March Outturn 2024

Celebrating on Friday 1 March Issue 3, 2024

UNUSUAL PAIRINGS

Food pairing with whisky can be so much more than just cheese… dive into March Outturn’s wild pairings with the world’s leading whisky club!

YOUR SOCIETY

UNUSUAL SOMETHING

BY MATT BAILEY

AAlmost every whisky tasting I’ve attended, or hosted, in the last 10-ish years has had some component of food associated. It ranges from a paired degustation with a 12-course meal, to meticulously crafted desserts, all the way to the good old days of Scotty Fitz flinging a bowl of dry water crackers out with a tasting. Gourrrrr-met..

“BUT WHEN YOU THINK OF FOOD WITH WHISKY, THERE ARE SOME WELL-WORN PATHS ALONG THIS JOURNEY AND SOME FOODS CONSTANTLY COME TO MIND. CURED MEATS, SMOKED SALMON, CHEESE, BREAD AND CRACKERS ETC.”

But when you think of food with whisky, there are some well-worn paths along this journey and some foods constantly come to mind. Cured meats, smoked salmon, cheese, bread and crackers etc. How did we come to this? Some fats to soak up the spirit? Some bread to line the stomach? Or is this perhaps all a carry-over from the Scottish cuisines of yesteryear with our cured meats being the modern Aussie equivalent of black pudding and square sausage?

I was at a wine tasting a few years ago with the head winemaker presenting. In the Q&A portion of the presentation, a question from the audience came through: “Which cheeses would you recommend pairing with these wines?”. The winemaker grimaced slightly, and then politely asked that no cheeses be paired with any of their wines. “The usually

pungent odours and flavours in cheese ruin all my wines, so please don’t. The sodium, the fats, the whole thing just masks and kills off any nuance I’ve worked hard to create. In fact, wine and cheese for the most part is a terrible pairing”. The audience was somewhat stunned. Had everything they thought about pairing wine and cheese been wrong? Was this just all clever marketing?

Maybe. But my real takeaway from this was asking myself why and what food we pair with whisky. Did we also have it all wrong? Whisky pairing with food is a far lesserresearched art form than wine, but it can be done so masterfully. March is all about ‘Unusual Pairings’. A chance for us to break some waves, ask challenging questions around pairings, and create some new ‘eyeopening’ moments where we wonder “How did this not get thought of before?” What happens if you pair KFC with an SMWS 94? What happens if you taste tripe before a 53? Anything is possible.

For this issue of Outturn, we look to longtime collaborator Franz Scheurer to help answer these questions and focus in on odd pairings with whisky.

Read on, and I’d love to hear your ‘unusual pairing’ this month. What food have you tried with whisky that really made you have a proper flavour epiphany?

Cheers.

Matt Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia

Open the barn doors, crush the sea shells, and smoke the butter: Kaleidosmoke is here! We’re so excited to bring this 4.329 to life in March Outturn this year as our Malt of the Month. 13 years of maturation in ex-bourbon casks, this Lightly Peated masterpiece is everything you love from this Orkney powerhouse of a distillery. Further notes of warm clay, seawater, heather smoke and an old tobacco pouch. Does it pair with fried chicken? What about donuts? What about something else unusual? Watch what Lachlan Watt from W&A does to unusually pair this whisky for us this month on our YouTube channel.

KALEIDOSMOKE

LIGHTLY PEATED

CASK No. 4.329

$189

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 13 years

DATE DISTILLED 28 January 2008

OUTTURN 256 bottles

ABV 60.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 60 bottles

A bright and breezy aroma full of crushed sea shells, ozone, ink, sheep wool and waxed canvass greeted the panel initially. This evolved to include heathersmoked butter, wee hints of nori, dried lavender, clay and subtly chalky medicines. With reduction we got pure seawater, limestone, rock pools, soy sauce, dried seaweed and menthol tobacco. The neat palate opened with a big rush of heather and herbal peat smoke. A chiselled salinity, briny and sooty notes, smoked olive oil, camphor and hessian. Gorgeous! With water it evolved more mentholated and medical notes such as eucalyptus and tea tree oils, herbal cough syrups, bandages, gauze, antiseptic and mouth gel. At 9 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.

