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Sampling ‘The Gathering 2020’ – A Live Virtual Tasting Of Some Real Drams!

September 9, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Pick a card – everyone’s a winner!

The Vaults was the place to be – even if only ‘virtually’ – last Sunday as a week-long celebration of all things SMWS came to a head at their spiritual home in Leith, Scotland. We were treated to a live dramming of five special whiskies from their special Discovery Pack.

The event was streamed live on their Facebook page, hosted by Ambassador Dean Marinello and Global SMWS Ambassador John McCheyne. But don’t worry if you missed the stream as all the content is now available on both Facebook and YouTube!.

The dramming featured five exclusive Gathering bottlings with a range of flavour profiles so it was a great chance to sample some cracking drams – all in one go – from the comfort of your sofa!


They whiskies sampled were:

26.145 Mood-lifting sanctuary

35.259 Rumtopf, birnenbrot and stollen

7.243 Twinning

10.195 Shiver me timbers

53.332 Storm-tossed kelp on an Islay beach

There are still some Packs left! Especially as four of the five drams are now, sadly, Out of Stock. Such is the way with tasty SMWS whiskies!
Price £32.00 or £35.00 for non-members

A great chance to sample some cracking drams – all in one go!

I was lucky enough to be sent a Discovery Pack – Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for the samples!

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

1) Tasting Notes – 26.145 Mood-lifting sanctuary (58%)

Region: Highland
Distillery: Clynelish
Cask: 2nd. fill ex-bourbon barrel
Age: 8 years
Date: 19th. September 2011
ABV: 58%
Available in The Gathering Discovery Pack: £32.00 or £35.00 for non-members


Nose: Sweet orange and vanilla, there’s also servings of syrupy tinned pears and aromas of candied fruits. Quite woody as well.

Palate: Sweet candied fruits with heavy flavours of blackcurrent thrown in.

Finish: Peppery spice and white wood with a long smooth finish of sweet pepperiness. There is some dryness at the very end.

Overall: A punchy dram, initially you get some fruity sweetness and then peppery spice hits you right between the taste buds!

2) Tasting Notes – 35.259 Rumtopf, birnenbrot and stollen (53.5%)

Region: Speyside
Distillery: Glen Moray
Cask: 1st. fill ex-bourbon barrel
Age: 24 years
Date: 27th. October 1995
ABV: 53.5%
£138 (membership required)


Nose: Attractive aromas of furniture polish, moist parkin, plasticine and creamy vanilla. What a combination!

Palate: Syrupy mouthfeel. Pleasant light fruits with a leaning towards tropical fruits.

Finish: Smooth fruity finish with a little spice to add some balance.

Overall: A very enjoyable dram with a little something to please everyone. Quite pricey though.

3) Tasting Notes – 7.243 Twinning (59.8%)

Region: Speyside
Distillery: Longmorn
Cask: 1st. fill ex-PX butt
Age: 16 years
Date: 26th. May 2003
ABV: 59.8%
Available in The Gathering Discovery Pack: £32.00 or £35.00 for non-members


Nose: The stromg alcohol vapours makes it hard to get near initially! But then I get sweet fudge with thick, stewed fruits. There’s also aromas of dusty, old rooms with lots of furniture polish!

Palate: Very syrupy with reduced liquid fruits coupled with a warming mellowness and vanilla fudge.

Finish: A warming power punch that is kinder to the palate than nearly 60% really should be – lovely!

Overall: Ooh! This gets nicer and nicer with the tasting! A superb, rich, glorious, nostalgia inducing dram that’s perfect for firesides and leaving the telly off!

4) Tasting Notes – 10.195 Shiver me timbers (59.8%)

Region: Islay
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Cask: Refill hogshead / HTMC (high toast, medium char)
Age: 6 years
Date: 17th. October 2013
ABV: 59.8%
Available in The Gathering Discovery Pack: £32.00 or £35.00 for non-members

Nose: WoW! Super smokey and salty with added peat and seaside-iness all thrown in. Fires burning on a beach and all that! Plus smoked, barbecued foods that make me want to raid the larder!

Palate: Much of the same as the nose with a thinner feel than the other drams. Very smokey with less peat and more barbecue – a pleasant sweetness adds to the yuminess – quite a stunner!

