRISINGLY SMOKY, SO SEDUCTIVELY SWEET

THE GREEN-FINGERED BLACKSMITH

PEATED

HEAVILY PEATED

CASK No. 4.333

$220

Y'S SUZ CTION E SEL

CASK No. 16.70

$169

REGION

Highland

REGION

Highland

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

Refill re-charred hogshead

AGE

12 years

AGE

8 years

DATE DISTILLED

29 October 2009

DATE DISTILLED

2 July 2013

OUTTURN

249 bottles

OUTTURN

218 bottles

ABV

62.6%

ABV

63.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Aromas of peat smoked candied apples, sweet and salty popcorn as well as maple smoked coconut flakes were just a few of the descriptors before we tried it. Imaginations did run wild as one panel member was reminded of shooting a spud gun when they were young, while others got pineapple grilled over peat reek with vanilla sauce. Following reduction, the scent was that of sun lotion, menthol cigarettes and stroopwafels while to taste the sweet smoke of campfire marshmallows emerged with hints of waxy lemons and pink peppercorns in the finish. At eight 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.

The blacksmith, fresh from weeding out nettles and green foliage in the garden, returned to the forge to smelt molasses and star anise in a mighty kiln. The character of garden fences, freshly coated with creosote, wafted over crushed cocoa nibs with a bold authority. A good dousing with water created the heady spices of cloves and cinnamon as the blacksmith bundled earth-covered vegetables into a grain sack, along with green apples that had fallen onto the lawn. Large field mushrooms and chicken wings were prepared to smoke over hot flames, as a pomegranate was peeled with tar-covered fingers.

YEARNING FOR BUBBLES

PITCH DARK FRUIT

GIN

ARMAGNAC

CASK No. GN6.3

CASK No. A5.5

REGION

Edinburgh

REGION

Bas Armagnac - Colombard

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

1 years

CASK TYPE

Refill Armagnac Gascon black oak barrel

DATE DISTILLED

10 September 2020

DATE DISTILLED

1 April 1993

OUTTURN

255 bottles

OUTTURN

586 bottles

ABV

49.6%

ABV

55.9%

$170

AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles At first we detected blood orange sorbet, lime zest, elderflower champagne and orange segments studded with juniper. A robust and lightly peppery profile. Some water brought suggestions of nettle tea, lapsing souchong, lemon curd and Twister ice lollies. The palate showed a spicier side with coriander seed, pine needles, grated carrot, and caraway.

Some rose petal touches brought elegance. With water we noted poppy seeds, fresh coriander this time, cucumber juice and bergamot oil. Fresh and super lively!

'S LLE ON E N DO LECTI SE

$550

AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles A gorgeous nose, dripping with dense rancio and things like chewing tobaccos, plum wine, bodega funk, orange blossom and then wee complexities like cinnamon liqueur and muscle rub vapours. Reduction brought Battenberg cake, orange wine, crème brûlée, boot polish and wintergreen. Highly aromatic, mature, and expressive. The neat palate displayed liquorice and chocolate liqueurs up front, then fir resins, toasted wood spices and plum wine. With water we found superbly classical things like booze-soaked raisins, eucalyptus oils, strawberry cough mix and mentholated tobaccos. Some leaf mulch and bitter chocolate in the aftertaste.

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AMERICAN

BOTTLINGS

Bourbon, Rye, Corn Whisky, and Single Malt: the sheer diversity of great whisky coming out of the USA right now is being fully represented by the SMWS, and we're proud to have some incredible casks to offer up in time for November. A great summer sipper, American whiskies offer a complex and rich sweetness that will be the showcase of any festive table this year. Discover, indulge, learn more about the differences on our YouTube channel.

