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

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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.

Sampling The Lakes Distillery ‘One Collection’ – Four Drams – ‘One’ Standard Of Excellence!

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Four samples – So what did I think?

In an earlier post I gave details of The Lakes Distilleries addition of two new whiskies to their One collection – The One Orange Wine Cask Finished Whisky and The One Sherry Cask Finished Whisky.

The One Orange Wine Cask

With The Lakes Single Malt at its heart – blended with select Scotch grain and malt whiskies from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay – The One collection is a showcase of maturation expertise, with each singular release demonstrating the different flavours that can be derived from the finest oak casks.

They are Non-chill filtered and bottled at the natural colour and the latest addition to the expressions have been finished in Andalusian Orange Wine casks and Sherry casks. They join The One and the Port Cask releases.

The Lakes Distillery have kindly sent me samples of the four drams in their One collection to try (thanks!) So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The One (46.6%)


Nose: Hints of wood and fresh citrus with vanilla and fresh apples.

Palate: Sweet, with stewed sultanas, a hint of liquorice and melon. Slight smokiness.

Finish: Spicy and peppery with a dry oak finish. A little liquorice. Quite short and little tanin feel on the tongue.

Overall: An excellent blended whisky. Warming, moreish and easily drinkable!

£39.00

Tasting Notes – The One Orange Wine Cask Finished Whisky (46.6%)


Nose: A slow burner this one with faint tangerine, banofee pie and biscuit sprinkled with a little vanilla.

Palate: Sweet, with intense and creamy vanilla plus additional pleasant hints of orange.

Finish: Very smooth with a little pepper but the sweetness maintains throughout. The spiciness increases with more sampling though!

Overall: A subtle dram but it grows on you (much like the spiciness!)

£48.00

The One Sherry Cask

Tasting Notes – The One Sherry Cask Finished Whisky (46.6%)


Nose: Lovely rich and fruity with aromas of furniture polish and hints of chocolate.

Palate: Plump fruity Xmas cake with creamy, fudgy vanilla. A joy!

Finish: Some cheeky spice compliments well with the Seasonal flavours.

Overall: This is really very yummy indeed! Cracking full flavours that made me wish for roaring fires and decorated trees!

£48.00

Tasting Notes – The One Port Cask Finished Whisky (46.6%)


Nose: Light port with sweet vanilla.

Palate: Sweet, fruity port flavours with spicy vanilla.

Finish: Un-mistakeable spiciness – always there with a Lakes dram!

Overall: A tasty dram but not as rich in flavour when compared with the Sherry Cask.

£48.00

The One Collection

Many thanks to Lakes Distillery (@LakesWhisky) for sending me such fantastic samples!

I think of the four – The One Sherry Cask Finished Whisky is my favourite!

Other Lakes Distillery Whiskies (& Gins) are available to buy from:-

Sampling Angels’ Nectar ‘Cairngorms’ Edition – The “Angels” Are Helping Protect The UK’s Largest National Park!

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Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition

Grantown-on-Spey based Highfern Ltd have launched their new Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition, a Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Distilled within the Cairngorms National Park, the Cairngorms Edition has been released in partnership with the Cairngorms Trust, to support environmental and community projects in the Cairngorms National Park.

The 11 year old single cask has been bottled at 46% and at natural colour and is a limited edition of just 263 bottles.

Nancy Chambers and Robert Ransom

A donation from each bottle sold will go towards the Cairngorms Trust, whose vision is to encourage sustainable and community led development, which enhances wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation and cultural heritage in the Cairngorms National Park.

Recent projects the Cairngorms Trust have assisted include improving habitat to encourage breeding ospreys and mountain footpath restoration.

We are delighted that Angels’ Nectar have chosen to donate to projects within the Cairngorms through the sales of the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition.
– Nancy Chambers: Cairngorms Trust Manager

For those who are missing the opportunity to get out and about in the Cairngorms this summer, what could be better than enjoying this taste of the Cairngorms at home.
– Robert Ransom: Angels’ Nectar Founder

Amongst others the Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition is now available from the Balliefurth Farmshop, the Speyside Centre, and online at whiskycastle.com and Highfern’s own on-line store highfern.com at £68.00 per bottle.

So, what did I think? Robert from Highfern has very kindly sent me a sample (Cheers Robert!)

Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes: Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms Edition – Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46%)


Nose: Honey sweetness, popcorn, red and ginger wine. After a while there’s tropical fruits.