DANDELION SAUTERNES

SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW

CASK No. 35.320

$170

WHEAT BEER WITH A SLICE OF LEMON

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 28.72

$170

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 28 June 2012

OUTTURN 235 bottles

ABV 59.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

A lovely and very classical example of this Elgin distillery. The neat nose suggested butterscotch, sweetened popcorn and crème brûlée. Beyond that we also noted flambeed banana, pineapple upside down cake, ripe mango, and floral bouquets with lots of pollen. Some water brought hints of youthful calvados, lime cordial, rose syrup and sweet sauternes. In the mouth we noted pink wafer biscuits, vanilla panna cotta with strawberry syrup and subtle notes of hazelnut butter and scone mix. Water brought out marzipan, eucalyptus, ripe melon and tutti frutti diluting juice.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 21 May 2012

OUTTURN 197 bottles

ABV 60.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

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

BIGGER THAN THE ICEBERG…

Cask 1.278 has landed and this is big enough to also sink the Titanic. We see a fair few 1s through the SMWS, but this rather unique single cask is extra-matured in a 1st-fill exCosecha wine barrique. This is basically the Rolls Royce of wine casks that have previously matured a Tempranillo grape Rioja wine from the higher-quality Reserva vintages from Spanish wineries. The best casks produce the best whiskies, and this is a textbook example of that with the quality oozing from the end result. Take a look at what our Branch Director Matt Bailey has to say about this on our YouTube channel.

FRUITBERG! DEAD AHEAD!

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 1.278

$199

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Cosecha barrique from Ximenez Spinola

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 26 February 2013

OUTTURN 217 bottles

ABV 59.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The neat nose suggested fruity washing powders, fruit jelly sweets, pineapple cubes, fresh linens, turmeric, lime cordial and spearmint – a lovely, playful and unusual profile. Water brought blueberry muffin, balsamic reduction, yellow plums, cream soda and banana fudge, with a beautiful sense of thickness and depth. The palate was jammy up front, with plum sauce, lemon curd and liquorice, plus some herbal ointments, dried flowers, orange muscat wine and cherry jam. Reduction brought notes of damson jelly, autumnal fruit crumbles, limoncello in tonic water, lamp oil and butterscotch. Matured for five years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a first fill cosecha wine barrique.

SHEER PLEASURE

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 9.244

$269

SPICY CHERRY DANISH

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 1.264

$195

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 18 years

DATE DISTILLED 11 September 2003

OUTTURN 189 bottles

ABV 56.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

Nosing this, we entered a country house (polished expensive furniture) fresh from an autumn walk in the woods and were served extravagant fruit salad, Tunnock’s caramel wafers and honeyed golden dessert wine – sheer spoiled pleasure. The palate combined honey and malted biscuits with strawberry sherbet and Love Hearts; then finished with lingering hints of eucalyptus and Fisherman’s Friends. On the reduced nose, pink custard now joined the exotic fruits and we discovered vanilla, coconut, fragrant wood, muesli and cinnamon sticks. The reduced palate delivered custard over jam roly poly, papaya and toasted coconut.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 9 years

DATE DISTILLED 25 January 2012

OUTTURN 237 bottles

ABV 58.4%

AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles

We prepared a lime and Frangelico liqueur parfait with white chocolate wafers, as well as a yoghurt cranberry bar using Greek yoghurt, fresh strawberries, raw cocoa nibs and dried cranberries. On the palate neat, pineapple chunks, roasted pears, honey and nut muesli as well as dark chocolate key lime pie truffles. Water certainly released a fruity apple aroma like in a strudel or a turnover, alongside fruit-infused herbal tea and tea tree oil. To taste, it was like biting into a cherry Danish made with buttery puff pastry filled with a spicy cream cheese and tart cherries.

AN EVOLVING BEAST

Cask 53.440 is undergoing Metamorphosis. It’s worth remarking on this and our flavour profiles just briefly here. The flavour profile assigned to a whisky is entirely based on one thing: flavour. Not the cask type, age, distillery or anything else. We’re lucky to see some cracking 53s from Islay coming through of late, and this sherried beast is sweet, peated, and brilliant. Just 42 to go around (make that 41… I want one) of this Deep Rich & Dried Fruits Islay monster to share with those who know what’s amazing.