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EXPLORING NEW FRONTIERS

CINNAMON SINS

RYE WHISKEY

CORN WHISKEY

CASK No. RW5.3

CASK No. CW1.5

REGION

Indiana

REGION

Kentucky

CASK TYPE

1st fill barrel - #4 char with #2 char heads

CASK TYPE

New oak charred barrel

AGE

5 years

AGE

12 years

DATE DISTILLED

16 June 2016

DATE DISTILLED

31 May 2009

OUTTURN

214 bottles

OUTTURN

245 bottles

ABV

55.5%

ABV

61.7%

$189

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

$249

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The scent of sandalwood, orange oil, salted caramel, Jamaican dark chocolate rum truffles and shisha pipe smoke made this a truly exotic experience. A tip of the tongue spiciness turned quickly into a sweet and fruity explosion with a dusting of cocoa powder and creamy vanilla fudge. Water added strawberry syrup, cinnamon swirls and lemon curd besides real fruit juice jelly candy. On the palate sweet roasted red peppers, candied almonds with a cinnamon dusting and a peach cobbler with cardamom, pistachios and honey. The mash bill for this rye whiskey consists of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, matured in a #4 char new oak barrel with #2 char heads.

Aromas of pure temptation bound bags of toffee, butterscotch and cinnamon rolls with the sweet wood of a carpenter’s workbench and toasty bakery notes. A warm embrace of melted butter on corn on the cob then joined fresh coconut and pain au chocolat while the palate wrapped popcorn, macadamia nuts and maple syrup in soft velvet. Water leached out a more earthy refrain that merged spicy walnut cake with rhubarb crumble, raisins and marmalade. Chocolate milkshake arrived with a dusting of cinnamon before cream soda joined charred pork belly and a fresh whisp of peppermint that complimented clean oak on the finish. This mash bill consisted of 80% corn, 8 % rye & 12% malted barley.

BUTTERY BAKED CORN ON THE COB

PENNE PASTA ARRABIATA

CORN WHISKEY

BOURBON

CASK No. CW2.3

CASK No. B7.3

REGION

Texas

REGION

Indiana

CASK TYPE

Refill Blue Corn Whisky barrique

CASK TYPE

1st fill barrel - #4 char with #2 char heads

AGE

5 years

AGE

6 years

DATE DISTILLED

31 August 2016

DATE DISTILLED

29 June 2015

OUTTURN

171 bottles

OUTTURN

189 bottles

ABV

66.9%

ABV

55.7%

$299

$199

AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We noticed at first a nutty, oily and buttery aroma which was followed by hints of vanilla and baking spices as well as buttery baked corn on the cob. On the palate like a chocolate brioche with Sichuan peppercorns salted butter and strawberry jam.

Following the addition of water the scent moved towards cinnamon buns, lemon zest and an herbal, lightly leathery note while to taste, fresh corn roasted on the embers of a campfire, a slight char and smoky flavour and then slathered with a sweet and spicy butter. This refill barrique was made from 36 months air seasoned oak staves and had undergone a heavy toast and medium char heat treatment.

How about being served sitting on a polished mahogany antique table a roasted chestnut, caramelised onions and Stilton pizza garnished with fresh thyme. A lovely texture neat with a perfect balance of sweet, herbal and spicy flavours as we stayed with the Italian cuisine and had a penne pasta arrabbiata. Diluted we enjoyed an Indian summer’s day as we imagined walking through a rickhouse to end up sitting under a maple tree with its amazing array of coloured leaves to eat pastel de Nata, Portuguese custard tarts. The mash bill for this bourbon consists of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley, matured in a #4 char new oak barrel with #2 char heads.

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CHILLI CHERRY COTTON CANDY

FORAGING FRUITS OF THE FOREST

BOURBON

BOURBON

CASK No. B7.8

CASK No. B7.12

REGION

Indiana

REGION

Indiana

CASK TYPE

1st fill barrel - #4 char with #2 char heads

CASK TYPE

1st fill barrel - #4 char with #2 char heads

AGE

6 years

AGE

5 years

DATE DISTILLED

11 November 2015

DATE DISTILLED

10 June 2016

OUTTURN

207 bottles

OUTTURN

204 bottles

ABV

57.2%

ABV

56.3%

$199

$199

RA EXT URED MAT

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Cinnamon spiced raspberry soufflé combined with a classic mint julep cocktail was a very promising opening gambit. On the palate a tight battle between sweetness (macarons and dolly mixtures) and spiciness (ginger and cayenne pepper) whereas the judgement was a unanimous draw. Following the addition of water, we had leather chairs and freshly polished furniture with cherry cotton candy popcorn while to taste carrot cake with cream cheese buttercream and a spicy caramel rum sauce. The mash bill for this bourbon consists of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley, matured in a #4 char new oak barrel with #2 char heads.