Palate: Syrupy, light, tropical fruits with a vanilla sweetness. Very nice!

Finish: Highly spiced with white wood and the tropical fruit continues. The fiery spice is long with a dry grapefruit finish.

Overall: Quite a peppery punch to this dram – a real surprise!
This is quite a contrast to the sweet tropical flavours that dominate at the beginning.

I really enjoyed this dram and I think it’ll soon sell-out – which is good news for the Cairngorms and an excellent way to help the environment!

The “Angels” Are Helping Protect The Cairngorms!

Many thanks to highfern.com (@angelsnectar) for sending me the sample!


· Highfern Ltd are the proprietors of Angels’ Nectar Whisky and importers of Langatun Whisky, Seven Seals Whisky, Smögen Whisky, Strane Gin & Kinghaven Rum. Alongside the Cairngorms Edition, Angels’ Nectar also offer Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Original 40%, Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Rich Peat Edition 46% and Angels’ Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Islay Edition 47%.

· For more on the Cairngorms Trust please see cairngormstrust.org.uk

· Cairngorms National Park: With an area larger than Luxembourg, the Cairngorms National Park, is the UK’s largest National Park, but home to just 18000 people. Endangered wildlife resident in the park include capercaillie, wildcats, golden eagles, and black grouse. Four of the UK’s five highest mountains are in the park. The headwaters of the River Spey are within the park. For more see cairngorms.co.uk and visitcairngorms.com

· For more information about Angels’ Nectar, please see: angelsnectar.co.uk

Sampling ‘The Whiskymakers Reserve No.3’ From Lakes Distillery!

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The Whiskymakers Reserve No.3!

Sampling The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.3 single malt whisky!

Released mid-June, the third expression in The Lakes Distillery’s Whiskymaker’s Reserve series has been unveiled as a new and aromatic single malt whisky, matured in the finest, meticulously sourced PX, Oloroso, Cream Sherry, and red wine casks.

Appealing to those who appreciate the complexity of a multi-layered approach to flavour creation, it is an artistic exploration of whisky maturation and blending; an evolution in the journey to define a sherry-led house style for The Lakes Single Malt.

Subtly distinct and unique, it follows two sold-out releases, the first a vibrant, robust and cask strength introduction to The Lakes Single Malt, with number two offering a much more elegant and refined character.

At 54% ABV, as with all Lakes whisky, each of the 9,700 bottles is non-chill filtered and bottled at natural colour.

Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.3 has a recommended retail price of £65

The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.3 has a recommended retail price of £65 and is available from LakesDistillery.com, where you can also discover more about The Lakes’ holistic approach to whiskymaking.

The Lakes Distillery kindly sent me a sample to try (thanks!) So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Whiskymakers Reserve No.3 (54%)


Nose: Apples, pears, caramel fudge and rich sherry – rich dark chocolate combined with vanilla comes after residing in the glass awhile.

Palate: Rich fruits, red wine and creamy fudge laced with sweet sherry – very nice indeed!

Finish: Strong, warming spicy finish which has quite a punch! A few drops of water seems to bring out even more fire!

Overall: I think this is my favourite of the three! The sherry and sweetness coupled with the fiery spice is a winning combination for me.

Many thanks to Lakes Distillery (@LakesWhisky) for sending me such a tasty sample!

Other Lakes Distillery Whiskies (& Gins) are available to buy from these Merchants:-

Sampling Rampur Double Cask Indian Malt Whisky – Let’s Get Tropical For World Whisky Day!

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Rampur Double Cask Single Malt Whisky

It’s World Whisky Day this Saturday 16th. May 2020!

Which, of course, is a great excuse to try Indian Single Malt Whisky. Rampur Distillery, which is one of Indian’s largest and oldest distilleries, situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, sounds like a great one to try!

The unique distilling location of the Himalayan foothills exposes the whiskies to polar opposite climate conditions!

The unique distilling location of the Himalayan foothills exposes the whiskies to polar opposite climate conditions throughout the year, with the flavour of the famous Indian Summer giving Rampur Whiskies an added dimension and depth.

Indian whisky matures significantly more quickly than other whiskies, such as Scotch whisky and Irish Whiskey.

Rampur Double Cask Single Malt is a hand-crafted single malt whisky matured in hand-selected American Bourbon barrels as well as European Oak Sherry casks chosen by Master Distiller, Anup Barik.

