ONLIN FRIDA E MIDDAY Y 5 J A A E DT NUAR Y
Celebrating on Friday 5 January Issue 1, 2024
Mixers, sherry, new codes - our first Outturn for 2024 has it all. Make 2024 your year of flavour exploration!
SUMMER IS HERE: SMWS.COM.AU
CONTENTS Mixing things up Matt Bailey............................................................................... 4 Mostly single cask but so much more Euan Campbell.................................................................... 32
OUR BOTTLINGS SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
Cask No. 1.270 Marzipan fruits .. ....................................................................13
Cask No. 4.332 Mythic beast . . ......................................................................... 17
Cask No. 146.3 Toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich ...........14
Cask No. 78.72 Fat haggis ................................................................................22
SPICY & SWEET
OLD & DIGNIFIED
Cask No. 84.37 Big char . . ....................................................................................13
Cask No. 38.34 Exceedingly exquisite ........................................................21
Cask No. 28.78 Orient and Occident .. ........................................................ 17
LIGHT & DELICATE
Cask No. 130.7 Sings like summer! .............................................................. 18
Cask No. 35.316 Fine floral fruity fragrances ...........................................21
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YOUR SOCIETY Did you miss these gems from 2023...................... 30 Membership offer Two amazing offers to ‘mix things up’ ................. 38 Virtual tasting Let’s mix things up!.. .......................................................... 40
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CORN WHISKEY
Cask No. 113.63 Carnival of contrasts ....................................................... 25
Cask No. CW2.3 Buttery baked corn on the cob ................................. 29
Cask No. 35.319 Cocktail party . . .................................................................... 25
GIN
Cask No. 5.103 Fruity floral fantasy .......................................................... 26
Cask No. GN6.3 Yearning for bubbles . . ...................................................... 29
LIGHTLY PEATED Cask No. 4.321 Knitting with peat ............................................................. 26 PEATED Cask No. 156.2 (Malt of the Month) Smoke devils and tipsy angels .................................... 10
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MIXING
THINGS UP BY MATT BAILEY
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like to think there are three phases that every whisky appreciator goes through. For many, the first one is discovering whisky through different mixers, like when that bartender at a wedding gives you a ‘Jack & coke’ or ‘Scotch & dry’. Not too shabby! The second phase every whisky appreciator then hits, usually some months or years later, is the “I only drink it neat, maybe with a drop of water” phase. Suddenly you have a few single malts on the shelf, you’re a Society member, and your interest in strange and differing glassware continues to evolve.
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“MY RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU HERE IS IF YOU ARE MIXING, MIX WITH THE BEST INGREDIENTS YOU CAN MUSTER.”
You have a copy of the Malt Whisky Yearbook. You’ve heard all the jokes about Jim Murray and his hat. Hell, you might even now own a flat cap yourself. You say lines like “Yep this is an 8.25 out of 10” and “This is good, but I preferred their floormalting era”. This is a lot of fun, and you’re always exploring different malts, casks, and flavours. The third phase of any whisky appreciator is then the “Damn this whisky would go great with some ginger ale” or “I wonder how well this 19yo single cask would go with tonic and lemon?”. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that third phase. Even renowned whisky writers like Dave Broom and others have written about
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great mixers before, and our own Andrew Derbidge has referenced this journey before on Whisky & Wisdom. Your whisky, you enjoy it how you want it. If you want to mix a 25yo single cask whisky with soda, then go for it. You paid for it, you enjoy it however you want to. If you’re vehemently against this idea, then you might be in that second stage I referenced above… the time will come for you. If someone else is pouring something special for you from their collection, that’s a different story, but that said, my recommendation for you here is if you are mixing, mix with the best ingredients you can muster. As an example, if you’re mixing say Cask 156.2 Smoke devils and tipsy angels with a ginger ale and some ice, then go with something like a good Fever Tree or Strangelove ale. The difference a good mixer and some clean ice can make to the end product is incredible. And on the summer days ahead reading this, you might be tempted to really give this a go… The other thing I see even the most seasoned whisky appreciator get too wrapped up in is zeroing in too much on the colour of the liquid, even if it’s mostly meaningless to the flavour, and, of course, instantly assuming older age statements mean a “better” whisky. None of this is true. This month’s Malt of the Month with Cask 156.2 is pale in colour, young in age, but a testament to the quality of the spirit in glass. We’re starting 2024 strong with 2x new codes you’ve never seen before, both new to the SMWS, and we’re really kicking things into gear with a new Japanese whisky, a thick and luscious 78, an absolutely perfect summer pick with the 5 from the Lowlands, a 35 that’s perfect for summer parties, and more…
Mix it up this month, start your engines, and welcome to 2024 with SMWS. We have a huge year planned ahead, and we can’t wait to share it all with you in time. Keep your eyes peeled… Cheers.
