February Outturn 2023

A celebration of love Matt Bailey Life begins at 40 Andrew Derbidge

OLD & DIGNIFIED

Cask No. 35.305 (Vaults Collection) Oh, so oloroso!

SMALL BATCH SINGLE MALT

Cask No. Batch 16 (Malt of the Month) Full bloom

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

Cask No. 112.99 Feels like a caress

SPICY & SWEET

Cask No. 72.107 A cheerful soul

Cask No. 48.147 New balls please!

Cask No. 78.57 Wandering westward

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

Cask No. 36.182 Pipe dreams

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

Cask No. 105.40 The sweet kiss of leather splinters

18 Cask No. 19.65 Fifties mouthwash

Cask No. 68.85 Howling with delight

LIGHTLY PEATED

Cask No. 93.165 Campbeltown Calypso

PEATED

Cask No. 53.401 Oyster karate

COGNAC

Cask No. C9.1 Sunset in the vineyard

There’s something fizzy and lovely about February. It could be that heady combination of the end of summer, the fun and sun, Valentine’s Day, and that sensation of “Okay, I think we’re ready to go”.

January is always a bit slower here. A month of cricket, cold ales, tailed by a public holiday at Australia Day which wraps the month up before the serious end starts. At time of writing, I’ve just been on a short holiday with some friends in January, exploring some local wineries and fine dining. It’s been a few days of meeting winemakers, touching wine casks, roaming the vineyards and re-discovering regionality.

While winemaking is a completely different art from distilling, the similarities are always striking. The passion of the men and women making something, from hand, from the land, to enjoy around a table with friends, is undeniable. The grape to table, or barley to bottle, and that moment of appreciating something delicious and delightful by the glass with great company can’t be beaten.

That’s what this issue of Outturn is all about, really. The love of sharing, the love of whisky, the love of tasting something made ‘of the land’ and knowing that this is something that has both evolved over thousands of years, but also kind of hasn’t. We still gather around a table, a beach table, a time and place, and share these moments. Let’s remember how to love whisky, share it around, and drink responsibly.

Matt Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia

Lifebeginsat

Iwrite these paragraphs as many of us return to work after the Christmas / New Year holiday break. It is always an interesting time of year: For many of us, we collapsed in a heap on December 23rd after a long and trying year; yet we rise and return, refreshed and reinvigorated by the first or second week of January. The intervening weeks are spent unwinding, wining and dining, catching up with family and friends, and possibly enjoying all forms of the summer (e.g. cricket, beach, tennis, etc). And hopefully enjoying a dram or two.

It is also an interesting time of year in the context of whisky. In our unique circles, a lot of the “noise” comes out of Scotland – where it is winter, and the drams are flowing. The notion of the “Christmas dram” rings loud. We hear about the new developments and plans for various brands, industry gossip and news, people taking up new posts and positions at various distilleries and companies, etc.

It’s in contrast to our own situation where it’s hot and attention is perhaps focussed on more “summer-suited” drinks. For many years, we here at SMWS Australia felt that the whisky year didn’t really start until March. That said, things have changed somewhat and it’s now pleasing to see a number of events, releases, launches, and tastings take place at the start of the year. Of course, later this year we will turn our attention to the Society’s 40th Anniversary. And whilst we officially celebrated our local 20th anniversary for the Australian branch

last October, it was 2003 when cities like Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide held their first SMWS events – so we can continue our own 20 year celebrations here simultaneously! Much will be said in correspondence and publications to come but, for those old enough, cast your mind back to the state of the world (and, in particular, the state of the whisky world) in 1983 and 2003 respectively. We’ve come a long way. Raise a dram with me, and here’s to 2023! If life begins at 40, then the Society is about to kick some serious butt. (That’s a sherry cask, by the way).

Andrew Derbidge ~ Chairman and NSW Manager, SMWS Australia

“Later this year we will turn our attention to the Society's 40th Anniversary.”

GREAT AUSTRALIAN STORY

Our year of being Mavericks continues into February with another unexpected, but very welcome, Malt of the Month. Last month we kicked into action with a tremendously tropical Canadian single malt, and for this month we are introducing our first ever premium ‘Heresy’ batch, a single malt, 18-year-old whisky bottled at a gloriously silky 50% ABV.