Finish: Punchy again but it holds back a little, there’s dryness at the end but there’s lots of salt and smokiness and that feeling that you’ve just been locked in a smokehouse! Love it!

Overall: If you have an inner salty-sea-dog in you then this is for you!

5) Tasting Notes – 53.332 Storm-tossed kelp on an Islay beach (58.8%)

Region: Islay
Distillery: Caol Ila
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
Age: 11 years
Date: 20th. February 2009
ABV: 58.8%
Available in The Gathering Discovery Pack: £32.00 or £35.00 for non-members


Nose: Resinous wood, popcorn, new-make spirit with added salty spikiness.

Palate: Very coastal and salt laden with fire burnt wood and shades of smokey clothes. The new make taste fades – this is a classy dram after all!

Finish: The rich coastal flavours persist with some light spice and creamy sweetness.

Overall: Totally in love with the sea? And smoke? And fires burning? Then this is for you – mouth drying, smoke filled and glorious!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now over 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Filed Under: Events, Sampling, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Virtual Tasting, Whisky tasting

Don’t Forget ‘The Gathering 2020’ – The SMWS Celebrates With A Live Virtual Tasting – Grab A Discovery Pack & Join In!

September 4, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Get your drams set up and ready for Sunday 6 September!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is gathering – virtually!

The Vaults will be the place to ‘virtually’ be in early September as part of a week-long celebration of all things SMWS at their spiritual home in Leith from 31st. August – 6th. September 2020.

It’s been a tough year and it’s a shame we can’t all gather in person but not to worry, we can all be a part of the ‘spirit’ with their online Virtual Tasting streamed live from The Vaults!

All you have to do is buy their Gathering Discovery Pack and tune into the tasting.

They’ll be streaming live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/thesmwsuk/) on Sunday 6 September from 5.00pm to 6.30pm (GMT).

So gather friends, download a tasting mat for printing out and hold your own event!

Download your tasting mat!

Don’t worry if you’ve missed the stream or won’t be able to make it in the moment as all the content will be available afterwards on both Facebook and YouTube.

The pack features five exclusive Gathering bottlings with a range of flavour profiles so it’s a great chance to sample some cracking drams – all in one go!

A great chance to sample some cracking drams – all in one go!


The Gathering Discovery Pack includes five 25ml bottles:

26.145 Mood-lifting sanctuary

35.259 Rumtopf, birnenbrot and stollen

7.243 Twinning

10.195 Shiver me timbers

53.332 Storm-tossed kelp on an Islay beach

Price £32.00
Packs are going fast!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Filed Under: Events, News, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Virtual Tasting, Whisky tasting

‘The Gathering 2020’ – The SMWS Celebrates With A Live Virtual Tasting – Grab A Discovery Pack & Join In!

August 28, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Get your drams set up and ready for Sunday 6 September!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is gathering – virtually!

The Vaults will be the place to ‘virtually’ be in early September as part of a week-long celebration of all things SMWS at their spiritual home in Leith from 31st. August – 6th. September 2020.

It’s been a tough year and it’s a shame we can’t all gather in person but not to worry, we can all be a part of the ‘spirit’ with their online Virtual Tasting streamed live from The Vaults!

All you have to do is buy their Gathering Discovery Pack and tune into the tasting.

They’ll be streaming live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/thesmwsuk/) on Sunday 6 September from 5.00pm to 6.30pm (GMT).

So gather friends, download a tasting mat for printing out (available soon!) and hold your own event!

Don’t worry if you’ve missed the stream or won’t be able to make it in the moment as all the content will be available afterwards on both Facebook and YouTube.

The pack features five exclusive Gathering bottlings with a range of flavour profiles so it’s a great chance to sample some cracking drams – all in one go!

A great chance to sample some cracking drams – all in one go!


The Gathering Discovery Pack includes five 25ml bottles:

26.145 Mood-lifting sanctuary

35.259 Rumtopf, birnenbrot and stollen

7.243 Twinning

10.195 Shiver me timbers

53.332 Storm-tossed kelp on an Islay beach

Price £32.00
Packs are bound to go fast!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Filed Under: Events, News, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Virtual Tasting, Whisky tasting

World Whisky Day: A Virtual Celebration!

