FRIDAYONLINEMIDDAYAEDT 15NOVEMBER
Cask
Cask
YOUR SOCIETY
Cask No. 3.353 (Premium Bottling) Please accept our apologies... 46
Cask No.
Cask No.
Cask No. 144.4
Cask No. RR29
Cask No. A8.1 “Just what the doctor ordered” 51
WIN one of three SMWS Advent Calendars! 24 Gift Membership + bottle of the moment 26
Bonus 3-dram pack when you purchase 3x or more bottles! 27
WIN a bottle of our Premium Malt of the Month!
BUNDLE OFFERS
Cask No 53.431
stuff that dreams are made of”
No 53.432 Take a step back in time
Cask No RR12
puddings follow breakfast Cask No RR85
Jazz
No RR55
and fig crumble
Cask No 140.14
rodeo dram Cask No 143.2
dram from daydreaming Cask No 149.4
tasty morsel
CELEBRATION A TIME OF
It’s that time of year. It’s the festive season fast upon us. It’s time to open something special at the Christmas table and give something special to those around you.
BY MATT BAILEY
By the time you’re reading this, I will be approximately one month in my new locale. One month in Edinburgh, and hopefully settled in with my feet under the desk of my new role. Many of you saw the press release, but for those who didn’t, I’ve been appointed as Managing Director for SMWS Europe. This is a huge opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, but while I’ll be looking after Europe for this challenge, I’ll be keeping Australia branch in my purview, so you won’t be rid of me just yet.
This whisky journey is truly such a ride. All the amazing members, guests, venues, bartenders, and stories that you gain from such a rich experience are worth every second. I’m hoping that with me taking on this new challenge, I can continue to elevate the offering to Australian members of the club, keep encouraging others to join, and keep sharing the magic that is single-cask, cask-strength, single-malt whiskies with so many around me.
"THIS WHISKY JOURNEY IS TRULY SUCH A RIDE. ALL THE AMAZING MEMBERS, GUESTS, VENUES, BARTENDERS, AND STORIES THAT YOU GAIN FROM SUCH A RICH EXPERIENCE ARE WORTH EVERY SECOND."
With this change, also come other changes within our wider team. First up, congratulations to Adam Ioannidis who’s been promoted to Marketing Manager, and a hearty welcome to Lachlan Watt, who, after serving up SMWS by the dram at Whisky & Alement as Bar Manager for the last eight years, has made the leap over to the SMWS team as our new Advocacy Manager. Suzy, Donelle, Andrew & I are all over the moon to have both these appointments locked and loaded at the tail of 2024 as we plan ahead for a big 2025.
Speaking of big, look at what you’re reading! November Outturn is our double issue. Our bumper edition of Outturn has twice as many casks on offer than usual. It’s your chance to get ahead of
the Xmas shopping rush, score some bundles, some new casks, maybe even a cheeky Vaults Collection for that relative you’ve been meaning to spoil (or hey, just yourself) and open up something special this year. It’s been a weird year in some ways: uncertainty, interest rates, etc have all just caused a bit of madness. But if at the end of it all, we can sit back and say “we’ve made it” with a delicious bottle of single-cask SMWS whisky, then all is right for a moment.
Carve up the ham, fire up the BBQ, and pop open a Society pour this festive season for our bumper Outturn.
Cheers.
Matt Bailey ~ Managing Director, SMWS Europe & Australia
SWEET, THICK, SUMMER NOSTALGIA
MERRY CHRISTMAS
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. 115.33 $180 REDUCED FROM $220
Limit of one bottle per member
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead
AGE 9 years
DATE DISTILLED 16 October 2014
OUTTURN 270 bottles
ABV 60.9%
AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles
TASTING NOTES
Black treacle, mulling spices, roasted chestnuts and a strong cup of java with a liberal shot of dark coffee and rum liqueur made us all feel warm and fuzzy. On the palate, fancy orange-flavoured brandy liqueur and dark chocolate truffles joined a traditional chewy Highland toffee bar, named after the iconic wee laddie who first sat on his bucket more than 80 years ago in a newspaper and is now part of Scottish heritage. Water added bread and butter pudding, warm croissants, gingerbread and sun-dried tomatoes. To taste, we dined on bramble pie with cardamom custard and fresh lemon zest in the finish. Following six years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.
FROM THE TEAM
Is anyone a fan of Terry’s orange chocolate? It’s not for everyone, but boy does it hit right after a long day — that’s kind of what November’s Malt of the Month is like. Rich, treacly orange slices and creamy dark chocolate in liquid form make this a delightful evening sipper from a distillery that still employs worm tub condensers. We know how much our members love a Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits bottling, and we’re real excited to be able to offer up this 9-year-old (six years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, three years in a 1st fill ex-Spanish Oak Oloroso Hogshead) for Malt of the Month in November — our BIGGEST month! Malt of the month is generally something we have a good allocation of stock of and something we can offer up at an attractive price to our members. If you like your thick and stick sherried drams, this is the one for you!