So where does the Australian story come in? For this special Malt of the Month, our spirits team in the UK, led by Euan Campbell and Kai Ivalo, have worked closely with a prominent Aussie cask supplier of premium local wine casks for extra maturation, had them sent over to the UK, and provided a luscious extra layer of complexity to an already fascinating 18yo whisky.

This kind of project takes some years to execute, so we’re really excited to again change the game up, be the mavericks, and release something as exciting as Full Bloom. These casks previously contained muscat from an incredible Aussie winery which held muscat for 20 years. This is a sweet dessert-style wine similar to port or PX sherry. Expect notes of exotic tobacco pouch, melon, mango, lychee and floral rosewater. Also noted were roasted peaches, cinnamon buns, flower honey and hessian.

WATCH NOW

Watch the full video from our ambassador Matt Bailey talking about this special release on our YouTube channel or socials.

FEELS

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill Sauternes barrique

AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 23 September 2003

OUTTURN 239 bottles ABV 51.4%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

This had us all fantasizing right from the start as we dug into a dessert combining layers of stewed apples, cardamom-flavoured rye breadcrumbs and plenty of whipped cream. To drink we had walnut wine, late harvest orange muscat, hibiscus tea as well as a kiwi and lime flavoured cider. With a drop of water, we “awakened the serpent” as we created visible eddies and ribbons and the aroma was that of toffee popcorn and caramelised pear slices. Smooth with a fabulous texture, grapey-sweet with a biscuit kick like a glass of Pineau des Charentes. Following fifteen years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill Sauternes barrique.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 10 years

DATE DISTILLED 23 June 2011

OUTTURN 237 bottles ABV 57.9% AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

A cheerful mix of aromas like lemon sherbet sweets, cedar and pine scented candles, runny honey and buttermilk scones with lemon curd made us smile. The taste was that of a vanilla bourbon lemonade combining the creamy, slightly floral flavours of fresh vanilla beans with oaky bourbon and a tart lemonade. Adding water, it was just perfect for kicking back and relaxing with friends on a warm summer’s evening on the new wooden deck patio with slices of lime mascarpone cheesecake, peppermint tea and for the wee hours later a sea buckthorn daiquiri blending rum, lime juice, sugar syrup and sea buckthorn jam garnished with a rosemary sprig.

SPICY & SWEET

SPICY

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 12 November 2012

OUTTURN 233 bottles ABV 60.6% AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles

Nettle and blackcurrant leaf on the nose shifts to bubblegum and new tennis balls, then dried apricots, tobacco and oak. The palate finds chalky sweets and spearmint gum, then produces toffee bonbons and fly cemeteries, followed by a spicy warmth of ginger and white pepper on the finish. The reduced nose seems to deepen towards hessian bung cloths and dunnage warehouses, but with the beguiling sweetness of heather honey, rum and raisin fudge, coconut biscuits and treacle toffee. The palate now becomes a mouth-watering mixture of juicy peaches and pineapples, toffee, custard tarts and Armagnac with an autumnal herbal, minty finish.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 12 years

DATE DISTILLED 3 September 2009

OUTTURN 159 bottles ABV 62.4% AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

A lovely initial nose that suggested to us olive oil mixed with flower honey, rich, textural and wonderfully inviting with further notes of soft waxes, mineral oils, menthol resins and dried exotic fruit chunks. Reduction brought out barley sugars, orange and coriander marmalade, toasted fennel seed and bergamot. The mouth was naturally sweet and oily in texture. Many notes of pollens, fruit curds, lime sweets, hessian, apples baked in calvados, flower honey and vanilla custard. With water we got heather ales, malt loaf, exotic fruit teas, hardwood resins, soft wood spices and cough mixtures.