May 15, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

World Whisky Day – a virtual celebration!

With many World Whisky Day (this Saturday 16th. May 2020) gatherings on hold, master distillers from around the globe will come together for a free online experience celebrating the diversity of whiskymaking!

In keeping with the spirit of the day, the inclusive event will be streamed live on Facebook at 5pm (BST) and, while encouraging people to try something new, it will explore the influence of location on whisky maturation.

Special guest Dhavall Gandhi, whiskymaker at The Lakes Distillery (England), will be joined in conversation by Tomer Goren, master distiller at Milk & Honey (Israel), and Michael D’Souza, master distiller at Paul John Distilleries (India) to delve deep into the different ethos, methods and techniques that mean great whisky can be made anywhere in the world.

Dhavall Gandhi, whiskymaker at The Lakes Distillery

Inspired by the majestic beauty of their home in The Lake District National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Lakes see the art of whiskymaking as part of a continuum, a net of possibilities where everything is interlinked. Respecting tradition and being sensitive to how the climate affects the conversation between oak and air and spirit, they flow new ideas around this frame and innovate at every stage to make their whisky more flavourful.

Tomer Goren, master distiller at Milk & Honey

Inspired by the city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s first whisky distillery benefits from an average of 300 sunny days each year and the Mediterranean climate means whisky ages quickly and gracefully. Taking on a specific terroir which yields unique flavours that differ from their old-world counterparts, their methods, technique, and equipment carry on centuries-old knowledge and keep to the tradition of a minimum three years of ageing.

Whiskymakers Tomer Goren, Dhavall Gandhi, Micheal DSouza

Michael D’Souza, master distiller at Paul John Distilleries

Established in 1992, Paul John’s Single Malt whiskies hail from the sultry Indian coast of Goa and are made from carefully chosen indigenous ingredients – barley, water and yeast – that together create a radiance of a different kind. The combination of a tropical climate and an additional climate-controlled underground warehouse ensure the whisky develops a distinctive composition of flavours, giving a unique configuration on the palate.

All distilleries have a creation story, that moment of inspiration, some might say madness, when someone decides that they need to make whisky.

Often allied to that is the choice of location and, if you strip it back to basics, what you need to make whisky is the right to use lots of cold, clean water, space for storing casks, and access to the market. If these requirements are met you can make great whisky anywhere, but great whisky cannot be made by just anyone.

World Whisky Day is about educating as many people as possible about whisky and making it fun and enjoyable, and that is precisely what this virtual event is centred around.
– Dhavall Gandhi: Whiskymaker at The Lakes Distillery

Free to join on the @thelakesdistillery Facebook page, sit back, relax, pour a whisky and join master blenders from England, Israel and India in conversation from the comfort of your own home.

Filed Under: Events, Lakes Distillery, News

Sampling ‘The Gathering’ – A SMWS Live Virtual Tasting You Can STILL Enjoy!

October 4, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

Five Drams – The Joy!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society gathering has come … and gone.

The Vaults was the place to be in September as part of their week-long celebration of all things SMWS taking place at their spiritual home in Leith.

Brand ambassador John McCheyne once again took the helm to stream live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/thesmwsuk/) to sample through five exceptional 25ml drams.


The Gathering Discovery Pack’s five 25ml bottles:

  • SMWS 107.16
  • SMWS 44.99
  • SMWS 64.108
  • SMWS 35.239
  • SMWS 33.137

The pack features a range of flavour profiles with some casks bottled exclusively for The Gathering and an extra special bottling which will only be available by the dram, to be shared through The Gathering week – and the Discovery pack!

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 107.16 – “Truly A Fairy Tale” (67%)

A Speyside Dram (Glenallachie Distillery) 7 years old, distilled on 4th. April 2011. Matured in a 2nd. fill toasted butt.


Nose: Rich and plummy, stewed fruits with aromas of wood toffee & chocolate orange – yum!

Palate: Stewed fruits, toffee, caramel and creamy vanilla.

Finish: A rich, but not too harsh fire! Adding some water makes it gloriously smooth.

Overall: This is fantastic for a 7 year old cask – a revelation!