THIS TOASTY BOTTLE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
PREMIUMBOTTLING
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill toasted hogshead
AGE 27 years
DATE DISTILLED 24 November 1994
OUTTURN 234 bottles
ABV 55.7%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
TASTING NOTES
Little did we know what a treat we were in for as initial aromas suggested tropical fruits, glace cherries and Hungarian dessert wine before coconut husk and pencil shavings joined sugar-coated almonds. The palate was delightfully concentrated and bold, as honeycomb and caramel wafers mixed with orange peel, chocolate truffles and warm apple strudel served with rum and raisin ice cream. The smallest dash of water released a heavenly blend of orchard blossom, banana and caramel while marzipan morphed into intense juicy fruit. The palate was now majestic, a unique amalgamation of custard powder on baked apples and clotted cream with maraschino cherries and old calvados.
FROM THE TEAM
Some of those members who have been with us for a few years now will know that come November, we don’t just offer up a tasty Malt of the Month, but a Premium Malt of the Month, too! The last two years have seen 20-yearolds from Distillery 4, this year we’re taking it up a notch with Cask 35.331 Life-changing magnificence. Aussies love Distillery 35 and we see a good number of them come through in different flavour profiles and cask types. This is a 27-year-old single-cask Scotch whisky matured entirely in a 1st fill toasted hogshead; this cask actually shares some similar tasting notes with the 115, but with some more tropical fruit and floral notes added into the mix (and a dialled down thick, syrupiness). This cask is still rich and bursting with flavour after spending 27 years in such an active cask — remember, the SMWS whisky team don’t bottle whisky when it’s reached a certain age, they bottle it when it’s ready, and only the flavour will dictate when that is, the SMWS’ expert tasting panel decided this was ready at 27 years of age, and now we get to offer it to our fantastic Australia members for just $599.
PREMIUM MALTOFTHE MONTH
MAKE YOUR MEMBERSHIP YOUR OWN THIS NOVEMBER
BUNDLE #2
Membership + 3x bottle bundle for $599
149.7 A coal scuttle of jam and treacle RR55 Rhubarb and fig crumble
46.135 A magical forest walk
Start your Society journey with a bang and discover three unique flavours from our extensive range of cask-strength delights. Save $59!
BUNDLE #1
Membership + Bottle + 2x SMWS whisky glasses for $249
59.86 The beneficence of bees
We’re offering a special Bottle of the Moment membership for November which includes our 2024 Gathering Bottle (Cask 59.86 The beneficence of bees) and two Society-branded tasting glasses; share the flavour this festive season! Save $125!
BUNDLE #3
Membership + Vaults Collection Bottle for $995
12.64 Oh-so-orange
For those wanting something a bit more special and rare, we’re offering a 31-year-old single-cask, cask-strength bottling valued at $1,195 with your membership. Save $335!
MEET YOUR NEW AMBASSADOR
No doubt over the last month or so you might’ve heard the news (such as in this issue’s introduction) that our local team has shifted; one of those shifts includes a brand new Brand Advocacy Manager — Lachlan Watt.
BY ADAM IOANNIDIS & LACHLAN WATT
"IN 2023, I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN AWARDED BAR MANAGER OF THE YEAR AT THE WORLD WHISKY AWARDS IN LONDON, AND WHILE I WAS IN LONDON, I HOSTED A TASTING ON AUSTRALIAN WHISKY AT THE SMWS BAR ON GREVILLE ST."
Many will already know Lachlan from his time at Whisky & Alement and his general presence in the Australian whisky, spirits, and bar scene. I was able to have a little sit down with Lachie after his appointment to discuss his new chapter and get to know our newest BA a bit better — plus, discover two new cocktail recipes from the man himself!
Eight years at the most prestigious whisky bar in Australia — what made you want to start a new chapter?
Well, the last eight years have been incredible, I feel I have learnt so much, achieved a lot, and worked alongside some of the best in the business. I really cannot stress how wonderful it truly has been, an absolute privilege. But all good things come to an end, and I was looking for a new challenge. And serendipitously, one presented itself. I have worked alongside the SMWS in Australia for almost eleven years, and I am looking forward to working with the Society directly going forward, and continuing to serve the members of the society, just not from behind the bar.
Can you give us a quick snapshot of what your career has looked like until this point?
Well, my bar career started in a hotel bar, which I only worked in for around six months, before moving to work at The Kilburn, a whisky bar in Hawthorn run by the venerable Joey Tai, where I was taught nowhere near everything she knows.
This is where I first encountered The Scotch Malt Whisky Society as they were a Partner Bar at the time. I remember my first time meeting Matt Bailey, when he was running an event at the Kilburn, while setting up we were both getting incredibly excited about our love of Ardbeg.