We foraged for fruits in the forest on a sunny autumn day with a gentle breeze carrying a floral perfumed scent to us and softly swaying the coloured leaves on the trees. We took a sip out of a flask filled with Ovaltine hot chocolate and enjoyed some fluffy blueberry muffins. After we added water the fig rolls, caramel bars and toffee cookies came out and we decided to get home and have a nutty espresso Martini, using coffee and walnut liqueur next to vodka and espresso coffee. The mash bill for this bourbon consists of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley, matured in a #4 char new oak barrel with #2 char heads.

WICKED, WACKY, WONDROUS!

COWPUNCHER RODEO DRAM

SPICY & SWEET

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 140.6

CASK No. 140.14

REGION

Texas

REGION

Texas

CASK TYPE

Refill bourbon barrel

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE

4 years

AGE

4 years

DATE DISTILLED

8 April 2016

DATE DISTILLED

15 February 2017

OUTTURN

144 bottles

OUTTURN

122 bottles

ABV

62.1%

ABV

61.8%

$255

$249

RA EXT URED MAT

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

AUS ALLOCATION 70 bottles

We had freshly baked, still warm from the oven, tahini beetroot bread with dark cherry jam together with rhubarb crumble and custard. On the palate neat, dry charred oak at first before turning sweeter like hot spicy chilli chocolate flakes on a vanilla caramel pudding with a sweet cigar tobacco finish. A drop of water and we were enjoying an ‘Aufguss experience’ in a brand new Finnish-style sauna pouring water infused with pine needle essential oil over the hot stones. To taste, juicy, fruity orange cake but now with a very pleasant dry wood spice and a hint of leather – very moreish!

The nose delivered treacle, sherry and Big Red gum, red fruits and berries trampled by new cowboy boots and the after-sniff of Indonesian clove cigarettes. On the palate, the still-booted cowboy was smoking a cigar and tasting dried figs, port-soaked raisins and apples baked in brandy. The reduced nose deepened our fascination with custard tarts, prunes, cinnamon rolls and toasted almonds. The palate now reminded us of Camp chicory and coffee essence, baked bananas, candied orange dipped in chocolate, Beech-nut chewing gum and oak. After one year in an ex-Texas Rumble barrel this was transferred into a first-fill bourbon barrel.

44

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BUNDLE OFFERS The sun is out, the festive decorations are dusted, and we’re bringing the bundles to save on. Four unique bundles to savour and enjoy over the festive season.

SUMMER SIPPER TRIO

$499

6 available

The sun is out, the beers are cold, and a wee tipple of something bright and delightful will hit the spot.

Limit of one bundle per member

WHEAT BEER WITH A SLICE OF LEMON SPICY & SWEET CASK No. 28.72

SAVE

1 $A9 BUNDLE AS

SPLENDIFEROUS! SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW CASK No. 9.234

NEW BALLS PLEASE! SPICY & SWEET CASK No. 48.147

AFTERNOON TEA TRIO

$449

6 available

A day out on the green with some snacks and sparkling water sounds divine. Bring a trio to compliment the afternoon tea break.

Limit of one bundle per member

VIBRANT LEMON FIZZ SPICY & DRY CASK No. 39.241

UNDYING WOOD JUICY, OAK & VANILLA CASK No. 46.125

AFTERNOON TEA TOT SPICY & SWEET CASK No. 80.37

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SAVE

6 $S6 A BUNDLE A

BUNDLE OFFERS ISLAY 53 TRIPLE

$799

10 available

Distillery 53, especially SMWS bottlings of them, are consistently incredible. These three standouts are no exception. Bring the peat!

Limit of one bundle per member

A TREASURE TROVE OF CHAR PEATED CASK No. 53.411

SAVE

5 $A1S A2 BUNDLE

HONEYSUCKLE PETRICHOR PEATED CASK No. RR53

THE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT PEATED CASK No. 53.447

AROUND THE WORLD

$599

10 available

Optatium quuntia qui comnit invento coraerchit, volorepe ad Canada, Taiwan, Sweden. We’ve been busy bottling incredible whiskies distilled and matured in lesser-seen countries like these. Challenge yourself to great flavour.