METAMORPHOSIS

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 53.440

$229

EXTRA MATURED

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead

AGE 12 years

DATE DISTILLED 1 June 2010

OUTTURN 300 bottles

ABV 57.2%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

The gorgeously syrupy and unctuous nose was full of sweet tar, medicines and antiseptic, with underlying notes of salted liquorice, concentrated aged balsamic vinegar, roof pitch and dark, earthy peat smoke. Reduction brought rancio, kipper smoke, preserved lemons, smouldering heather, smoky chipotle chilli paste and root beer syrup. Just gorgeous! Smoked olive oil, blackcurrant cordials, salted treacle toffee and mentholated cough syrups make this a multilayered beauty. With water we got eucalyptus, mineral salts, aged game meats, natural tar, iodine drops and smoked dark chocolate, plus hoisin sauce, plum wine, charred hazelnuts, antiseptic and bacon jam. This was matured for nine years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso sherry hogshead.

GROWN-UP MEDICINE

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 41.155

$260

EXTRA MATURED

SPANISH CASTANUTS

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 6.64

$279

EXTRA MATURED BAILEY’S PICK

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead

AGE 17 years

DATE DISTILLED 25 August 2004

OUTTURN 254 bottles

ABV 57.6%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We found this nose to be deep, dark and brooding at first, with lots of liquorice, toasted wood, dark chocolate, mint choc chip and ginger wine. Beyond that we also found pear drops, bonfire embers and natural tar extracts. With water it became increasingly mentholated and medicinal, with eucalyptus and wintergreen, plus notes of cherry toothpaste, children’s cough medicines, herbal wines and new leather. The neat palate showed an initial unctuous fruitiness conjuring red apples, raisins, spiced fruit cake and boozy black forest gateau. Matured for 14 years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak hogshead

AGE 16 years

DATE DISTILLED 29 August 2006

OUTTURN 264 bottles

ABV 56.2%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

We collided at some speed into a wall of plums, bruised apples and spicy chorizo before rebounding into the safety of soft leather, fruitcake dough and earthy rhubarb crumble. Hazelnuts, walnuts and burnt coconut began to rain down from above, smashing into mounds of muscovado sugar and cocoa powder. With just a few drops of water a more refined vista appeared, one that bound bananas and fresh figs to cured ham and toasted pine nuts. After 13 years in a bourbon hogshead, this was transferred to a Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.

ONE OF TWO MASTERPIECES

TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME

OLD & DIGNIFIED

CASK No. 53.432

$1,399

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE 1st fill rye barrel

AGE 31 years

DATE DISTILLED 22 April 1991

OUTTURN 240 bottles

ABV 57.0%

AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles

TASTING NOTES

We imagined spring cleaning a manor house the old-fashioned way. We rejuvenated the waxed timber floor with a mixture of beeswax and turpentine, using soft chamois leathers, and sprinkled the carpet with damp tea leaves before sweeping. On the palate, it was bursting with fruity sweetness before a salty, lightly ashy aftertaste. Following reduction the age was much more apparent, with centuries of cigar smoke in carpets and curtains, plus an elusive rancio note appeared at times. At 27 years of age, we split the content of one sherry butt into two barrels. In addition to this first fill ex-rye barrel we also filled an ex-bourbon barrel to create an intriguing duo of releases.

FROM THE TEAM

VAULTS COLLECTION

Two wildly different 53s in one Outturn? Lucky ducks. This Vaults Collection 31yo is one of two cask experiments from our Whisky Manager Euan Campbell, with one finished in an ex-bourbon cask, and one finished in an ex-Rye cask. 31 years of absolutely stunning maturation in a single ex-sherry butt before into ex-rye, this is one of the rarest Islay single casks ever offered up not just at the SMWS, but ever in Australia for members. Notes of waxed old wooden floors, bowling alleys, chamois leather, old tea leaves and the tiniest hint of old cellar rancio. An absolute masterclass.

NUTELLA GONE MAD

We had a 94 very recently. In fact, it even had Alex Moores’ face on it! He picked that cask for our Gathering back in September, but excitingly we also get to taste the very next code in the series — “An absolute nut-ter”. The distillate from 94 is hugely underrated. It’s a very traditional distillery with an open-top mash tun, wooden washbacks, and small stills. Often nutty, with banana bread, lavender, or in this case basically a glass of liquid Nutella! Why not try pairing this with Nutella bread for unusual pairings?