After two years of working at the Kilburn, I thought it was also time for my next challenge, I started looking for a job lightly until I ended up at Whisky and Alement in 2016. I became the Assistant Bar Manager in 2017, took over managing our cocktail list, and worked more closely with the SMWS. In 2019, I was promoted to Bar Manager, and have remained there since. Training our team, writing our menus and curating our whisky list have been my focus and a great joy. In 2023, I was very lucky to have been awarded Bar Manager of the year at the World Whisky Awards in London, and while I was in London, I hosted a tasting on Australian Whisky at the SMWS Bar on Greville St... Which rolled on to this year, where I was named Bar Manager of the Year at the Australian Bar Awards.
Even before his new role Lachie was serving up Society spirit behind the bar
A man of your acclaim and skill can essentially have almost any Brand Ambassador role — why choose The Scotch Malt Whisky Society? What has drawn you to the brand? Well, having worked alongside the SMWS for almost my entire hospitality career and I've always had a love for the company. The community it has built...resonates with the way I approach the community and whisky more broadly. Whisky brings people together, all around the world, you can go to a whisky bar in any city in most countries and have a common interest with someone. The Society applies that to how they approach the product and their membership. I want to continue growing that, and help take it further.
"HAVING WORKED ALONGSIDE THE SMWS FOR ALMOST MY ENTIRE HOSPITALITY CAREER I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR THE COMPANY. THE COMMUNITY IT HAS BUILT...RESONATES WITH THE WAY I APPROACH THE COMMUNITY AND WHISKY MORE BROADLY."
What are you most excited for in your new role?
I am excited to work closely with the members and help create the experiences they want, from the Partner Bars, to events and media. We are going to have some fun!
What is your favourite flavour profile?
OOFT! I don't know if I can answer that. I have a few I guess, Spicy & Dry, Oily & Coastal, Lightly Peated, Old & Dignified... It is really tough.
What is your favourite ever Society cask?
I think having a favourite is never possible, I have memorable casks. 119.14, 35.165, 132.5, A5.1, 27.112, 73.83, 143.2...I really could go on.
What are your top 3 albums?
You guys are making this difficult now. I love music, I was raised in hospitality and music. And anyone who knows me well, knows what I like to listen to changes like the weather in Melbourne. But I'll try, in no particular order: "Led Zeppelin III" Led Zeppelin, "Paranoid" Black Sabbath, "Head Hunters" Herbie Hancock.
What are your top 3 movies?
Oh you bastard, well..."Shaun of the Dead", "Pan's Labyrinth", "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" and yes I know that is five movies.
Dream dramming partner?
I'd have to say Jimmy Page or Keith Moon...I'm just throwing answers out now. You've made this hard.
What are two summer serves you think our members would enjoy using some November Outturn casks? One tall and one short. Well, these are the two casks I decided to go with! 71.92 and 93.200. Based on flavour, what I would do for summer for the 71.92 is a nutty highball; 30ml of whisky, 10ml sake, 10ml cape Byron Distillery Mac liqueur, add to a tall glass, add ice to the brim, stir to integrate all of the components and then top with Strangelove pear soda, stir once more to bring together and then garnish with lemon zest or pear slices.
For the 93.200, I would go a bit heavier. 30ml of whisky, 5ml Cynar, 20ml Belsazar rosè vermouth, 10ml of fresh orange juice, 2 pinches of raw sugar, a pinch of salt, shake on a lot of ice and strain through a mesh strainer and serve in a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
A MAGICAL FOREST WALK
YOUNG & SPRITELY
CASK No. 46.135
$159
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 10 years
DATE DISTILLED 19 April 2012
OUTTURN 231 bottles
ABV 60.0%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
The nose is a walk through a magical forest – starting with pine trees, herbs and flowers and ending up with candied citrus, dried mango and coconut. The palate could be licking an envelope after tasting lemon marmalade, but the finish swells into a hefty spice kick of cayenne pepper, coriander seeds and Liquorice Allsorts. The reduced nose develops a bit like before – mint, wintergreen, menthol and toasted pine nuts, but now also finds vanilla ice-cream and charred oak. The palate manages to balance the sweetness of lime fruit pastilles, birch syrup and toffee bonbons with the heat of aniseed and ginger.
FRUIT SALAD FACEPLANTING
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
CASK No. 39.256 $179
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 10 years
DATE DISTILLED 5 December 2011
OUTTURN 207 bottles
ABV 61.3%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
A rather dusty nose greeted the panel, lots of dry oatmeal, cereals and toasted breads. This quickly started to incorporate things like apple peelings, gorse flower, hand lotion and sandalwood as well. Aromatic and elegant we agreed. With water we got vase water, lemon sorbet, verbena, white mushroom and cigarette papers. The neat palate opened with a big hit of marzipan, honey and limoncello. Some sweet floral tones and also things like liquorice, fennel and pineapple. Reduction brought yet more sweetness, but also milk stout, iced biscuits, juicy fruit chewing gum and soda bread.