Matt Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia
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A NEW CODE FROM THE WORLD’S FRIENDLIEST CITY…
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M
ixer: Welcome Distillery 156! Crazy to think we’re this many SMWS single malt codes in now. This isn’t any ordinary peated whisky, either: OUR team helped distil this! That’s right. With a release like this, we’ve transgressed from merely bottler of this marvellous spirit, to actually designating the mash bill, working with the distillery, and creating the spirit from scratch for this release. For those with a keen eye who may recall the Rare Release G16 from early 2023: this is the same distillery, but their peated malt spirit, not grain. This special release is also part of the long-anticipated Bob Dewar collection special editions, with custom artwork and Bob’s signature on each bottle; the very artist who did the ceiling artwork at the Vaults for us. A cool moment to work with our original Society artist again. Take a look at a peated whisky like no other, celebrating the new wave of Scottish distilleries coming out, and dive into Malt of the Month! As for flavour, this is nutty, smoky, briny, with dark chocolate and BBQ e. Superb spirit from a new Scottish distillery.
SMOKE DEVILS AND TIPSY ANGELS $179
CASK No. 156.2 See following page for further details
SMOKE DEVILS AND TIPSY ANGELS
T MAL HE OF T NTH MO
SMOKE DEVILS AND TIPSY ANGELS
REGION
Lowland
CASK TYPE
2nd fill bourbon barrel
AGE
5 years
PEATED
DATE DISTILLED
11 October 2017
CASK No. 156.2
OUTTURN
228 bottles
ABV
61.0%
REDUCED FROM $199
AUS ALLOCATION 66 bottles
$179
Like walking into a kiln – the atmosphere swirled with smoke devils – while we also found marshmallows, sherbet lemons, a first aid box and salt-encrusted ships’ timbers. To taste, the smoke was nutty, lively and abundant, with fruit and juiceflavoured mini candy chews, dark chocolate, cherry chewing gum and brazil nuts. But holding it too long on the tongue might not be advised (unless you have a prosthetic tongue). Water sweetened and tamed it – the nose found floral perfumes, brine, next-day barbecue gloves and lemon drizzle cake. The palate moved from smoke devils to tipsy angels – still some light industrial notes, but also dark chocolate and hazelnut confectionery, vanilla, lemon peel, juniper and walnut.
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REGION
Speyside
BIG CHAR
CASK TYPE
2nd fill hogshead - heavy char #4
AGE
12 years
SPICY & SWEET
DATE DISTILLED
4 March 2009
CASK No. 84.37
OUTTURN
274 bottles
ABV
59.8%
$190
RA EXT URED MAT
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles 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.
REGION
Speyside
MARZIPAN FRUITS
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
10 years
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
DATE DISTILLED
25 January 2012
CASK No. 1.270
OUTTURN
228 bottles
ABV
59.8%
$199
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles 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. 13
WELCOME DISTILLERY 146! Another first for us to kick the year off — our first cask from Distillery 146. This idyllic English whisky distillery is nestled in the Cotswolds region of England, between Birmingham and London. This Sweet, Fruity & Mellow profile cask is also part of our special Bob Dewar artist series we’re proudly releasing at the start of the year, and is like an actual peanut butter and jam sandwich moment in the glass. Sweet, nutty, clean and remarkable spirit. A real insight into the importance of regionality in spirits, showcasing how remarkably different and unique whisky out of England is vs Scotland especially. Don’t miss this special release, and our first release locally from Distillery 146!