PIPE DREAMS

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill American oak PX hogshead

AGE 11 years

DATE DISTILLED 11 February 2010

OUTTURN 306 bottles ABV 57.3% AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

An amazing aroma of golden syrup, toffee apples, marzipan cake with pears poached in red wine and an espresso with a shot of cognac awaited us before we enjoyed a fillet of venison in a crisp bread crust on a porcini cream sauce with cranberries. Water released cask char and melted butter before the scent of camphor, coconut and chocolate combined with a fruity earthiness took centre stage. The taste was that of macerated strawberries with balsamic and black pepper and a cocoa flavour that is often found right at the beginning of smoking a good cigar. After nine years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill American oak PX Sherry hogshead.

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE Refill bourbon hogshead

OYSTER KARATE

PEATED

AGE 10 years

DATE DISTILLED 27 April 2011

OUTTURN 232 bottles ABV 57.4%

AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

On first impressions we felt this was a textbook, perfectly chiselled, sharp, citrus-accented example of this make. Pure peat smoke, sea salt crystals and raw lemon juice on an oyster. With water we found dried herbs such as sage, marjoram and oregano, then smoked sea salt, kelp and black olive bread. The palate was oilier and heavier than anticipated on the nose. Big fat notes of farmyard, medical embrocations, pickling brine, malt vinegar and smoked olive oil. With reduction came smoked limoncello, citronella waxes, petrol, bacon fat and spicy umami broths. We also found boiler fumes, TCP and natural tar extracts. Superb!

OH, SO OLOROSO!

Insane. Truly marvellous. Like nothing else. We’d honestly run out of superlatives to describe this whisky. This is the kind of cask that appears maybe once every 7-10 years which really makes your brain wires reawaken and exclaim “I had no idea sherried whisky could taste this good”. How on earth can that complexity follow through so well? How does that integration of sherry and oak and spirit just merge so well? We’re afraid this whisky may ask more questions than it answers. This is something for a quiet night in late summer. Something to share with your closest whisky lover, and to celebrate something special. Expect notes of cathedral-aged sherry butts, fragrant wood, cinnamon, orange blossom, and more.

Oh, so oloroso! From the Latin ol_re – to smell. Imagine sitting on a rooftop patio in Jerez overlooking cathedral-style warehouses storing sherry from soleras founded in the 18th century, sharing the magnificent fragrant scent with the angels and friends, while watching a glorious sunset. As pre dinner nibbles you offer cornes de gazelle, crescent-shaped cookies filled with cinnamon, almonds and an intoxicating dose of orange blossom water. Diluted we were back on the patio after dinner and sipped a very old Brandy de Jerez with a taste of Maamoul cookies; melt-in-your-mouth buttery dated filled utterly scrumptious sweets. After thirty years in an ex-bourbon hogshead we transferred this whisky into a 2nd fill Oloroso hogshead, which previously matured whisky from Society cask 10.196.

SOCIETY EXPERIENCES

PERTH

PEAT-ZA!

Perth Partner Bar, Terrarium, in collaboration with Alfred’s Pizzeria, have combined forces with the SMWS for one tasty evening of pizza, peated whisky, and great dram discovery. Jump in, grab a slice, and share the love.

SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY

4:30PM

Terrarium, 99 St Georges Tce, Perth

DROP THE SHERRY BOMB!

Perth, let’s deep-dive into the world of sherry, sherry casks, fortified casks, and more with our state manager David Stucken diving into the deep, dark, sherried goodies from the SMWS. In this session you’ll learn about sherry, Spanish roots, and more for one special night only.

SUNDAY 26 MARCH

4:30PM ARRIVAL

Terrarium, 99 St Georges Tce, Perth

MELBOURNE

AN EVENING WITH THE CHAIRMAN: AD’S GRAND TOUR OF SPEYSIDE

Our Chairman and recently appointed Keeper of the Quaich, Andrew Derbidge, is making a rare appearance in Melbourne to host a very special evening that will focus on the malts and the magic of Speyside. Scotch whisky’s most famous and largest distillerypopulated region, you’ll leave the evening as an expert in all things Speyside. The evening will be a full tasting and masterclass, led by one of Australia’s most entertaining whisky presenters. Don’t miss this jaunt Speyside, featuring great whiskies and camaraderie for one night only. Tickets strictly limited.

SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY

6:30PM ARRIVAL FOR A 7PM START

The Kelvin Club, 14-30 Melbourne Pl, Melbourne

Join

love of flavour!

Introduce a friend to the SMWS this February and automatically go in the draw to WIN one of five incredible experimental Malts of the Month, Full Bloom. Extra matured in ex-Australian muscat barrels, this is a rather rare and special Maverick moment for us this year, and all your friend has to do is enter your name on the referrer’s box when joining online, simple as that. Invite a friend to discover the Society this year, and share the love with a bottle of Full Bloom! Refer a new member by the 28th Feb and you’re automatically in the draw. We’ll randomly draw the winning referrers by Friday 3rd March. There’s never been a better time to join the Society as we kick the Mavericks’ spirit off for 40 years of the SMWS!

FIFTIES

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE

1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 17 February 2003

OUTTURN 201 bottles ABV 57.5% AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

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

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE

2nd fill heavy char #4+ hogshead

AGE 14 years

DATE DISTILLED 24 August 2007

OUTTURN 282 bottles ABV 57.7%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

A fresh and vibrant aroma greeted the panel with tropical fruits such as mango, coconut and pineapple being joined by the warm scent of banana bread and cinnamon raisin rolls. On the palate, a stack of banana pancakes with lemon juice, maple syrup and chocolate spread. After the addition of water, the nose moved on to fluffy scones bursting with sultanas and topped by either peach and apricot jam or marmalade. Our scones were served with a rosehip, nettle & mint tea sweetened with stevia. Following eleven years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 2nd fill heavy charred hogshead.

GUYANA MEETS CAMPBELTOWN

Imagine you’re sitting on the coast of Campbeltown. The waft of industrial grease and funky copper flows through the air, and you’re sipping on a delicate Guyanese rum with a plate of fish and chips. That’s what Cask 93.165 is. The 93’s we see through at the SMWS are some of the most revered offerings each time they surface. The younger expressions have this muscular and smoked bush notes, while the really old ones emanate a delightful elegance. It’s the teenage ones like this cask that really hit their stride however, with notes of rich mineral sea salt, coconut oil, roasted shrimp sandwich and pineapple fritters. The rum cask used to extra-mature this special release was a SMWS rum from distillery R2, that we recently saw locally, but is now dearly departed. Don’t miss this calypso!

REGION

Campbeltown

CASK TYPE Refill Guyanese rum barrel AGE 17 years DATE DISTILLED 20 February 2004 OUTTURN 247 bottles ABV 55.3% AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Imagine cleaning a bike chain with WD-40 before you rinse your hands with a juicy, smoky pineapple salt scrub; pure mineral rich sea salt combined with natural pineapple and coconut oil. The taste was that of mushroom stroganoff with crunchy cornichons, fragrant capers in a creamy rum sauce next to a boozy burst of spicy charcoaled roasted shrimp sandwich with chipotle avocado mayonnaise. Water released the scent of fried bananas, pineapple fritters, battered scallops and smoked limes while on the palate, barbequed brisket burnt ends served in a chilli and lime dressing. After 14 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, we transferred this whisky into a refill barrel which previously matured rum from Guyana.

SUNSET IN THE VINEYARD

If I had a dollar for every time a member asked when we’d see the next SMWS Cognac, I’d be quite rich! Welcome distillery C9 to the stable, a new code and 2006 vintage cask strength Cognac to the stable. If you’ve never had a single cask, cask strength Cognac before, you’re in for a treat. Cognac is essentially a type of brandy, or distilled wine, made in the Cognac region of France. Double distilled, aged entirely in oak, and distilled in 2006. Cognac is a spirit that is almost ALWAYS seen at 40% ABV, so to taste and indulge in this 15+yo spirit at cask strength, is something rather special. Available in February Outturn and strictly limited to 18 bottles, this is a vibrant and summery cask to share at the BBQ.