“AN ABSOLUTE NUT-TER”

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 94.25

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 13 years

DATE DISTILLED 9 January 2009

OUTTURN 245 bottles

ABV 56.9%

AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles

This was an “absolute nut-ter” on the nose neat, with peanut brittle, hazelnuts, almonds, salted peanuts and peaches with crème fraiche, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. On the palate, creamy oat milk, toasted coconut as well as sweet Spanish jamon and salt and pepper pork with a pickled salad. Following the addition of water, the aromas were salted pretzels and olives but at the same time honeyed cereal, lime marmalade and whipped butter. To taste, we got orange-salmon canapes before finishing with a walnut whip - that whirlshaped cone of milk chocolate, vanilla fondant and topped with a half walnut.

BY THE BEAUTIFUL BRINY SEA

OILY & COASTAL

CASK No. 93.204

AUSTRALIAEXCLUSIVE

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN ‘THE LOST WORLD’

LIGHTLY PEATED

CASK No. 3.330

$350

MATURED

REGION Campbeltown

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 8 years

DATE DISTILLED 10 June 2014

OUTTURN 215 bottles

ABV 61.3%

We found ourselves by the beautiful briny sea sitting in a restaurant on the promenade as we enjoyed a berry fruit salad with honey mascarpone. This was followed by salted cod with green olives and capers accompanied by a salad niçoise with a glass of vinho verde – a refreshing green apple-crisp wine that comes from a small region in northern Portugal. Following reduction, we discovered a lovely dessert in the form of an apple, pear and vanilla sponge pudding with custard. On the palate, it was still very refreshing but with that delicate sweetness of a classic daiquiri of white rum, sugar and lime.

REGION Islay

CASK TYPE Refill Guyanese rum barrel

AGE 17 years

DATE DISTILLED 16 February 2004

OUTTURN 184 bottles

ABV 57.4%

AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles

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.

WAFTS OF SMOKE

PEATED

CASK No. 137.15

$249

BEWARE OF THE REAPER CHILLI!

HEAVILY PEATED

CASK No. 16.72

$179

REGION England

CASK TYPE 2nd fill bourbon barrel

AGE 11 years

DATE DISTILLED 22 July 2010

OUTTURN 139 bottles

ABV 66.7%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Big, rich smoke greeted the Panel as, in the neighbour’s garden, beef jerky was being cooked over an open peat fire while we hung linen on the washing line. On the palate, even more smoke, as the neighbour started another open fire using damp turf and moss to grill peppered mackerel with soy, lime and ginger. Following reduction we thought it was like a peat reek in a bothy, with smoked paprika, chargrilled lobster meat and a whiff of medical ointments. To taste, still plenty of smoke now intermingled with coal dust and warm wood ash, while chalky and flinty in the finish – quite an experience.

REGION Highland

CASK TYPE Refill re-charred hogshead

AGE 8 years

DATE DISTILLED 2 July 2013

OUTTURN 262 bottles

ABV 64.0%

AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles

Associations came thick and fast nosing neat, aromas of a malt silo, malt extract, an oily mechanic’s rag, damp peat smoke, singed pineapple pieces and the list could go on and on. But the first sip took our breath away - massively salty and smoky like Carolina reaper chilli pepper Bombay mix, complete madness. Water added to the party carbolic soap, plimsols, cowhide rugs, cowboy boots, firelighters and party crackers. The flavour was now that of a cassoulet, slow cooked mutton, pork skin, smoked streaky bacon, garlic sausages and dried haricot beans – rich, rustic and it certainly warmed us from within.

ONE OF THE RAREST WHISKIES EVER OFFERED UP IN AUSTRALIA FROM THE MOST ICONIC

OF SHERRIED WHISKY DISTILLERIES…

Distillery 24 almost needs no introduction. No other distillery on Earth has captured the attention of whisky appreciators like they have, and no other distillery has the reputation of sherry cask maturation like they do. The opportunity to taste their distillate in quality sherry casks is one thing, but the opportunity to taste their spirit after 33 years in original sherry oak is a whole other story.

One of the rarest Vaults Collection offerings ever offered up by the SMWS, we’re super proud to have the opportunity to present this whisky — a single-cask, cask-strength, sherried beast. Quite possibly the rarest sherried whisky ever released in Australia, this is a true time capsule of a long gone era of whisky, and a moment in whisky history we’ll never see again.