Distilled in traditional copper pot stills, the malt matures for two-thirds of its life in handpicked American Bourbon Barrels and a third in European Oak Sherry Casks at India’s largest distillery and is then non-chill-filtered and bottled at 45%.

The combination of Rampur’s unique distilling and the double cask maturation process, sees this Single Malt taking traditional Indian heritage and rooting it in contemporary culture.

Rampur Double Cask Single Malt retails for approximately £59.00 to £65.00

The kind people at Rampur Distillery have sent me a sample of their Double Cask to try – just in time for WWD!

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

Tasting Notes – Rampur Double Cask Single Malt Whisky (45%)


Nose: Apples and rich plump fruits with banana also thrown in for good measure. Old polished wood. Honey with a vanilla sweetnes.

Palate: Tropical fruits abound! There’s hints of pineapple but mostly gorgeous flavours of mango and even lychees!

Finish: Rich, fruity spiciness with honey and lots of tropical flavours. It’s a long finish that gets quite fiery – very warming!

Overall: This is a really great whisky. The strength of the tropical fruit flavours is a revelation! But it’s all well tempered with some nice spiciness.
A fantastic dram from a great whisky producing nation!

There’s also Rampur Indian Single Malt Whisky.

Styled as “The Kohinoor of Single Malts” this super premium malt whisky is distilled in traditional copper pot stills, matured at the distillery and then non chill-filtered and bottled at 43%.

Rampur Indian Single Malt Whisky is smooth, with a mellow taste with a long-lasting finish. It is distinctively malty, with creamy vanilla taste with hints of apricot, apple and sweet and wine-like finish.

Many thanks to Rampur Distillery (Instagram: @rampursinglemalt) for sending me the sample!

Rampur Whisky is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Sampling Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky – And Who’s For An “English Outlaw”?!

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Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky

In case you didn’t know it, it’s World Whisky Day this Saturday 16th. May 2020!

The kind people at The Cotswolds Distillery have sent me a sample of their Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky to try – just in time for WWD!

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky was launched in October 2017 and is the first whisky ever distilled in the Cotswolds. The distillery uses 100% locally grown, floor-malted barley and matures the whisky in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and reconditioned red wine casks.

The whisky is rich, fruity and sippable with notes of honey, Seville orange marmalade and dark red fruits. Each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and local Cotswolds farm on which it was grown.

I was looking out of the window of our old farmhouse in the Cotswolds at my neighbour’s fields of spring barley and thought ‘why hasn’t anyone made whisky here?’

The Cotswolds has every bit as much romance and history as the most beautiful parts of the Highlands or Lowlands, just in a very different way,
– Daniel Szor: Cotswolds Distillery Founder

If you feel like getting creative on World Whisky Day why not mix your own cocktail using Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky?

“The English Outlaw”, is a twist on the classic Manhattan and has a robust malty base which creates a complex and delicious cocktail:

“The English Outlaw”

Ingredients: 60ml Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky,
30ml Vermouth,
1 x bar spoon of marmalade,
1 x dash of Aromatic Bitters.

Method: Dissolve the marmalade in Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky,
add Vermouth and dash of Aromatic Bitters,
stir down with ice and fine strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with cherries; Maraschino if you have them in the cupboard!

“The English Outlaw”!

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

Tasting Notes – Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky (46%)


Nose: Wood, rich vanilla fudge, green apples, zesty lemon and hints of citrus.

Palate: Very smooth, sweet vanilla with lots of lemon and grapefruit.

Finish: Peppery spice (which starts off quite subtlety but builds!)
There’s that lemon which seems to be a trademark of Cotswolds malts and wood. Quite a long finish with some slight salt at the end.

Overall: A lovely dram, very much suited to all palates and a great whisky for mixin’. So, this World Whisky Day, why not unleash your inner ‘outlaw”?!

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Many thanks to cotswoldsdistillery.com (Twitter: @cotswoldistill / Instagram: @cotswoldsdistillery) for sending me the sample!

Sampling The Cotswolds Distillery New Whisky Release: ‘Hearts and Crafts’!

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Hearts and Crafts Single Malt Whisky — a new exciting release from The Cotswolds Distillery!

The Cotswolds Distillery has today announced the first release in a series of single malts which have been inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement: Cotswolds Hearts & Crafts Sauternes Cask Single Malt Whisky.