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 30 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 44.99 – “A Real Cracker” (55.9%)

A Speyside Dram (Craigellachie Distillery) 14 years old, distilled on 9th. June 2004. Matured in a refill Ex-Bourbon barrel.


Nose: Apples and vanilla with a hint of mint.

Palate: Sugar candy sweet with some spicy vanilla and stewed fruits.

Finish: A short spice with some fruity vanilla at the end.

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 30 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

Packs ARE STILL CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 64.108 – “Something For The Weekend” (61%)

A Speyside Dram (Mannochmore Distillery) 10 years old, distilled on 5th. March 2008. Matured in a refill Ex-Bourbon barrel.


Nose: Plenty of banana, tropical fruits and vanilla! Some white new wood.

Palate: Creamy and spicy with lovely tropical fruit flavours. There’s some creamy, sweet banana with hints of citrus.

Finish: Some nice spice there as well! Treacle is in there as well as tobacco. Addition of water brings out lots of full flavours.

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 30 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 35.239 – “Sweet Seduction” (52.9%)

A Speyside Dram (Glen Moray Distillery) 23 years old, distilled on 27th. October 1995. Matured in a 1st. fill Ex-Bourbon barrel.


Nose: Polish and old leather – dusky libraries! Fruity with sweet apples & rum – heaven!

Palate: Sweet, rich, fruity and slightly oily with licourice and treacle.

Finish: A super smooth finish with rich pepper but it’s a lovely, syrupy dram to be sure!

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 30 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 33.137 – “Campfire Marshmallows On Singed Sticks” (59.9%)

An Islay Dram (Ardbeg Distillery) 10 years old, distilled on 27th. November 2008. Matured in a 1st. fill Ex-Bourbon barrel.


Nose: A massive hit of peat, smoke, salt and charcoal – like fires on the beach – glorious!

Palate: Peaty, antiseptic and sweet. Creamy fruits infused with smoke.

Finish: More of the same with the sweetness beating the peat leaving just a few whisps of smoke!

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 30 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

My Favourite

Out of the 5, I think it’s got to be the SMWS 35.239 – “Sweet Seduction”. A great, syrupy, sweet, fruit joy with some un-expected and welcome licourice.
I must mention SMWS 33.137 – “Campfire Marshmallows On Singed Sticks” though. This dram will be loved by all Peat lovers, myself included!

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for sending the samples and for a great afternoons dramming!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Filed Under: Events, Sampling, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Virtual Tasting, Whisky tasting

Only 4 Days Away – Are You Ready To Join ‘The Gathering’ For A SMWS Live Virtual Tasting?

September 3, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

Get your drams set up and ready for Saturday 7 September!

Just To Let You Know We Are Now Only 4 Days Away!


Stocks Are Going Fast – Only 65 Packs Left!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is gathering!

The Vaults will be the place to be in September as part of a week-long celebration of all things SMWS at their spiritual home in Leith from 2nd. – 8th. September.

But if you can’t make it, don’t worry, you can be part of the ‘spirit’ with their online Virtual Tasting streamed live from The Vaults!

All you have to do is buy their Gathering Discovery Pack and tune into the tasting.

They’ll be streaming live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/thesmwsuk/) on Saturday 7 September from 1.00pm (GMT).

So gather friends, download a tasting mat for printing out and hold your own event!

Download the tasting mat!

Don’t worry if you’ve missed the stream or won’t be able to make it in the moment as all the content will be available afterwards on both Facebook and YouTube.

Brand ambassador John McCheyne will once again be taking the helm to guide members from the UK, Europe and beyond through five exceptional 25ml drams together.

The pack features a range of flavour profiles, some casks bottled exclusively for The Gathering and an extra special bottling which will only be available by the dram, to be shared through The Gathering week!


The Gathering Discovery Pack includes five 25ml bottles:

107.16: Truly a fairy tale – Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits – Age 7 years

44.99: A real cracker – Spicy & Dry – Age 14 years

64.108: Something for the weekend… – Light & Delicate – Age 10 years

35.239: Sweet seduction – Old & Dignified – Age 23 years

33.137: Campfire marshmallows on singed sticks – Peated – Age 10 years

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 65 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

‘The Gathering’ – Saturday 7 September!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Filed Under: Events, News, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Virtual Tasting, Whisky tasting

The SMWS Celebrates ‘The Gathering’ – Grab A Discovery Pack For A Live Virtual Tasting!