TOASTED PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM SANDWICH
REGION
England
CASK TYPE
1st fill STR barrique
AGE
5 years
DATE DISTILLED
25 February 2017
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
OUTTURN
258 bottles
CASK No. 146.3
ABV
61.3%
$199
EY’S BAIL ICK P
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AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles We imagined harvest time in an apple orchard, wooden crates brimming with ripe apples, as we sat down for a rest to enjoy a toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich. It was sweet and spicy on the palate, with marmalade, apricot and orange chutney. Alongside we had a cask-strength oak-aged calvados with those typical lively citrus flavours, as well as nutmeg and vanilla. With a drop of water, toffee, caramel and cocoa butter aromas emerged next to lime cordial and fruity pastilles. The taste was of strawberry yoghurt on oatcakes along with diced banana and sweet apple tart, with a pear caramel upside-down cake in the finish.
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REGION
Highland
ORIENT AND OCCIDENT
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
9 years
SPICY & SWEET
DATE DISTILLED
21 May 2012
CASK No. 28.78
OUTTURN
186 bottles
ABV
61.2%
$180
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles We imagined preparing a fudgy chocolate babka with blanched hazelnuts, chopped dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Through the kitchen window the wind carried the sweet scent of elderflower growing in abundance outside in a hedgerow. The palate started with a mango and mint salad before the main course of a chicken vindaloo with roasted cashews. With water the nose turned creamier with empire biscuits, Eccles cakes and a slice of cream cheese walnut cake. The taste became tamer with flavours of warm salted caramel brownies and a Boston cream pie.
REGION
Highland
MYTHIC BEAST
CASK TYPE
1st fill PX butt
AGE
20 years
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
DATE DISTILLED
20 August 2001
CASK No. 4.332
OUTTURN
565 bottles
ABV
59.9%
$469
RA EXT URED MAT M MIUING E R P TTL BO
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. Matured in an Oloroso butt for 17 years before transfer to a 1st fill PX sherry butt. 17
LAND OF THE RISING CONCERTO… It’s summer! We’re pairing the best summer casks with the best mixers, and having fun doing so. To celebrate summer, and our friends over in SMWS Japan, we’re proud to release Cask 130.7 ‘Sings like summer!’. This distillery, with a cult following, is basically “unobtainium” in core range livery, let alone single cask format. Add to that, this release is a little older than we’ve previously seen and is distilled using Concerto barley, which is now a ‘retired’ low-yield, high-flavour varietal that used to be used in some of the greatest Scotch whiskies ever made. A truly rare and remarkable offering, this release is strictly limited to one per member, and available in our first Outturn of the year.
REGION
Japan
SINGS LIKE SUMMER!
CASK TYPE
Refill bourbon hogshead
AGE
7 years
SPICY & SWEET
DATE DISTILLED
9 June 2014
CASK No. 130.7
OUTTURN
303 bottles
ABV
64.4%
$899
Strictly limited to one bottle per member.
M MIUESE E R P PAN G JA TTLIN BO
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AUS ALLOCATION 18 bottles The panel were very happy to taste an example of this cult distillate from refill wood. The initial nose was full of luscious maple syrup, new leather, white chocolate, pineapple jelly, wine gums and ripe green melon. Behind that we also found some vanilla sponge cake and freshly varnished hardwood. The neat palate showed a big and generous spiciness at first, then dried apple rings, elderflower cordial, coconut shavings, guava jam, tiger balm and delicate menthol freshness. Reduction brought a slightly herbal profile along with pecan pie, powdered ginger, fruity pink peppercorns, peach schnapps and boiled lime sweets. This particular expression was distilled from Concerto barley.