BONKERS FOR CONKERS

DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS

CASK No. 24.169

$5,499

REGION Speyside

CASK TYPE 1st fill Oloroso butt

AGE 33 years

DATE DISTILLED 18 May 1989

OUTTURN 611 bottles

ABV 53.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

A deep russet hue led us straight into an autumn landscape with aromas of polished horse chestnuts, rosehip, birch branches, prunes, dates and figs. Tasting neat the first thing we noted was “still plenty of zing”, followed by flavours of hay-smoked roe deer with blackberry and beetroot beautifully balanced by a fresh berry chantilly cake. After reduction, we found cedar, tobacco and dark chocolate notes next to the scent of roasting chestnuts. On the palate were orange oil, raspberry and blackberry jam, ahead of a long finish from a tiramisu with conker coffee liqueur. Following 29 years in a refill oloroso butt, we transferred this whisky into a first fill oloroso butt.

THEDARK MAGICOF

BY FRANZ SCHEURER

Matching whisky to food is quite often done, and sometimes even more or less successfully. However, finding the right dish to go with a whisky is infinitely more difficult, but rewards with unrivalled success.

Interestingly it relies on something very few people have: a perfect recollection of every flavour, aroma and texture they’ve ever experienced.

Chefs know all about food; the intricacies of aroma and flavour, and some excel by getting textures right as well. However, they know little about whiskies and their complexities. The opposite applies to the whisky aficionados who know all about their drams but very little about food.

Now I put it very simply: to get a match of food & Whisky is like:

1 ‘ ‘ 1 + = 3

Now I do recall every single aroma, flavour and texture of anything I ever ate and of any whisky I’ve ever drunk. This, in combination with being a good cook, enables me to advise on what to match with what. Usually, I work together with a well-known chef and almost always, the whiskies are supplied and that is what I must work with. This really only succeeds if I work with a chef who is beyond the ego trip of a young chef and decides he/she knows better by adding this or that ingredient or garnish and therefore totally spoils the match.

An ingredient that might be pivotal to one match can totally spoil another one and it’s the little things you have to be most careful with. If I can work with a mature chef, success is guaranteed. I have worked with prominent

chefs all over the world and if they follow directions the result is 1+1=3 indeed. Chefs like Neil Perry, Darren Templeman, Tetsuya, Cheong Liew and Alessandro Pavoni come immediately to mind.

Matching food and whisky is not unlike matching food and wine, but there are a few fundamental differences. Due to whisky’s high alcohol, they cope with singularly difficult flavours, like chilli or chocolate. You can achieve an acceptable match with a wine with a slightly higher sugar content to chilli heat, but you cannot match chocolate with any wine perfectly. You might get close by either overpowering the chocolate’s sweetness, e.g. a Tokay Aszú with at least 5 Puttonyos, or by contrasting it, e.g. a full-bodied Shiraz.

“MATCHING FOOD AND WHISKY IS NOT UNLIKE MATCHING FOOD AND WINE, BUT THERE ARE A FEW FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES. DUE TO WHISKY’S HIGH ALCOHOL, THEY COPE WITH SINGULARLY DIFFICULT FLAVOURS, LIKE CHILLI OR CHOCOLATE.”

Successful food/wine matches do not rely on the protein, e.g. white wine with chicken, but with the cooking method and the spicing of the protein. This becomes a lot more important with high ABV and the protein becomes largely irrelevant. What does count is the retro-nasal, lasting palate flavours that each forkful of the dish leaves on the consumer.

There are a lot of whisky/food matching gurus out there proclaiming set rules and definite ‘no-nos’, e.g. peated whisky with dessert etc, etc. and I have so far disproven each one of them.

If you like the proof of the pudding come to one of the SMWS whisky nights where I work together with Andrew Derbidge and experience the dark magic firsthand.

Franz Scheurer is a connoisseur of culinary delights and fine living, is one of Australia’s most respected food and whisky writers, and has collaborated many times with the SMWS on working with some of the greatest chefs on earth.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

To celebrate International Women’s Day for 2024, we asked some absolute trailblazers in the spirits trade some questions about flavour, unusual pairings, and their love of this amazingly diverse game we call whisky!

LIZZIE SMITH STARWARD

How long have you been working in the industry?

I’ve worked in the Hospitality Industry for about 11 years now. This will be my 7th year with Starward.

What about whisky do you enjoy that you think sets it apart from other spirits and drinks?