August 16, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

Get your drams set up and ready for Saturday 7 September!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is gathering!

The Vaults will be the place to be in September as part of a week-long celebration of all things SMWS at their spiritual home in Leith from 2nd. – 8th. September.

But if you can’t make it, don’t worry, you can be part of the ‘spirit’ with their online Virtual Tasting streamed live from The Vaults!

All you have to do is buy their Gathering Discovery Pack and tune into the tasting.

They’ll be streaming live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/thesmwsuk/) on Saturday 7 September from 1.00pm (GMT).

So gather friends, download a tasting mat for printing out and hold your own event!

Download the tasting mat!

Don’t worry if you’ve missed the stream or won’t be able to make it in the moment as all the content will be available afterwards on both Facebook and YouTube.

Brand ambassador John McCheyne will once again be taking the helm to guide members from the UK, Europe and beyond through five exceptional 25ml drams together.

The pack features a range of flavour profiles, some casks bottled exclusively for The Gathering and an extra special bottling which will only be available by the dram, to be shared through The Gathering week!


The Gathering Discovery Pack includes five 25ml bottles:

107.16: Truly a fairy tale – Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits – Age 7 years

44.99: A real cracker – Spicy & Dry – Age 14 years

64.108: Something for the weekend… – Light & Delicate – Age 10 years

35.239: Sweet seduction – Old & Dignified – Age 23 years

33.137: Campfire marshmallows on singed sticks – Peated – Age 10 years

Price £35.00
Packs are limited – ONLY 105 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Filed Under: Events, News, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Virtual Tasting, Whisky tasting

Only 8 Days Away – Are You Ready To Join The SMWS Campbeltown Festival Live Virtual Tasting?

May 14, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

Set The Date: Wednesday, 22 May at 7.00pm

Just To Let You Know We Are Now Only 8 Days Away!


Stocks Are Going Fast – Only 96 Out Of 300 Packs Left!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is bringing together Society members from across Europe as they host their second Virtual Tasting!

Streamed live from the Ardshiel Hotel at the Campbeltown Malts festival. John McCheyne will be joined by his glamourous assistant Matt Bailey – all the way from their Australian branch – to host a tasting of five exclusive festival bottlings from Speyside, Islay and, of course, Campbeltown.

Join in on the festival celebrations at home, buy their Festival Discovery Pack and tune into the tasting. Or better still, gather friends at home and hold your own event. They’ll be streaming live on their Facebook page on the night.

The tasting will happen live on Wednesday, 22 May at 7.00pm (GMT). Don’t worry if you’ve missed the stream or won’t be able to make it in the moment as all the content will be available afterwards on both Facebook and YouTube.

Hurry – Only a limited number of sample packs are available!


The Discovery Pack includes five 25ml bottles:

9.161 Cream tea at the patisserie Flavour Profile: Sweet, Fruity & Mellow Region: Speyside Age: 11 years

10.168 Cuquillo black olives Flavour Profile: Oily & Coastal Region: Islay Age: 13 years

29.260 A visceral, elemental experience Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits Region: Islay Age: 19 years

30.106 Succulent, scintillating and substantial Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits Region: Speyside Age: 21 years

93.108 Earthy and masculine Flavour Profile: Lightly Peated Region: Campbeltown Age: 10 years

Price £35.00
ONLY 300 AVAILABLE — NOW ONLY 96 LEFT!

For those of you lucky enough to be at the festival, you can join this special tasting in person, where one of their amazing ambassadors will be on hand to help you through the drams. Tickets include their Festival Discovery Pack with five celebratory drams from their Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay festival bottlings.

To join in – Simply buy a pack, or sign up to membership with the 5 dram tasting pack. Make sure you and your friends are all set with your glassware and download a tasting mat for printing out!

Filed Under: Campbeltown, Events, Festivals, News, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Join The SMWS Campbeltown Festival Live Virtual Tasting!