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EXCEEDINGLY EXQUISITE
REGION
Speyside
CASK TYPE
2nd fill bourbon barrel
AGE
25 years
OLD & DIGNIFIED
DATE DISTILLED
26 July 1996
CASK No. 38.34
OUTTURN
221 bottles
ABV
50.6%
$895
RA EXT URED MAT M MIU PRE TTLING BO
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles At first nosing the panel noted such aromas as manuka honey, sandalwood, foam sweeties, lemon balm and overripe yellow fruits. A beautiful and exquisitely mature profile we all agreed. Further notes of apple blossom, scone mix and fennel seeds were all detected. With water we got heather flowers, mossy tree bark, flower pollens, sun lotion and crystallised citrus fruits. In time a firmer waxy tone developed. In the mouth it displayed soft peppery warmth, with notes of white tea, buttered toast, waxed canvass and oily cereals. A gorgeous dram! At 22 years 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.
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
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 palate still delivered fruit (including medjool dates) but now with greater complexity – tea and oak, gentle smoke, mace and menthol, brown sugar and syrup. 21
A DRAM FIT FOR RABBIE! If there’s one month of the year when it’s most suitable to eat haggis, it’s January. Why? Well, it’s Rabbie Burns’ birthday no less! An address to the haggis where a sleek and powerfully sherried dram would be in hand. Distillery 78 is one of those distilleries that falls into the “if you know, you know” level of appreciation. While a lot of it has been shipped around the world in strange circumstances, their single malt is nothing short of extraordinary, especially when matured in some high-quality wood like this Spanish oak second fill. Let the spirit shine, pour a dram, and start with “Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face”… you’ll pick it up as you go…
REGION
Highland
FAT HAGGIS
CASK TYPE
2nd fill Spanish oak sherry hogshead
AGE
8 years
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
DATE DISTILLED
19 June 2014
CASK No. 78.72
OUTTURN
304 bottles
ABV
58.7%
$179
RA EXT URED T MA
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AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles We loved the immediate and clearly robust distillery character that came through on this one. It was perfectly balanced with the sherry cask influence as we detected aromas of mechanical and cooking oils, orange cocktail bitters, spiced marmalades and hessian. Some water brought out cinnamon swirl pastries, baked apples, bouillon, camphor and herbal cough medicines. The neat palate opened with a wonderfully fat and leathery vibe, with notes of ointments, treacle, citronella waxes and a lovely, soft earthiness. Reduction brought more medical notes along with brown breads, tobaccos, haggis and spiced fruit loaf. This was matured in a bourbon hogshead for four years before being transferred to a second fill sherry hogshead.
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CARNIVAL OF CONTRASTS
REGION
Speyside
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
11 years
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
DATE DISTILLED
4 August 2010
CASK No. 113.63
OUTTURN
194 bottles
ABV
61.8%
$195
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles 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.
REGION
Speyside
COCKTAIL PARTY
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
9 years
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
DATE DISTILLED
28 June 2012
CASK No. 35.319
OUTTURN
235 bottles
ABV
59.2%
$220
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles Nosing neat we immediately got onto cocktails with a Crusta consisting of brandy, orange curacao, maraschino liqueur, syrup, lemon juice served in a sugar rimmed glass. On the palate a white Russian with vodka, coffee liqueur and cream, served with plenty of ice. In the finish a refreshing lemon and rosemary sour cocktail. It did not stop there, as with water we found aromas of a mint Moscow Mule to freshen things up before we had sweet finger food of apple raspberry pies, caramel peanut slices, iced lemon shortbread and mini doughnuts. We all just thought “Let’s get this party started!”. 25
FRUITY FLORAL FANTASY
REGION
Lowland
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
19 years
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
DATE DISTILLED
27 January 2003
CASK No. 5.103
OUTTURN
78 bottles
ABV
55.5%
$275
AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles The first comment was ‘perfectly ripe fruits’ - peaches, pears and mangoes next to a passion fruit parfait, lychees in syrup and a bourbon crème anglaise. On the palate neat, a lovely lemony peppermint zing at first before custard creams, cinnamon bagels and apple slices over double vanilla bourbon ice cream and drizzled with Grand Marnier appeared. Water added a floral aroma reminding one panellist of walking though the famous Amsterdam flower market along the Singel canal, while to taste soft and sweet like peach iced tea and fresh mango salsa prepared with red bell pepper, lime juice, jalapeno, red onion and cilantro leaves.