It’s the magic of barrel maturation for me. It’s fascinating that a barrel’s history, fluctuations in climate and other environmental influences can all completely change the product in a way that you can never truly predict. I love that all these factors connect whisky to the place it’s made and champion the creativity of the distillers and blenders behind it.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Starward?

I love that we have always sought to break tradition and appeal to those who may have never considered whisky as something they might enjoy. Back when I ran tastings and tours of the distillery, it was always so special to have customers say their experience changed their minds about whisky and that they were excited to try more. I’m proud that we give our customers permission to enjoy our whiskies

“I THINK PAIRING WHISKY WITH SPICY FOODS IS EXTREMELY UNDERRATED. I ONCE PICKLED JALAPEÑOS IN A WHISKY-HEAVY BRINE WITHOUT EXPECTING IT TO WORK AT ALL. THEY WERE SENSATIONAL!”

however they would like, and in doing so we have never been afraid to be bold and experiment with flavour.

What are the flavours of a dram you tend to gravitate towards?

Typically, I’m drawn to fruit-forward expressions, probably biased by Starward’s focus on ex-red wine maturation. However, more recently I’ve been loving drams with a waxy, savoury profile.

March is about unusual flavour pairings — what’s the weirdest flavour combination you’ve ever created (or enjoyed)?

Perhaps not a “weird” combination, but I think pairing whisky with spicy foods is extremely underrated. I once pickled jalapeños in a whisky-heavy brine without expecting it to work at all. They were sensational! The jalapeños are all gone now but I still use the brine for a spicy kick in a Bloody Joseph.

What’s a food you would infuse whisky with that you think could work? Like a left-field dream flavour combination?

I’m sure it has already been done, but I’ve always dreamt of infusing a whisky with truffle oil. I think the umami of the truffle would really round out the heat and spice of the spirit, even better if it was lightly peated and paired with a soft cheese…

What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve ever used in a cocktail?

I love an unexpected cocktail garnish. It’s definitely less strange and more commonplace these days, but garnishing cocktails using locally foraged sea herbs like karkalla, or “beach bananas”, used to blow my mind (and thoroughly intrigue our customers).

Do you prefer contrasting or complementing flavours?

There’s definitely a time and a place for contrasts, but I nearly always gravitate towards complementing flavours. It’s incredibly exciting when flavours you’ve selected work together to create something greater than the sum of its parts!

“I MADE A DRINK ONCE CALLED HERBAL REMEDY, AND IT HAD GIN, GREEN CHARTREUSE, LEMON, PINEAPPLE, SAGE AND HERB-SALTED KALE!”

MEL HACK

WHISKY & ALEMENT

How long have you been working in the industry?

This is my 11th year in hospitality, with the last 6 years bartending.

What about whisky do you enjoy that you think sets it apart from other spirits and drinks?

There are so many things I think that separate whisky from other spirits and drinks, but I think what it boils down to is that although it is so simple in its ingredients, it is arguably the most complex and diverse spirit there is.

What’s your favourite thing about working in Whisky & Alement?

I think my answer changes for this all the time, but right now... Wednesdays at Whisky & Alement are the best. It’s the one time of the week the entire team is in the same room, tasting each new whisky that goes on the back bar. With Julian, Lachlan, Brooke, or Matt sharing a story about each bottle we are tasting. It’s work, but it really doesn’t feel like it.

What are the flavours of a dram you tend to gravitate towards?

This also changes all the time haha. It used to be bug sherry bombs, and then I went through a peated phase... Now I’m loving anything that tastes or smells like bubblegum and starburst lollies! But anything that has a great thick mouthfeel, and is single malt is a great start for me.

Do your flavour preferences shift quickly or do you find you go through long phases of preferencing certain flavours?

Since working at Whisky & Alement I think my flavour preferences have started to shift quickly for sure! Being exposed to at least 10-20 new whiskies a week has completely opened my sensory range and knocked it out of the park! I did the math the other day... In the past 8 months, I’ve tasted approximately 300 – 450 whiskies since working at Whisky & Alement!

March is about unusual flavour pairings — what’s the weirdest flavour combination you’ve ever worked with (or enjoyed)?

I made a drink once called Herbal Remedy, and it had gin, green chartreuse, lemon, pineapple, sage and herb-salted kale! The Kale was deep fried and was the garnish, but it was a really fun contrast of flavours, having a herbaceous and tropical cocktail, paired with a salty and vegetal garnish.