Limit of one bundle per member

TEMPTATION'S TENDRILS JUICY, OAK & VANILLA CASK No. 138.15

SAVE

6 $A1S A8 D BUN LE

SKINNY DIPPING IN SURSTRÖMMING PEATED CASK No. 151.3

TROPICAL CORNUCOPIA SPICY & SWEET CASK No. 152.2

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WELCOME MEL HACK Mel is one of the recent additions to the team at Whisky & Alement, our Melbourne Partner Bar at 270 Russell St, and has jumped head-first into the Society with a thirst for whisky knowledge. We sat down with Mel for a quick chat.

Q: Congrats of your epic year so far! Makers Mark, Flor de Cana, Jim Beam: you’ve been killing it lately in competitions across the country. You’ve had quite a year so far! Your efforts in sustainability in drinks has been a real trailblazer. Where does this passion come from?

One of my first ever jobs was at Chain of Fools in Mentone, run by a lovely Indian family, which was a completely sustainable cafe even back in 2015. They never made a big noise about their sustainability practices, they just got on with it. It wasn’t cool, it wasn’t shouting from the rooftops, but they did it really well. They grew their own fruits for the cafe, recycled everything, and even just salvaged all the furniture from around the area for the cafe seating etc. I was really blown away by that. I was just a teenager and this was the first time I’d seen this kind of approach and I just loved it. I then went on to study a Bachelor of Environmental Science.

Through my studies, I later travelled to a little country called Tuvalu and was quite shocked to see the effects of climate change even on this little island. I also did some work later with a business

48

called Climate Watch, which studied the effects of climate change in Melbourne and the environment.

Every bar and restaurant I’ve worked at since I’ve always tried to follow my passion in sustainability.

Q: What was the start of your whisky journey?

This is a tough one! I think my first memory of actually enjoying whisky was actually Nikka From The Barrel back in 2019, not that long ago really. I was working at the Espy in St Kilda at the time and I was predominantly a gin and beer drinker. My first memory of whisky, however, I was a bit younger and that was pinching Johnnie Walker Black Label from my Dad’s hip flask, but I definitely didn’t enjoy that. It was definitely Nikka From The Barrel that really sparked my interest. Fast forward two years and I was working at Beneath Driver Lane, and they asked if I liked whisky, and I learnt a lot from that team and fell in love with it. Especially with discovering Starward's Nova. This was affordable, approachable, and can be enjoyed anytime. Those are some key turning points for me, especially learning about how it is made and enjoyed.

ABOVE: Mel & Aydin behind the bar at Whisky & Alement mid service.

"IT’S ALSO JUST LOVELY TO SEE THE COMMUNITY THAT SMWS BRINGS TO THE BAR, AND SEEING MEMBERS CONNECT AND BOND OVER GREAT FLAVOUR — IT REALLY BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER."

Q: What’s something you’ve learnt at Whisky & Alement that you would remark on? Whether it be team, whisky, etc?

So so so much. Where do I start? Friends & colleagues of mine have spotted me reading my whisky book on my break so I can absorb so much more about the subject of whisky. I love learning every day. On a Sunday I get to work with Shane Larkins, and I love picking his brain about different distilleries as he’s visited a few! He’ll tell me things recently like Bakery Hill and what they’ve been up to. He’s like a storytelling encyclopaedia.

There’s a story behind every bottle. Same with talking to Kimi — she’s very flavourorientated and has really descriptive tasting notes which she’s often able to link to Asian desserts. And then Lachlan of course, we just nerd out on cocktails and learn new techniques and spiritforward cocktails, where the spirit is the spotlight. I love that I can turn to any staff member and learn something from them every day. That's a really thrilling thing for me at W&A. Also, special mention to Brooke & Jules of course: I still have to pinch myself that it’s all real sometimes.

Q: What’s something you love about working with SMWS at W&A? Well, it’s funny, I had heard of SMWS before, but I never realised just how deep the range and story go. People come in and wonder what all the green bottles are, ask if they are all the same, and people come in and get to hear an amazing story about the Society.