April 11, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

A pack of goodies for the virtual tasting event at the Campbeltown Tasting!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is bringing together Society members from across Europe as they host their second Virtual Tasting!

Streamed live from the Ardshiel Hotel at the Campbeltown Malts festival. John McCheyne will be joined by his glamourous assistant Matt Bailey – all the way from their Australian branch – to host a tasting of five exclusive festival bottlings from Speyside, Islay and, of course, Campbeltown.

Join in on the festival celebrations at home, buy their Festival Discovery Pack and tune into the tasting. Or better still, gather friends at home and hold your own event. They’ll be streaming live on their Facebook page on the night.

The tasting will happen live on Wednesday, 22 May at 7.00pm (GMT). Don’t worry if you’ve missed the stream or won’t be able to make it in the moment as all the content will be available afterwards on both Facebook and YouTube.

Hurry – Only a limited number of sample packs are available!


The Discovery Pack includes five 25ml bottles:

9.161 Cream tea at the patisserie Flavour Profile: Sweet, Fruity & Mellow Region: Speyside Age: 11 years

10.168 Cuquillo black olives Flavour Profile: Oily & Coastal Region: Islay Age: 13 years

29.260 A visceral, elemental experience Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits Region: Islay Age: 19 years

30.106 Succulent, scintillating and substantial Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits Region: Speyside Age: 21 years

93.108 Earthy and masculine Flavour Profile: Lightly Peated Region: Campbeltown Age: 10 years

Price £35.00
ONLY 300 AVAILABLE

For those of you lucky enough to be at the festival, you can join this special tasting in person, where one of their amazing ambassadors will be on hand to help you through the drams. Tickets include their Festival Discovery Pack with five celebratory drams from their Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay festival bottlings.

To join in – Simply buy a pack, or sign up to membership with the 5 dram tasting pack. Make sure you and your friends are all set with your glassware and download a tasting mat for printing out!

Filed Under: Campbeltown, Events, Festivals, News, Smws, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

There’s A New Festival Coming to Speyside!

February 9, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Whisky Colours Festival!

The first Whisky Colours Festival will be held from 10 to 14 October 2019. It is a celebration of all things whisky and is centred in Dufftown, the malt whisky capital of the world. The festival will allow you to get up close and personal with some of the biggest names in the whisky industry.

We are partnering with Cardhu, Glen Moray and Glenfarclas Distilleries for dining and tasting experiences; Morrison & MacKay for a unique autumnal tasting; as well as masterclasses from the likes of Adelphi and Berry Bros & Rudd. Our website is the place to go for updates (whiskycoloursfestival.com).

Beautiful Craigellachie

We have been inspired by the vast range of whisky colours that are mirrored in the beauty of the phenomenal autumn scenery of Dufftown and the surrounding area as our woodlands display their stunning colours and the bright golden barley in the fields. Our aim is to bring you extra special whisky experiences with an autumnal theme that will be truly something to remember.

We want our guests to experience a series of in-depth events, giving exclusive opportunities which truly bring you the very best of whisky from the malt whisky capital.

We are excited to be creating this extensive calendar of events, in a friendly atmosphere at one of the most colourful times of year in Speyside.
– Mike Lord: Keeper of the Quaich and proprietor of The Whisky Shop Dufftown

The Whisky Colours Festival will be held on the second weekend of October each year

The Whisky Colours Festival is a brilliant addition to the whisky calendar. We are working with The Whisky Shop Dufftown on an authentic experience at the distillery during the festival and we look forward to welcoming you to our distillery.
– George Grant: 6th. generation of the family behind Glenfarclas Distillery

Each day will include intimate whisky experiences with an autumnal theme, from dinners with revered distillers, sought after masterclasses, food pairing, fun and so much more. The festival will culminate in a closing event hosted by key partner Tannochbrae Cuisine that will bring together all elements of the festival: whisky, music and food with lots of fun.


The Whisky Colours Festival will be held on the second weekend of October each year.
Further details will be announced each week.
The full programme will be available from mid June.
Tickets will be available from 1 July 2019.

Follow updates on social media:
Facebook: @whiskycoloursfestival
Twitter: @whiskycoloursf1
Instagram: whiskycolours

Filed Under: Events, Festivals, News, Whisky Colours Festival

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