KNITTING WITH PEAT
REGION
Highland
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
9 years
LIGHTLY PEATED
DATE DISTILLED
24 January 2012
CASK No. 4.321
OUTTURN
236 bottles
ABV
64.5%
$180
AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles 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. 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. When reduced we found a lovely herbal-accented peat smoke, natural tar, mineral oils, bath salts and motes of salted almond, cough mixtures and seawater. 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.
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BUTTERY BAKED CORN ON THE COB
REGION
Texas
CASK TYPE
Refill blue corn whisky barrique
AGE
5 years
CORN WHISKEY
DATE DISTILLED
31 August 2016
CASK No. CW2.3
OUTTURN
171 bottles
ABV
66.9%
$299
AUS ALLOCATION 30 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.
YEARNING FOR BUBBLES
REGION
Edinburgh
CASK TYPE
1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE
1 years
GIN
DATE DISTILLED
10 September 2020
CASK No. GN6.3
OUTTURN
255 bottles
ABV
49.6%
$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! 29
DID YOU MISS THESE GEMS FROM 2023 We’ve had a marvellous 2023 full of so many single casks to imbibe in, and sometimes these panel-approved gems might fly under your radar. Some of our favourites from the last 12 months you might have missed, that are still available on the site for members.
EXOTIC PROBIOTIC!
DOGS, TIGERS AND CRABS
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
PEATED
CASK No. 112.107
CASK No. 66.212
WHIN WHIN SITUATION
CARVED AND CRAFTED
SPICY & SWEET
SPICY & DRY
CASK No. 73.138
CASK No. 41.146
TANNIC, SHAMANIC, OCEANIC
APPLE SHERBET CRUMBLE
PEATED
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CASK No. 16.64
CASK No. 2.135
IT’S A PEACH
A PROPER BBQ DRAM
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
LIGHTLY PEATED
CASK No. 113.61
CASK No. 4.304
VISCOUS VELVET
A COLOURFUL COMPANION
OLD & DIGNIFIED
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. RR64
CASK No. 13.91
At The Scotch Malt Whisky Society we celebrate the delights of the single cask, but that’s not the whole story, as our head of whisky creation Euan Campbell explains.
MOSTLY SINGLE CASK BUT SO MUCH MORE BY EUAN CAMPBELL
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The Society’s first love is for singlecask whisky, bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered — whisky in its purest form, and always an absolute treat. It’s where we started out in 1983, when our founder Pip Hills had his own single cask flavour epiphany and couldn’t wait to share his experience with friends. All these years later, we believe that once you try our single-cask whisky, you’ll never look back, and you’ll want to share your own epiphanies with pals. There is no end of opportunities, given the constant variety of incredible single casks we bring to members every month in these ‘one-of-a-kind’ bottlings.
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Euan gets up close to a fino sherry cask in Jerez, Spain 33
“IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WHAT THE WHISKY TASTES LIKE, AND WHETHER WE’D BE DOING MEMBERS A DISSERVICE BY NOT GETTING IT INTO A SOCIETY BOTTLE.”
Taking stock of precious deliveries 34
Our single casks capture a moment in time and place — that special day when the spirit was distilled and the cask filled. Every cask develops differently, with a unique personality. You can fill two of the same type of casks with the same spirit from the same distillery on the same day and store them together in the same warehouse for many years. The chances are that they will develop differently. The Society has done just that — and members have been able to sample them side by side to appreciate those differences in character. But we’re not only about single cask bottlings. Sometimes we might produce a bottling from a stock of single malt that had previously been consolidated, and not from a single cask. It all comes down to what the whisky tastes like, and whether we’d be doing members a disservice by not getting it into
a Society bottle. Our expert noses on the Tasting Panel need to give their consent — if the whisky scores highly enough, surely we should make it available, whether it comes from a single cask or not?
NO BARRIERS TO CREATIVITY But we’re not only talking about bottling mature whisky, with or without a single cask provenance. The Spirits Team is also free to seek out amazing flavours and grasp the opportunity to be inventive in creating our own bottlings. That means developing our programme of additional maturation, carrying out our own contracted distillations (like January’s Malt of the Month, Cask 156.2), and getting more creative in our range of experimental small-batch blended and single malt bottlings.