BRIGHT AND DAZZLING
YOUNG & SPRITELY
CASK No. 112.110
$199
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 8 years
DATE DISTILLED 19 July 2013
OUTTURN 230 bottles
ABV 60.6%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
Fresh wood aromas (new wooden boxes and pencil shavings) gave way to a grassy apple orchard. In turn, sweetcorn, vanilla, mango and orange fruit pastilles and toasted coconut. To taste it was well balanced, bourbon-like and gently spicy, with corn on the cob, a hint of Cajun spice and candied lime peel. Adding water made us feel nostalgic and comforted. A deep crusted apple pie with thick, thick bourbon vanilla custard which gave way to fresh and clean aromas of muddled mint leaves. Who could resist taking a sip? Still bourbon-like, but with cinder toffee and then a clean menthol refreshing mid-length finish.
A MAVERICK MARTINI ON MARTINIQUE
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
CASK No. 19.57 $249
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 18 years
DATE DISTILLED 17 February 2003
OUTTURN 191 bottles
ABV 58.7%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
Fruits galore! Strawberry and raspberry, banana cream cupcakes, peach Napoleon with maple whipped cream and cherries dipped in melted white chocolate. On the palate a cream tea with a tasty tropical infusion, comprising pineapple and lychee tea, scones, clotted cream and jam, just maybe, possibly with a sneaky glass of Cognac by the side. After a tiny drop of water, we discovered French Caribbean banana flambé with plenty of rum and lime juice served with salted caramel bourbon ice cream accompanied by a Maverick Martini using passion fruit, vanilla and Champagne – truly a seductive drink.
ONE WALE OF A DRAM!
DELIGHTFULLY BONKERS
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
CASK No. 128.20 $199
REGION Wales
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 8 years
DATE DISTILLED 27 September 2013
OUTTURN 204 bottles
ABV 59.9%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
TASTING NOTES
This distillery has a unique still that accentuates fruity characters, and holy-moly, the fruit here is frightening. The insanely tropical nose explodes with kiwis, melons, passion fruit mousse, peach melba and totally tropical fizzy pop. A lilting reprise for the palate – melon, passion fruit, mango and lemon meringue pie, but now with bass notes added. Water agitates the nose into more complex rhythms and counterpoints – vanilla pod, tea tree oil, wheat beer, cask char, tobacco and eucalyptus – it ripens and falls from the heavenly bough. On the palate now – a banana bonanza, charred pineapple, apricot, prunes, rum baba and rosewater – delightfully bonkers.
FROM THE TEAM
The Welsh powerhouse returns to Aussie Outturns with Cask 128.20 Delightfully bonkers! Distillery 128 has amassed quite the cult following in recent years with its incredibly rich and syrupy flavours (thanks in part to their Faraday still system), and this 8-year-old continues delivering what members have come to expect. Sweet, Fruity & Mellow is positively right with bursting flavours of tropical fizz, passionfruit syrup, and citrussy desserts. Bottled at cask strength and entirely from a single cask — don’t miss the latest 128 this month.
PEACHY ASSAM LATTE
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
CASK No. 134.12 $299
REGION Goa, India
CASK TYPE Refill Bourbon barrel
AGE 5 years
DATE DISTILLED 30 November 2016
OUTTURN 201 bottles
ABV 59.2%
AUS ALLOCATION 18 bottles
The first impression was a sweetness coming from a coconut panna cotta with pineapple salsa, which was then followed by Turkish delight and Calvados-glazed apples. A lovely texture neat, now the apples were baked with pecan and maple syrup before a fruity, peppery zing surprised us in the finish. Water added on the nose a red onion, carrot and hazelnut tatin as well as brownies filled with sweet red-wine raisins and toasted walnuts. To taste, cherries soaked in rum as well as chaispiced banana bread and spiced cinnamon buttered popcorn followed by a peachy Assam latte, using rich coconut cream and vanilla-infused sugar.
TRULY AN OUTLANDER
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 36.204 $219
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill French oak Jamaican rum barrique
AGE 13 years
DATE DISTILLED 8 June 2009
OUTTURN 272 bottles
ABV 57.5%
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles
On the neat nose we could have been forgiven for thinking it was a rum. The scent of green herbs, fruits soaked in spiced rum, and rum and raisin chocolate were only offset by Atholl brose, that Scottish drink mixing oatmeal brose, honey and whisky. The wealth of fresh mint on the palate was soon overwhelmed by a Jamaican jerk seasoning. To taste, we found spiced rum coffee with butterscotch whipped cream. Following 10 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill French oak barrique that had previously matured Jamaican rum.
DANGEROUSLY GORGEOUS
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 63.105 $299
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 20 years
DATE DISTILLED 9 May 2002
OUTTURN 180 bottles
ABV 53.8%
AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles
The neat nose suggested to us honey on sandalwood, wintergreen, dusty flower pollens, fir wood sap and flowers in vase water. Holding everything together in the background: a lovely brittle waxiness. A distinctly old school profile we agreed. With water we noted mentholated tobaccos, dried mango, heather honey and hints of traditional IPA hops and limoncello. The mouth opened with a superbly vivid waxy texture and flavour. Some wonderfully honeyed qualities, herbal mouthwash, mothballs, citrus curds and exotic fruit teas. Gorgeous stuff! With reduction we found it became more medicinal and showcased a more balanced sweetness with herbal extracts, olive oil, resinous wood oils and lime cough drops.