More recently, I had a cocktail at Caretaker’s Cottage, and they had a drink that included a strawberry and dill pairing... I usually hate the taste of dill, but it was subtle enough it actually tasted great!

Do you have a set process for creating cocktails? Are there rules you stick to when working with whisky as a base?

I like being given a brief for my cocktails, maybe it’s why I like cocktail competitions?

Seeing a list of boxes, a criteria I need to satisfy, and then doing my very best to nail it.

In terms of whisky cocktails, there are no rules! It’s something that admittedly took me a few years of bartending to realise.

What’s a food you would infuse whisky with that you think could work? Like a left-field dream flavour combination?

I’m honestly up for trying anything at this point! Working with Lachlan (Watt) has taught me that haha.

What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve ever used in a cocktail?

Either Salted kale or eggshell salt solution

If you had to pick one, do you prefer contrasting or complementing flavours? Contrasting flavours always!

KIMI KIM

WHISKY & ALEMENT

How long have you been working in the industry?

I’ve been working in the hospitality industry for almost five years now.

What about whisky do you enjoy that you think sets it apart from other spirits and drinks?

I fell in love with whisky five years ago and that was the end of the six years of my career in the Fashion industry. The part I enjoy the most is that the more you know about it, the more you enjoy and appreciate it. The past, present and future of the whisky scene is always exciting. Its diverse depth in flavour is what got me to fall in love with it.

What’s your favourite thing about working in Whisky & Alement?

I say all the time how much I love and am proud of what I do. Whisky & Alement is the best place for anyone who appreciates whisky. The best of all is that we get 10-20 new whiskies every week. We get to taste and learn ALL the different kinds of whiskies each week. Imagine having all the rare, unique and tasty new drams every week. Also, our team is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable in the industry, and I’m lucky to be able to work with them.

What are the flavours of a dram you tend to gravitate towards?

My favourite whisky/flavour changes all the time, but lately anything fruity or textural have been my picks!

“IF MY BASE WHISKY IS DELICATE AND FRUIT-FORWARD, I WOULD USE DELICATE AND TEXTURAL INGREDIENTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE ORIGINAL FLAVOUR OF THE WHISKY RATHER THAN USING HEAVIER, AND DARKER COMPONENTS.”

Do your flavour preferences shift quickly or do you find you go through long phases of preferencing certain flavours?

A little bit of both actually! My go-to drams are Linkwood, Blair Athol and Chichibu in general but also I’m a huge fan of sherry bombs, oldschool peated drams, savoury and vegetal drams, and just any drams that are interesting.

March is about unusual flavour pairings — what’s the weirdest flavour combination you’ve ever worked with (or enjoyed)?

There have been plenty of fun and weird ones especially when I was involved in the cocktail scene. Creating a Bloody Maria with white kimchi broth, and wasabi with all very oriental ingredients was fun. I made a straw with water parsley for a gardenia highball once, bee waxed mushroom old fashioned, coriander, green tea, peach and creme de menthe all surprisingly work well together, too.

Do you have a set process for creating cocktails? Are there rules you stick to when working with whisky as a base?

Flavour pairings and the style of cocktail I want to create are the first things I consider, especially when it comes to whisky-based cocktails. Matching the flavour profile of the dram and the other flavours that would work to highlight the whisky is the key point. For instance, if my base whisky is delicate and fruit-forward, I would use delicate and textural ingredients to highlight the original flavour of the whisky rather than using heavier, and darker components.

I once made a hot-buttered cider with Benriach 10. I always find lovely pineapple and soft baking spice from Benriach, so I matched it with coconut butter and a touch of allspice, malic-acid-adjusted nashi pear syrup and dry apple cider. Things that go well with, and also highlight the original flavour of whisky.

What’s a food you would infuse whisky with that you think could work? Like a left-field dream flavour combination?

Heaps of vegetables, fruits and herbs go really well to infuse with whisky. If any, beef stock or chicken stock goes pretty well with a Bloody Mary. Using Mexican cuisine to create a cocktail would also be fun!

What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve ever used in a cocktail?

Not my creation, but I have tasted a chicken nugget martini before and I didn’t hate it, this is probably the strangest one I can think of that actually worked well. All the fun failures drunk back in the day should be kept secret..