Visiting a cooperage in Jerez
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“THE UPSHOT IS THAT THE SPIRITS TEAM IS GETTING EVER-MORE INVENTIVE, AND MEMBERS ARE GETTING EVER-MORE CHOICE.” We love the way our focus on additional maturation has been bringing results with the incredible whiskies we’ve been able to bottle. We’ve been relishing the chance to work with a huge range of cask types from across the worlds of bourbon, sherry, wine, brandy, rum and beer, allowing us to nurture our stocks of whisky and offer our members both quality and diversity. Both your feedback, along with a healthy haul of top industry awards, tell us that our creativity and expertise in this area is paying off. Now the Society has started creating our own new-make spirit. We’re working with different distilleries to carry out
distillations to bespoke production recipes and specifications, managing the maturation for future release to members. And with our small-batch blended and single malts, we started out by developing Exotic Cargo back in 2017, which has been followed by a growing list of creations, offering members an alternative to our single-cask whiskies, usually with a strength of around 50% ABV and at an inviting price. Crafting these malts has allowed us to grasp the opportunity to become even more imaginative in our pursuit of new flavour experiences, and to share more of the same whisky with members around the world.
AN OVER-ARCHING MARK OF QUALITY
The upshot is that The Spirits Team is getting ever-more inventive, and members are getting ever-more choice. That might mean more of our own distillations, more intriguing blended malts, more small-batch experiments, more creativity in our additional maturation. More of everything, while we embrace being able to take a more active role in all the variety of whiskies and flavours we’re able to offer. Single-cask whisky is the core of what we do, and always will be. But we don’t let it limit us. We’d rather concentrate on flavour and character than commandments about what we can and can’t do. An over-arching mark of quality will always be our driving force, the same as when we started out in 1983.
Spirits director Kai Ivalo
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Whatever you drink, we want you to think the same as we do — the flavours to be found across all our spirits are incredible, and we can’t wait to share them with you. Euan Campbell ~ Head of Whisky Creation
Euan leaves his mark in a Jerez bodega
Kai Ivalo and Euan Campbell at Dalmunach distillery on Speyside
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WIN
ONE OF THREE BOTTLES OF GN6.3 ‘YEARNING FOR BUBBLES’,
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TWO AMAZING OFFERS TO
‘MIX THINGS UP’ WITH SMWS THIS MONTH! 1
Join the SMWS and start your year of flavour off with the SMWS mixing with the best, Fever Tree! Every new member in January will automatically receive our January virtual mix-it-up tasting kit, valued at $99! Kick off the year with some bubbles and remarkable full flavours to discover what the SMWS is all about. Been on the fence? Make 2024 your year of flavour exploration with the whisky club that does it best.
2
Already a member? Refer a friend to automatically go in the draw to win one of three bottles of GN6.3 ‘Yearning for bubbles’, a Society single cask gin, valued at $170, to mix with this summer! We’ll announce the winners on Thursday 1st February.
LET’S
MIX THINGS
9 $9 Y IV L E ER +D
UP
TUESDAY JANUARY 23 @ 7PM AEDT It’s hot. It’s January. Let’s mix a few things together and try whisky in a new light. We’ve partnered with the legends over at Fever Tree for this month and are doing some mixology live with members to celebrate. We’ll supply the whisky, the mixer, and you bring the glassware & ice! 5x drams, 2x mixers. Join us for this impressive lineup and warm night of virtual fun from your living room. Watch the stream live, or watch it at your own leisure later. Included in every pack: Fever Tree mixers, drams, and good times online!
BOURBON WHISKEY
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. B5.7 SPECULOOS COOKIE BUTTER ICE CREAM
CASK No. 18.45 HOLA OLOROSO!
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
GIN
CASK No. 35.319 CASK No. GN6.3 COCKTAIL PARTY YEARNING FOR BUBBLES
LIGHTLY PEATED CASK No. 4.307 A SIREN IN THE HAAR
GRAB YOUR VIRTUAL TASTING KIT AND JOIN IN THE FUN! SMWS.COM.AU/SHOP
41
SMWS.COM.AU
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.