People are always mind-blown about what the SMWS is and how exciting it is. Most bars you just don’t see things like this. There’s no other bar like this in Australia that carries this depth of range and just the cool story reaching 40 years now. It’s also just lovely

to see the community that SMWS brings to the bar, and seeing members connect and bond over great flavour — it really brings people together. That’s what whisky is all about after all.

Q: What are you looking forward to in 2024?

I just constantly want to keep learning.

Discovering flavour, trying and learning new things, and working with such a fantastic and flexible team. If I say to Brooke & Jules that I want to learn more about stills and distilling, they are totally encouraging in this journey to grow as a person. I love this trade, I love whisky, and I love learning as much as I can.

Mel Hack is one of the newer faces behind the bar at Whisky & Alement and is already learning so much about this wonderful world of whisky. Drop in, say hello, and have a chat with the team. Open every day from 4pm (and by the time you read this, will have well and truly launched their new bar food menu…)

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THE 12 DR MS OF CHRISTMAS We’re mixing things up for our 40th anniversary year Xmas Advent Calendar. Please welcome our 12 days of Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of year to sit back, relax and savour 12 exquisite whiskies in 50ml miniatures from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Ease yourself towards Christmas with our stunning selection of hand-picked single casks and more.

Head to www.smws.com/12drams for details and a video presentation on each day's dram, and share your thoughts with fellow members #smws12drams Available along with Outturn, limit one per member until December 1st.

$299 PER CALENDAR

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40 YEARS OF BEING WHISKY MAVERICKS SMWS established in Edinburgh and releases first four whiskies.

First 1,000 members.

3,000 members.

Members’ rooms open at the Vaults, Leith.

First Irish whiskey, Cask 51.1.

1983 1984 1986 1987 1988

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1992 1993 1997 1998 1999 2002 2004 100th distillery bottled.

SMWS branches open in both Japan and USA.

Old Masters Collection launches.

First Society Armagnac bottled.

Members’ rooms opens at 19 Greville St, London.

Australian branch opens, first Japanese whisky bottled.

Members’ rooms open at 28 Queen St, Edinburgh.

SMWS becomes part of Glenmorangie group.

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First single cask grain whisky bottled.

SMWS Taiwan opens.

Unfiltered Magazine launches along with new bottle livery and design.

First Welsh whisky bottled.

SMWS Canada branch opens.

SMWS Denmark branch opens.

SMWS departs Glenmorangie group and goes independent with Artisanal Spirits Company.

First Féis Ile / Islay Festival release.

Single Cask Spirits range and Vaults Collection launches along with formalised flavour profiles.

First blended malt with Exotic Cargo and first Indian whisky.

2006 2008 2010 2011 2012 2015 2017

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2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 The Society turns 35, opens SMWS Hong Kong, and celebrates 25k members.

First Taiwanese & Danish whisky bottled, new New Zealand branch opens.

SMWS celebrates opening of new Glasgow venue on Bath St. First Swedish whisky.

30,000 member milestone, Artisanal Spirits goes public, first Australian bottlingfour whiskies.

SMWS Spain launches, we reach 37,000 members.

40th anniversary of the SMWS coincides with 40,000 member milestone!

We launch our own bottling line and warehouse out of Glasgow.

First Canadian & Israeli whisky bottled.

SMWS South Korea branch opens.

onwards: a whisky club like no other, bringing flavour like no other, to the SMWS community of flavourappreciators around the world.

55

PHOTOS FROM THE YEAR

THIS WAS

2023 Your club, your whisky, your community. A great year for incredible full-flavoured experiences we’ll always remember.

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TAG US @SMWS_AUS

57

$E9R PA9CK P

VIRTUAL TASTING WHISKY CONCIERGE MONDAY 13TH NOVEMBER @ 7PM AEDT November is all about our festive drams, sharing something special over the holidays, and enjoying great whisky in great company. But with such a huge November issue, where to start?

Introducing our Whisky Concierge Virtual Tasting! With so many casks to choose from, we’re launching our Whisky Concierge virtual tasting — five single casks personally selected by our Branch Director & Ambassador Matt Bailey. Casks that he strongly recommends taking a closer look at within this Outturn.