Cotswolds Hearts & Crafts Sauternes Cask Single Malt Whisky is made up of 1,680 bottles

The Cotswolds Hearts & Crafts Collection will consist of yearly limited editions, with each edition presented in a gift box with a different William Morris pattern, reinforcing the creative beauty of the Arts & Crafts Movement.

Their first release, Cotswolds Hearts & Crafts Sauternes Cask Single Malt Whisky, is made up of 1,680 bottles and each edition will not be repeated.

William Morris, one of the leaders of the Arts & Crafts Movement spent much of his time in the summer in his Cotswolds home, Kelmscott Manor.

The movement was created in the late 19th century to champion traditional, simple craftsmanship in contrast to the rapid industrialisation of Britain and the move away from traditional values and design.

The Cotswolds Distillery was founded by Daniel Szor in 2014, the distillery is nestled in the Cotswolds countryside in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Distillery doors were opened to visitors in 2014 and offers visitors a rare opportunity to see a range of different spirits being made.

The Cotswolds Distillery has been patiently filling small parcels of ‘specials’ over the years

Over the years, the distillery has been patiently filling small parcels of ‘specials’. These have included both European and American oak casks, seasoned with Sauternes, Pineau de Charente, Calvados, Rum, Port, Madeira, Banyuls, Vermouth and other interesting wines.

These will be used to create editions of the Cotswolds Hearts & Crafts Collection.

Additionally, The Cotswolds Distillery prides itself on carefully sourcing ingredients including:-

Malt: Odyssey, grown on Cotswolds farms and floor-malted at Warminster Maltings.

Yeast: two complementary varieties — Anchor and Fermentis — to ensure good yields and excellent fruity flavours.

Water: village water supply — filtered, softened and demineralised before use.

Wood: French Oak barriques seasoned with Sauternes wine.

The Cotswolds Hearts & Crafts Sauternes Cask Single Malt Whisky retails for £74.95 at an ABV of 55.2%. It is made up of 1,680 bottles.

It is available to purchase exclusively from The Cotswolds Distillery.

Cotswolds Distillery has very kindly sent me a sample to try – So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …


Nose: Rich fruits and malty flavours. Plump sultanas with a hint of orange. Vanilla butterscotch.

Palate: Rich fruit and creamy vanilla tempered with lemon and white wood.

Finish: Strong, peppery finish with smooth, creamy fruits. There is strong flavours of lemon and wood to accompany this.

Overall: If you like a bit of citrus then you’ll love this as it’s got plenty of lip-smacking lemon! A very tasty dram with a bit of something for everyone!

Many thanks to cotswoldsdistillery.com (Twitter: @cotswoldistill / Instagram: @cotswoldsdistillery) for sending me the sample!

Sampling The Fettercairn 12 & 28 Year Olds – Tropical Fruit Heaven!

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Fettercairn 12 & 28 Year Olds

We drench our stills with crystal-clear mountain water, cooling the copper so only the finest vapours rise for collection.
– Fettercairn Distillery

These are the words of Fettercairn Distillery who employ a unique ‘cooling ring’ on their stills. In the 1950’s they found that pouring water down the still cooled the copper, increasing condensation inside so only the lightest vapours could rise for collection. So they fashioned a copper tube around the top of the still to continually douse it with water. Unique in Scotch whisky-making to this day!

Founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsay and one of the first to apply for a distillation license he very wisely hired former illegal whisky makers to be his first stillmen as they were the only ones with the necessary skills required to produce a quality whisky.

Fast forward to today and in celebration of their new product line Fettercairn has sent me two samples – the 12 and 28 year olds to try.
Many thanks to fettercairnwhisky.com (@FettercairnWh) for them!

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

Tasting Notes – Fettercairn 12 Year Old (40%)

Aged 12 years in American White Oak ex-Bourbon casks. Retails for approximately £39 to £45.

Nose: Spicy orangy fruits, crisp, green apples, pears and sweet marzipan.

Palate: Thin mouthfeel with sweet tropical fruits.

Finish: Some smooth spice with a little bit of dryness at the end.

Overall: A nice dram that delivers a great flavour and doesn’t disappoint. A stronger abv would have been rather Yummy I think!

Tasting Notes – Fettercairn 28 Year Old (42%)

Aged 28 years in American White Oak ex-Bourbon casks. Retails for approximately £399 to £550.