NO MORE COUNTING SHEEP
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 35.329 $159
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 9 years
DATE DISTILLED 28 June 2012
OUTTURN 201 bottles
ABV 60.2%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
The nose started out with apple and lime freshness, veered to hibiscus tea, sea buckthorn and physalis and ended up with honey on buttered toast accompanied by an oat-based bedtime drink. The palate had velvety and fruity sweetness –Victoria sponge and jammy porridge, juicy mango and stewed plums in custard; then we found some spice heat on the finish (ginger, cinnamon, coriander seed). The reduced nose gave us memories of making jam, after dinner chocolate mints, toasted almonds and toffee cheesecake. The palate now combined fruit pastilles, marzipan and peach, with desiccated coconut and candied hazelnuts – finishing with chilli plum sauce.
BIG, BOLD & TUBBY
TUBBY CUSTARD
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 24.174
$345
Limit of one bottle per member until 30/11
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 15 years
DATE DISTILLED 13 October 2008
OUTTURN 251 bottles
ABV 60.1%
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles
TASTING NOTES
The Panel felt this one was ... well, lardy! Its big, fatty, gooey and thick profile suggested loads of vanilla cream and custard, freshly churned butter, toffee, malty brown ales, waxes, biscuits and shoe leather. Water brought a more playful side with notes of citrus sherbets, flower pollens, toasted sunflower seeds and olive oil. The neat palate was strong and spicy at first, with lots of pumpernickel bread, rum ‘n’ raisin ice cream, clove oil, wintergreen and coldbrew coffee. Some reduction revealed notes of curd leaf, lime, malted milk biscuit, gingerbread and boiled lemon sweets. A big, hearty and syrupy dram, full of character. At 10 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.
FROM THE TEAM
Spicy & Sweet Distillery 24 — ex-bourbon(!) Distillery 24??? That’s right it’s been a while since we’ve seen a small-batch single malt release from Distillery 24, and now we’re offering up a 15-year-old further matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel. 10 years of maturation in Oloroso sherry butts and an extra five years of ex-bourbon barrel maturation give us Tubby custard. It’s thick and gooey and creamy and full of vanilla, custard, toffee, and churned butter. A thick 15-year-old malt for those who enjoy their big and bold flavours. Grab yours on Outturn day, limit of 1x bottle per member.
WIN 1 OF 3 SMWS ADVENT CALENDARS
Join the world’s leading whisky club today and be in the draw to receive one of three SMWS Advent Calendars!
These luxurious box sets contain 12x 50ml bottles of different Society bottlings (one of which is a Premiumlivery bottling) celebrating the 12 days of Christmas; the box itself is made from sturdy, thick cardboard and is beautifully presented making it a treat to open and enjoy. Plus, each dram has a tasting video presented by our UK team, which you can watch by scanning the included QR code.
All you have to do to win one of these boxes is join The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in November or December with any one of our membership types, and we’ll pick three lucky winners in January! Start your journey in flavour with some serious variety and discover the joys of full-flavoured, single-cask whisky with the SMWS!
New members must have joined between the 1st of November and 31st of December (11:59pm AEDT). Offer is limited to new members, not renewals. Offer is not available to those who’ve previously been a member in the last 3 months of the SMWS, regardless of branch. Offer not transferrable, or redeemable for any other offer.
$249 GIFT MEMBERSHIP + BOTTLE OF THE MOMENT + THREE-DRAM MYSTERY PACK
The best gifts are those with thought behind them, and there are few times in life when whisky does not constitute a good gift. That’s why we’re offering a Gift Membership + Bottle of the Moment + a three-dram mystery pack for just $249 until the 24th of December. Gift a friend or loved one a membership to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society + a full bottle of one of our full-flavoured malts selected by our team and three extra 30ml samples. Share the love this festive season.
BONUS 3-DRAM PACK
Purchase 3x or more bottles and receive a BONUS 3-dram pack.
Upgrade your summer dramming with a threedram tasting pack of full-flavoured malts!
Simply purchase any three bottles (or more) during November in a single transaction, and we’ll throw in a bonus three-dram pack (3 x 30mls) of specially selected Society malts. That’s it! They can be any three bottles from any range, as long as they’re purchased in a single transaction.
Discover some new flavours to see the year out!
Offer is automatically applied. Only applies for three (3) bottles or more purchased in the same transaction. Offer runs between November 15 and November 30, 11:59pm AEDT. Limit of one (1) pack per member.
WIN A BOTTLE OF CASK 35.331
LIFE-CHANGING MAGNIFICENCE
Show us your whisky flight and win a bottle of our Premium Malt of the Month!