This virtual tasting will be available to purchase Friday, October 27th, and hosted live on YouTube & Facebook on Monday, November 13th, the week of Outturn going live. Packs are just $99 and the live tasting will include goodies and giveaways to those who jump in.

E

L I MI

EAS

R E D L E T

THE CHILLI PENGUIN One of the highlights of the whisky calendar at SMWS, as we’ve been told by members so many times, is the insane pairings created by our resident chocolatier, Krsna Raj from BASIK. His virtual packs and chocolate pairings with Society whiskies are mind-bending flavour experiments that members rave about.

So, for November, we’re ramping things up. Welcome the very limited SMWS Chilli Penguin!

AVA

I LABLE

$129 EACH

7N

1

Krsna has taken substantial samples of our recent EXP.01 27yo Chilli Spirit Drink experiment, and created a bespoke chilli rocky road whisky penguin. Using ingredients custom to the project, including the chilli spirit we made, along with dark & milk chocolate couverture shell, SMWS chilli whisky butter caramels (encased in milk chocolate), toasted vanilla bean & coconut marshmallow, cherry raspberry pate de fruit, and almond gianduja. This promises to be a flavour explosion like no other, and something to perhaps pair with our Premium Malt of the Month.

OVEMBE

R

Strictly limited to 30x whisky penguins, available along with Outturn on Friday, November 17th, for $129 each.

Limit of one penguin per member until December 1st.

This product is not suitable for those with nut or dairy allergies.

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SOCIETY EXPERIENCES

MELBOURNE

BRISBANE

We’re bowling, drumming, and enjoying great weather at an inner-city bowls club coming up.

A new chapter for QLD members as we reignite our events at Malt Dining, with dinner, chocolates from BASIK, and hosting from Scott Mansfield and Krsna Raj! Join in this festive lineup of tasty drams, insane chocolates, and dinner.

BAREFOOT BOWLS & DRAMS - A CHRISTMAS PARTY

Saturday, 25th November, 3pm Venue TBC

SYDNEY

SYDNEY XMAS PARTY Sydney, let's bowl! We're bringing the classic Sydney whisky party back for 2023 as we look to say farewell to a bit of a bumpy year with a slew of drams and good times. Stay tuned...

Save the date: 9th December Venue TBC

BRISBANE FESTIVE WHISKY DINNER

Thursday, 30th November, 6:30pm for 7pm start Malt Dining, 28 Market St, Brisbane City

PERTH

A WONDROUS MASTERCLASS - NOVEMBER OUTTURN TASTING Join Xander Stucken for an invigorating flavour-fuelled masterclass with five of the upcoming drams in our huge November Outturn bumper issue.

Wednesday 15th November, 6pm arrival/start Bar Terrarium, 99 St Georges Tce, Howard St, Perth

WOLLONGONG

A CHRISTMAS TREAT IN THE GONG! Illawarra unite! Our Christmas treat in the 'Gong is underway with a full festive lineup and frivolity at our much-loved M2 kitchen for an evening with your host with the most, Fred Apolloni.

Friday, 1st December, 6pm for 6:30pm start M2 Kitchen, 1/354 Keira St, Wollongong

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ALWAYS MORE EVENTS BEING ADDED ON SMWS.COM.AU/EVENTS

12 MEMBERSHIP + WHISKY FOR A YEAR

We all lead busy lives. We know you probably don’t get a chance to read every Outturn, inspect every bottling, or discover every flavour profile in a month, let alone a year.

That’s where the new ‘Whisky For A Year’ membership options come into play. With this membership option: •

• •

We'll send you 1x bottle every month of single-cask, cask-strength, full-flavoured, whisky. We look after the selections and we promise every single one will be a panel-approved SMWS release. We’ll also endeavour to send you one of each of our 12 flavour profiles, wherever possible.

One of the twelve bottlings in the year will be a premium-livery ‘black’ label release, worth well and above the sticker price.

Your yearly membership, all postage on these 12x bottlings, and the guarantee of quality are all included. We were going to call it our ‘inflation buster’ membership, but that seemed a bit passé.

Available now online in either yearly or monthly payment options. $2,599 annually or $220 monthly incl GST. Minimum commitment of 12 months. Already a member and looking to upgrade to this membership option? Contact our office today at info@smws.com.au or call (02) 9974 3046.

OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

We don’t shout about this from the rooftops much, but every so often it’s worth remarking on. We have been making strides in the background for years now in improving our sustainability practices, here and across the world.

The first big move was killing off the poly-packs a few years back. No one needs that polystyrene clogging the earth’s pores. The fears of bottles being smashed in transit never eventuated, bar a couple here and there which seemed to be mostly packs sent to me, so very

62

few members' orders were harmed in the process.

The second big move, which was also pioneered by Suzy & Donelle in our Sydney office, was really moving everything in the virtual tasting kits to recyclable paper packaging. No bubble wrap, no plastic bottles, no cling wraps.

The packs are recyclable cardboard, the bottles are recyclable glass. The only thing we can’t beat is the little black plastic caps, but we’re always trying.

Even this very Outturn you’re reading is most likely a digital copy. By

not printing and sending it far and wide this time to every member, we’re saving around 660kg of paper pulp wastage, and as such can keep our whisky costs down, to pass onto members.

Every bit counts, and we’re always striving to be better. Thanks for coming along on this journey with us!

Matt Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia

SPICY & SWEET OLD & DIGNIFIED

ROAST ROSEMARY LAMB KIPPERS FIRST AID BOX HERBAL SMOKE SHIP'S ENGINE ROOM SMOKY BACON CRISPS PHENOLIC

CIGAR BOX SCENTED CANDLES POLISHED WOOD MAPLE SYRUP OLD BOOKS APPLE STRUDEL PERFUMED PEAR

OILY & COASTAL

TOASTED OAK CORIANDER SEED BANANA SPLIT ROOT GINGER PASSIONFRUIT CARPENTER'S WORKSHOP PINEAPPLE SORBET

GINGERBREAD HOT CROSS BUNS BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES FRESH OAK MULLED WINE CARDAMOM THAI SWEET CHILLI CRISPS

TARRY ROPE OYSTERS BEACH BONFIRE BARBECUED PRAWNS SALTED CARAMEL BOATYARD PEBBLE BEACH

HEAVILY PEATED

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

SMOKED SALMON LAPSANG SOUCHONG TEA ROCK POOLS SEA BREEZE BURNT TWIGS DENTIST'S WAITING ROOM GARDEN BONFIRE

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

LIGHT & DELICATE

BANANA CHIPS HONEYDEW MELON COCONUT ICE CREAM GREEN TEA BREAKFAST CEREAL WHITE PEPPER FRESH LAUNDRY

TREACLE TOFFEE SALTED CARAMEL MINCEMEAT PIE ORANGE PEEL PRUNES DEMERARA SHERRY TRIFLE

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

SPICY & DRY

TOASTED COCONUT CHILLI CHOCOLATE PIPE TOBACCO PENCIL SHAVINGS SANDALWOOD NUTMEG CHARRED STAVE

WATERMELON PIMMS TURKISH DELIGHT APPLE PIE CANDIED ORANGE SLICES APRICOT CUSTARD SWEETS

PEATED

YOUNG & SPRITELY

BITTER LEMON BEESWAX SPARKLING WINE SOUR APPLE SWEETS MENTHOLS PLUM TARTS RHUBARB

LIGHTLY PEATED

THE 12 FLAVOUR OFOFTHE THEPROFILES 12 FLAVOUR PROFILES THESMWS SMWS

CHIMNEY SOOT SMOKED MACKEREL GUNPOWDER CIGAR BUTTS FARMYARD WOOD BURNING STOVE STEAM TRAIN

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FESTIVE ORDERING For stress-free delivery in time for Christmas, we recommend placing your order by Monday 11th December. For faster/priority delivery by Australia Post, select Express Post in the online store, or contact our office.

FESTIVE SEASON OPENING HOURS The Society’s office will be closed from 22 December, re-opening on 03 January. The online shop is always open. Orders placed online between Christmas and New Year will be dispatched in the first week of January.

WE WISH YOU AND YOURS A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE FESTIVE SEASON! 02 9974 3046 Mon-Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm AEDT

@SMWS_AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIANSMWS

SMWS_AUS

Society bottlings are offered and sold through The Artisanal Spirits Company Pty Ltd, Liquor Licence LIQP770017428.