Festivals — Malthound

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!

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!

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

Price £35.00
ONLY 300 AVAILABLE

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

SMWS Top 5 Tips On Whisky Festivals For Whisky Month!

May 16, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

Whisky festivals can be fun but daunting!

Top 5 Tips on whisky festivals for Whisky Month

May is ‘Whisky Month’ in Scotland, with a host of events up and down the country including World Whisky Day on the 19th, Edinburgh Whisky Stramash (19-20th) and The Islay Festival of Music & Malt (Feis Isle) (25 May to 1st June).

Whisky festivals, especially for first-timers, can be daunting – so how can you make the most of your whisky event or festival experience?
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s ambassador John McCheyne travels the world attending and hosting whisky events – below he shares his top tips on how to get the best out of them.

Book in advance for the tasting events you really don’t want to miss!

1. Prepare!

Whether it’s a one-day event or a week-long festival, there are so many whiskies that you may get lost in the possibilities. Book in advance for the tasting events you really don’t want to miss, and take the time to fully enjoy a particular event, instead of rushing from one to another.

Islay Whisky Festival 2015

2. Start light, end heavy.

Don’t rush to the peated whiskies straight off the bat. You wouldn’t start a wine tasting with a bombastic Barolo, you’d start with a pinot gris.

Sample your drams properly and appreciate them!

3. Whisky festivals can get busy.

So taste your drams away from the madding crowd, sample them properly and appreciate them. Take some notes, then you’ll have a good appreciation of the whiskies you targeted.

4. Remember your ‘festival etiquette’.

Don’t be the person who stands at the front of the table for an extended period monopolising the ambassador and blocking the people behind from getting a dram. Be mindful of how busy the table may be and choose the right moment to have a word or two.

Don’t be the person who ‘hogs’ the ambassador!

Ambassadors will do their best to engage an enthusiast, but it’s important to be courteous to all the other people there trying to have the same experience.

5. Lastly, talk to the hosts.

They’ll have some fascinating insights into the drams on offer, the stories behind the distilleries, and the whole experience. Take your time, plot your course, don’t make a fool of yourself, and have fun!