What’s better than enjoying a nice Society dram? Enjoying three, of course! (Please drink responsibly.) We’re offering up 3x bottles of our November Premium Malt of the Month, Cask 35.331 Life-changing magnificence, to three lucky winners who can put together some impressive three-dram whisky flights!
What’s the catch? You have to use our three-dram tasting mat that we’re including with every bottle purchase between the 15th of November and 24th of December. It could be a differing flavour journey, distillery vertical (who’s up for a three-dram line-up of Distillery
10s?), complementary flavours, different cask finishes, and so on.
Craft your own whisky flight, post it on our Instagram or Facebook group, and we’ll announce the winners in January — this is a double November and December member competition!
Competition runs between the 15th of November and the 31st of December inclusive, and is only open to members of SMWS Australia, and those who have purchased a bottling between the 15th of November (entrants must use the provided tasting mat) and 24th of December, 11:59pm AEDT. Winners will be announced in early January.
WHISKY FOR A YEAR! UPGRADE YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH
Whisky for a year! An entire year! If you didn’t know, we introduced a new membership type earlier this year which mitigates the stress of picking which bottlings to grab for yourself — Whisky for a Year! It’s like a standard membership, except we’ll pick a bottle to send to you every month (including a Premium malt valued at over $399); we’ll endeavour to select a bottling from every flavour profile, or you’re welcome to let us know what sort of flavours you prefer and our expert Dram-cierge team will take it from there.
Our Whisky for a Year membership option is available for new and existing members starting at $229 a month (minimum of 12-month commitment), or an annual
payment of $2,599 for a full year (saving $149). If you are interested in upgrading your existing membership, please get in contact with our Dram-cierge team at info@smws.com.au, or by calling 02 9974 3046.
Enjoy a bottle sent to you every month, hand-selected by our team, in addition to any other bottles you feel like purchasing throughout the year. Plus, you’ll automatically qualify for your $120 membership rebate voucher, saving you an additional $120 per year!
Upgrade your membership for 2025 and welcome in a whole new form of flavour discovery with the world’s leading whisky club, the SMWS!
This membership option includes full membership + 1x bottle sent out to you throughout the year monthly. Minimum commitment to this membership option is 12 months. The whisky selected each month will endeavour to cover all 12 flavour profiles, but where this isn’t possible, we’ll ensure a suitable replacement. The whiskies/spirits selected will always be from the SMWS cellar, and will always be on or above the value of your membership. Bottles selected each month may often be never offered up formally in Outturn. No selection of the 12x bottles will be permitted, but of course additional bottles will be always available under your membership. Should you wish to transfer to standard membership after 12 months, this will be possible by speaking to our membership services team.
SOCIETY EXPERIENCES
MELBOURNE
ADDICTED TO AUDIO X SMWS: SIDE B
A return to the world of high-end audio and whisky for another magnificent pairing of drams and music — three rooms, three different audio setups, 6x drams, charcuterie — gear up for Side B of our music and malts pairing tasting. On sale now!
Thursday 21st November, 6:30pm Addicted to Audio, Melbourne, VIC.
SYDNEY
END OF YEAR SYDNEY BASH AND TRIVIA NIGHT
Our NSW Ambassador Andrew Derbidge has prepared quite the end-of-year event for our NSW members with 6x drams, 6x rounds of trivia (with plenty of categories to choose from) and supper, tickets are on sale now!
Friday 29th November, 6:30pm Royal Automobile Club of Australia, Sydney NSW.
HOBART
BOWLS, BEERS & DRAMS
Enjoy an evening of Society drams at the North Hobart Bowls Club followed by a brewery crawl with fellow Society members at Tassie Ambassador Tom Rofe for lunch and refreshing ales — tickets are on sale now!
Saturday 14th December, 5:30pm North Hobart Bowls Club, TAS.
MELBOURNE
MELBOURNE CHRISTMAS CRUISE
Dust off the captain’s cap because Melbourne members will be enjoying a joyous boat cruise on a sunny afternoon with plenty of Society drams and snacks to keep you going all afternoon. We’ve had plenty of members asking when our next boat event will be — well here it is! Tickets are on sale now!
Saturday 7th December, 12:00pm Docklands, Melbourne, VIC.
PERTH
PERTH CHRISTMAS EVE SUNDOWNER BBQ!
Join State Ambassador David Stucken on the Terrarium rooftop for a festive BBQ and some tasty SMWS drams as you welcome in the Christmas spirit with good company and stellar weather. Tickets are on sale now!
Monday 23rd December, 3:00pm Terrarium Bar, Perth, WA.