Nose: Slower to give up it’s treasures but when it does it’s worth the wait. There’s rich fruit cake with hints of sherry, rich tropical fruits and papaya.
Gorgeous, strong hits of banoffee pie topped off with creamy vanilla fudge make this a nose to be remembered!

Palate: Thin mouthfeel with sweet hints of the nose above – especially lovely tropical fruits. Flavours of citrus and some woody notes.

Finish: Black pepper that gives a warming long finish.

Overall: I’ve heard that it’s chill filtered and coloured which, I think, is a shame as at this age and price it would be nice not to have this. I’m sure it also degrades the palate.
The abv of 42% gives it a rather thin mouthfeel – cask strength would have been much more appreciated – I think it would have packed much more flavour – and you can then add as lttle or as much water as you wish.
Notwithstanding, a fine dram though a tad expensive.

Fettercairn is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Sampling The SMWS 44.116: “Pirate Ship In A Storm” – ‘The One That Got Away!’

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Sampling The SMWS 44.116: “Pirate Ship In A Storm” – ‘The One That Got Away!’

Sampling The SMWS December Outturn

This is the last sample I received from The Scotch Malt Whisky Societies’ selection of December Outturns. It was their 44.116: “Pirate Ship In A Storm”.

The 44.116 was a Speyside dram with 567 bottles being released – but unfortunately – this SMWS bottling sold out almost as soon as it was released online!
However, I still thought it was worth reviewing as some stocks may appear at some point (maybe they’ll find some down the back of the sofa!)

The SMWS (@SMWSUK) very kindly sent me a sample to try – thanks SMWS!

So, what did I think?

Tasting Notes – SMWS 44.116: “Pirate Ship In A Storm” (68.2%)

A Speyside Dram (Craigellachie Distillery) 8 years old, distilled on 20th. April 2011. Matured in a 2nd. fill ex-oloroso butt.
First released: 6th. December 2019.
567 bottles.

Nose: Loads of port and sherry aromas with bags of fruit and sweet marzipan.

Palate: Basically and wonderfully, all of the above. Port, sherry, plump fruit and sweet marzipan wrapped up in a satisying rich mouthfeel.

Finish: There’s a little pepper at the end but it’s mainly syrupy, fruity and sherry laden.
But it’s also got some whoomph! to it at 68%!

With water it smoothes out the flavours and to be honest makes the dram go further which is never a bad thing!

Overall: I can see why this sold out so fast!
An incredible, tasty dram and a perfect example of how joining the Scotch Malt Whisky Society gives you access to such fantastic whiskies!
Browse other whiskies in the SMWS December Outturn.

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.

Sampling The SMWS 6: “The Big Swirl” – Indulge Yourself In A Classic Christmas Whirl!

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SMWS 6: “The Big Swirl”

Sampling The SMWS December Outturn
– Fireside Companions For Christmas!

Kept under wraps but released a day early is The Scotch Malt Whisky Societies’ latest offering from their December Outturn. It is 6: “The Big Swirl”.

The Big Swirl is a Blended Malt dram with 1,895 bottles being released – but remember – SMWS bottlings don’t hang around for long and this one has already been popular at members meetings where they got an early chance to make a purchase!

The SMWS (@SMWSUK) has very kindly sent me a sample to try – thanks SMWS!

So, what did I think?

Tasting Notes – SMWS 6: “The Big Swirl” (50.0%)

A Blended Malt Dram, 10 years old.

This latest experimental expression draws from a combination of whiskies matured full term in 1st. fill Spanish oak sherry casks, as well as those matured in bourbon wood before over two years of marrying in 1st. fill American oak sherry casks.

First released: 11th. December 2019.
1,895 bottles.
(160 BOTTLES IN STOCK AT PRESENT!)

Nose: Ooh! Plump, fruity Xmas cake packed with sherry soaked sultanas and plums. Top it off with vanilla fudge chocolate and you’ve got a nose to die for!

Palate: Oily mouthfeel exploding into a fruit frenzy – Xmas cake, sherry, chocolate and creamy strawberries.

Finish: Spicy finish, but it’s festive fun all the way with fruit, buttery chocolate and a little herbal pepper.

Overall: I didn’t add water – I was enjoying it too much and never got round to it!

This is a classic whisky for Christmas – sherry and rich Xmas cake with a warming spice that makes for a cracking, comforting dram.
Buy SMWS 6: “The Big Swirl”
£47.00 to Members

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.

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