If you had to pick one, do you prefer contrasting or complementing flavours? I’m definitely a complementing flavour person, rather than contrasting. I like the harmony and highlights of flavours. I also enjoy some fun weird contrast flavour-town drinks, but personally, I like to play on the safe side.

VIRTUAL TASTING UNUSUAL PAIRINGS

THURSDAY 21 MARCH @7PM AEDT

This month’s virtual is a bit silly. Salty snacks, great drams, and a bit of chinwag over what we’re tasting. Not ones to take ourselves too seriously, March’s virtual will include 5x single cask samples (30mls each) and a collection of salty snacks to try and pair with each cask as we go along. Which Society cask pairs with Shapes Pizza flavour?! Well, we’ll find out. The virtual will be hosted live on YouTube & Facebook on Thursday, 21 March with hosts Matt B & Matt W, at 7pm AEST.

Nearly $1,500 worth of whisky bottles being opened, for just $99 per pack + postage. Jump in, join the fun, and taste along with us for March’s Unusual Pairings.

SPICY & SWEET

CASK No. 73.141

TIME FOR A SPRING CLEAN

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 94.25

“AN ABSOLUTE NUT-TER”

JUICY, OAK & VANILLA

CASK No. 149.4

A TASTY MORSEL

RUM

CASK No. R13.4

BIZARRE, BONKERS AND BRILLIANT!

PEATED

CASK No. 16.72

BEWARE OF THE REAPER CHILLI!

SOCIETY EXPERIENCES SEE YOU AT OUR EVENTS

SYDNEY

WHISKY

& DONUTS!

March is all about unusual pairings, and we’re proud to announce a special collaboration between the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Dolly’s Donuts in Sydney! To launch our first full SMWS event at the new Captain’s Balcony Partner Bar in Crows Nest, we’re pairing up 6 x SMWS whiskies with our friends at Dolly’s Donuts who’ll be bringing all the sweet treats and tasty goodies for us to pair with single cask, cask strength whiskies, all in the surrounds of the sumptuous new Captain’s Balcony on Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest. This evening promises to be a fullflavoured fun jaunt of whisky and donut pairings like no other on earth. All members welcome + guests of members at member rates. Bring a friend, have a big Friday at our newest Sydney Partner Bar!

Thursday 4th April 2024, 6pm.

MELBOURNE

MUSIC & MALTS - LIVE BLUES & WHISKY!

How cool would it be if we had the entirety of Beneath Driver Lane to ourselves as a club, had live blues, food, whisky, and drammed on around the venue booths and bar sharing some stories and good times? Well, we’ve done exactly that. Music & Malts is back for 2024, and we’re going a full venue takeover of Beneath Driver Lane, Melbourne’s premier blues & whisky venue. The venue is all ours from 4pm for a full spread of food, whisky, blues, and member good times. Don’t miss this massive event on Sunday 21st April, and bring your friends!

Sunday 21st April 2024, 4pm.

A TASTY MORSEL

It’s all about unusual pairings this month, and to celebrate that, we’re offering an exclusive giveaway just for members of the SMWS this month.

Take a photo of a Society dram you already have, with a photo of an ‘unusual pairing’ that you’ve tried this month, tell us why you love it, and you’ll go in the draw to win one of three bottles of Cask 149.4 ‘A tasty morsel’, valued at $220. Break out your tasty morsels, your Society drams, and start clicking the shutter!

All three winners will be decided based on what is the most unusual and creative pairing + notes, and will be announced via a YouTube video on Tuesday 2nd April. Entries must be in by 31st March 2024.

To enter, either post the photo on our Facebook group or tag us on Instagram, or Twitter. If you’re not social media-inclined, you’re also welcome to email us the image you’ve taken instead: bailey@smws.com.au

WIN A PRIVATE TASTING FOR YOU AND UP TO TEN MATES!

To celebrate our amazing hosted experiences, and unusual pairings, we’re offering up a massive opportunity to win a hosted whisky masterclass for you and up to 10x friends. This masterclass will feature one of our highly skilled hosts, a full 5 whisky lineup, and extra giveaways on the night for any friends who also join the club.

This masterclass can be hosted either virtually with whisky packs sent out to you, or hosted in one of our capital cities* around the country.

Valued at over $2,599, this incredible prize can be won by joining the SMWS with the Membership + Bottle of the Moment membership selection on any day in the month of March. T&C’s apply.