REGION

SUNSET IN THE VINEYARD

COGNAC

CASK NO. C9.1

Cognac

CASK TYPE Cognac barrel AGE Vintage 2006

OUTTURN 518 bottles ABV 62.2% AUS ALLOCATION 18 bottles

A Cognac which presents a highly varnished nose at first. Elements of shoe polish, gum drops and old horse stables with undercurrents of molasses and stewed sultanas. Flambéd banana, poached pear and even a ‘vroom’ of exhaust. Only one or two drops of water reveal bramble jelly, coal dust and maraschino syrup. The arrival in the mouth is hot but quickly syrupy and redolent with treacle tart and shortcrust pastry. A whole tin of shoe polish smears itself across the tongue. Then dried cranberries, corn biscuits and pastis all follow. Water brings notes of throat lozenges, sunflower oil and tart gooseberry.

Antipodean Burns Supper

WORDS BY KOSA MONTEITH MELBOURNE SMWS MEMBER

Whilst no one can deny the delicious allure of a traditional Burns Supper with haggis, neeps and tatties, a more climate-appropriate alternative may be your new favourite rendition

"It's a truly Scottish celebration of summer, honouring both our beloved Robbie, and the "Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race" itself."

Amidsummer Burns Night does not lend itself kindly to a hot mash of tatties and neeps, creamy whisky sauce and the traditional centrepiece of haggis, steaming and spilling its rich, stodgy bounty onto a candlelit platter. How can you do justice to this significant event in the Scottish (and Scotch!) calendar when the feast is seasonally wrong for a sweltering, sunny summer's evening?

Lean on the other great Scottish tradition, of course: Deep frying.

Deep-fried Haggis dumplings are the preferred riff of our household's combined Scottish and Australian heritage. Our longtime favourite producer is Pacdon Park — local makers and brilliant people. These surprisingly simple dumplings are deliciously crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle, dipped in a smoky whisky mayo. It's a truly Scottish celebration of summer, honouring both our beloved Robbie, and the "Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race" itself.

Haggis Dumplings with

Smoky Whisky Mayo

Smoky Whisky Mayo

INGREDIENTS

• 8 tablespoons Kewpie mayo (nonnegotiable: it needs the creamy sweetness).

• A generous teaspoon of hot English mustard.

• 5 teaspoons smoky, peaty Islay whisky — (something like Cask No. 53.394: Smoke and mirrors, or Cask No. 4.314: Sitting in the sauna to bring out the sweetness).

METHOD

• Mix. Adjust to taste, depending on whisky flavour.

• Cover and keep in fridge.

Haggis Dumplings

INGREDIENTS

• One haggis (Pacdon Park recommended).

• One packet of large wonton skins (larger will be easier to fold).

• Vegetable oil for deep-frying.

METHOD: ASSEMBLING THE DUMPLINGS

1. Cut your haggis down the middle and open it up.

2. Using a teaspoon, scoop out about 10g of haggis.

3. Roll the 10g of haggis into a ball with your hands.

4. Repeat until you have enough haggis balls — only you can be the judge of that.

5. Take a wonton skin and lay it flat on a board.

6. Place a haggis ball in the centre.

7. Using a small bowl of water, wet your finger and moisten two sides and a corner of the wonton skin so that it will stick to the opposite, dry side.

8. Fold so that the wet side meets the dry and it sticks in a triangle shape. Press firmly along the edges to seal.

9. Take the two opposite corners of the triangle.

10. Wet one of the points and fold and press them together so they stick.

11. Place on a plate and cover with a clean damp towel to prevent drying out.

12. Repeat until you have made enough dumplings.

METHOD: COOKING THE DUMPLINGS

1. Fill a pot to about 5cm with vegetable oil and heat to 185 degrees Celsius (use a meat probe or other kitchen thermometer for this). Maintain this temperature to prevent smoking or soggy dumplings.

2. When the oil is heated, drop a few dumplings in (about 3–5, depending on the size of the pot).

3. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for 45 seconds–60 seconds on the other side until bubbly and golden, but not dark.

4. Scoop out and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper

5. Repeat for all dumplings.

6. Serve with the whisky mayo and nontraditional tatties (potato crisps) and pickles — here we’ve gone with radish, whisky-pickled carrots and brussels sprouts.

7. Grab a dram, address the dumplings and dig in.