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 77.73
$225
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 2nd fill Oloroso hogshead
AGE 13 years
DATE DISTILLED 7 April 2009
OUTTURN 164 bottles
ABV 57.4%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
First nosing suggested to us waxed jackets, pine needles and spice, plus raisins, mint julep, malted milk biscuits and old-school dunnage warehouses. Some water added many notes of walnuts, tobacco pouches, dried tarragon, mushroom powder and cookie dough. The palate was initially full of mineral oils, waxes, putty, chai tea, spiced winter ales and smooth notes of old calvados and sultanas. Water brought milk chocolate sweetness, fruit loaf, yellow plums, olive oil cake, pistachios and caramel sauce. This matured for 10 years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a second fill oloroso hogshead.
PETALS IN AN ORANGE BITTERS COCKTAIL
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. 55.76
$239
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead
AGE 15 years
DATE DISTILLED 21 September 2007
OUTTURN 290 bottles
ABV 56.3%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
Burnt orange and mulled wine spices complemented hazelnut praline, roasted chestnuts and cognac before apple crumble was served with custard and coconut. A burst of fresh ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon on the palate paved the way for a wave of sweetness delivering butterscotch, marmalade and fruit and nut milk chocolate. We munched toasted hot cross buns spread with ginger marmalade, before a slice of vanilla sponge cake served with orange peel and dark chocolate icing. After spending 12 years in a bourbon hogshead, this was transferred to a Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.
SUPPER SIPPER
SPICY & DRY
CASK No. 26.208
$199
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 9 years
DATE DISTILLED 23 October 2012
OUTTURN 237 bottles
ABV 61.5%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
The panel got the initial impression of sugar in a coal scuttle from this neat nose. We also noted heather sprigs, myrtle, dried white flowers and vase water, plus lots of earth, mulch and fresh air. We also noted some cluttered beach pebbles, canvas and freshly muddled green herbs. Reduction brought notes of peanut brittle, lemon thyme, white stone fruits and crushed grass. In the mouth initially we got drying chalky vibes, then plum eau de vie, light aniseed notes, eucalyptus oils and some fruitier touches of lychee, quince and kumquat. With water it became gentler and more floral – some light green tea with lemon slices, citronella wax, barley water, oatcakes and yellow plums.
COWPUNCHER RODEO DRAM
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. 140.14 $249
REGION Texas
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 4 years
DATE DISTILLED 15 Feb 2017
OUTTURN 122 bottles
ABV 61.8%
AUS ALLOCATION 70 bottles
The nose delivered treacle, sherry and Big Red gum, red fruits and berries trampled by new cowboy boots and the after-sniff of Indonesian clove cigarettes. On the palate, the still-booted cowboy was smoking a cigar and tasting dried figs, port-soaked raisins and apples baked in brandy. The reduced nose deepened our fascination with custard tarts, prunes, cinnamon rolls and toasted almonds. The palate now reminded us of Camp chicory and coffee essence, baked bananas, candied orange dipped in chocolate, Beech-nut chewing gum and oak. After one year in an ex-Texas Rumble barrel this was transferred into a first-fill bourbon barrel.
LET’S BEGIN WITH A DRAM…
AND TO BEGIN ...
SPICY & DRY
CASK No. 71.92 $185
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 13 years
DATE DISTILLED 30 September 2008
OUTTURN 194 bottles
ABV 59.5%
AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles
TASTING NOTES
The Panel noted shoe leather, wood polish, varnished pine furniture and sandalwood at first nosing, plus lanolin, citrus piths, molten butter and a touch of cask char. With water we found it became more complex, with subtle impressions of heather flowers, toasted soda bread, aged dry riesling and toasted acorns. The palate was akin to juicy custard made with dessert wines, rapeseed oils, mustard powder warmth and wee notes of clove and coconut. Reduction brought firmer tones of corn starch and fresh linens, alongside oatcakes with salty butter, jasmine tea and pumpkinseed oil. A few green orchard fruits came through in the aftertaste.
FROM THE TEAM
Distillery 71 is another one of those “un-sexy” distillery codes — meaning it hasn’t received any internet hype from the blogs or the influencers, and its OB range is…well, there is no OB range. Most of what this Speyside distillery produces goes into blends (predominantly Ballantines), so for it to appear in a panel-approved SMWS bottle is so exciting, especially in one of our favourite Flavour Profiles — Spicy & Dry! True to its flavour profile, the nose carries some savoury dryness to it whilst the palate will reveal a juicy sweetness and warmth that makes the flavours of this 13-year-old Speysider quite unique and one to keep an eye on this November…
BANANA ICE CREAM SMOOTHIE
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CASK No. 63.104
$279
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 20 years
DATE DISTILLED 9 May 2002
OUTTURN 145 bottles
ABV 59.6%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
Fragrant aromas of apple blossom, banana and heather honey combined with ripe pineapple, nougat and sweet bourbon whiskey. On the palate an explosion of fruit and honey collided peaches, pears and plums into apricots, nectarines and bananas against a backdrop of nougat and oily marzipan. With water came delicious pink wafers in vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate and blackcurrant syrup, before lime marmalade-coated star anise and chopped cherries. The banana theme continued alongside thick cream, fudge and orange shortbread before apples, lilies and white tea came together on a stunningly beautiful finish.
THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE KITCHEN SINK
CASK No. 93.200
REGION Campbeltown
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 9 years
DATE DISTILLED 1 October 2013
OUTTURN 207 bottles
ABV 61.1%
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles
A familiar impression of swimming pools, distant shorelines, plasters and washed linens drying by the sea; classic and typical of this lovely make. We also noted pink sea salt and a tang of citrus marmalades. Reduction brought a richer and more savoury profile that included miso butter, anchovy paste, sandalwood and dried seaweed crackers, with a little heat of mustard powder in the background. We also noted fruity shisha smoke, fir wood resins, dried tarragon and salty Dutch liquorice. With water came fermented pineapple, preserved lemons, wine gums, more plasters, chalk and mineral oils. A general impression of delicious seashore dross!
CHILL-TIME
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CASK No. 9.227 $179
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 14 years
DATE DISTILLED 28 February 2007
OUTTURN 169 bottles
ABV 59.9%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
We started with a little ray of sunshine; a tropical smoothie packed with mango, pineapple, passion fruit and creamy coconut yoghurt, we might even have added a little ginger and turmeric. Smooth, thick and rich on the palate neat like an Italian custard dessert called Zabaglione made with egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon, grated lemon peel and Marsala wine, served with whipped cream and a biscotti. Water added a walnut whip, black currant coulis, caramel popcorn and clotted cream fudge on the nose. The taste was a sip of banana daquiri: light rum, lime juice, banana liqueur and sugar syrup all in a chilled cocktail glass.
HEATHER, HONEYCOMB AND HUMIDORS
OILY & COASTAL
CASK No. 4.354 $220
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 13 years
DATE DISTILLED 29 October 2009
OUTTURN 241 bottles
ABV 62.7%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
At eight years of age, we combined selected casks from this distillery and then transferred the single malt into a variety of casks; this is one. The complex nose had perfume, petrichor and apricot jam; maritime notes, leather and smoke (riding horses along the shore, burning heather on a distant hill). The neat palate was feisty and “delightfully grubby” – freshly laid tar, sea shells, dandelion and burdock, heather honey and chewing a tobacco pipe. The reduced nose had potting sheds, seafood smokers, honeycomb and humidors. The palate delivered dark sweetness – honey and lemon lozenges, black bun, figs in brandy and muscovado with vanilla essence.
TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME
OLD & DIGNIFIED
CASK NO. 53.432
$1,399
REGION
AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles
EXTRA MATURED VAULTS COLLECTION
We imagined spring cleaning a manor house the oldfashioned 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. The taste was an absolute delight – elegant yet bold. 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 exbourbon barrel to create an intriguing duo of releases.
TROPICAL ISLAND BREAKFAST
DELICATE, DELIGHTFUL AND DAINTY
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CASK No. 72.112 $159
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE Refill Panamanian rum barrel
AGE 8 years
DATE DISTILLED 17 September 2013
OUTTURN 219 bottles
ABV 61.7%
AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles
TASTING NOTES
An intensely sweet, floral aroma greeted the Panel like a fragrant stroll through a sun-drenched orange grove with a white rum and elderflower cocktail in your hand. Plenty of freshly cut sugar cane on the palate with cinnamon dusted green apples and baked peaches with vanilla, nutmeg and cloves. After reduction we imagined walking through a luscious rainforest, exotic flowers such as orchids and bird of paradise next to tropical foliage plants with large leaves. Now we enjoyed strawberry tarts, pineapple upside cake and a mojito. Following four years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a re-fill barrel previously maturing rum from Panama.
FROM THE TEAM
Imagine you’re marooned on an island — no, don’t worry, there’s a bar on the island, a tiki bar in fact, and they’re serving you a tropical acai bowl with coconut shavings, apple and pear slices, vanilla yoghurt, and cinnamon dusting as you look over to the rainforest beside you, close your eyes, and take in the aromas ofthe various plants and trees This dram is a bit like that. It’s great for those end-of-spring days when the weather becomes warmer and you can sit outside and enjoy a sizeable pour of Cask 72.112. This cask saw a 50/50 split of ex-bourbon hogshead maturation and exPanamanian rum barrel maturation.
MIGHTY OAKEN CASK
#6: SEASONING AND TREATING CASKS
BY CHRIS MIDDLETON
Casks have legal lives and working lives. The minimum legal life for whisky incask in Scotland, Ireland and Canada is three years. Straight American and Australian whisky is two years. Casks have much longer working lives and can be productive for over a hundred years.
In the United States, straight bourbon and rye whisky are legally required to be stored in ‘charred new oak containers’ to better harmonise with the assertive sweet and spicy flavour compounds and congeners distilled from their corn and rye mash bills. However, with lighter malt and grain distillates, new oak flavour astringency tends to quickly overpower the whisky’s character. Every cask and class of whisky behaves a little differently — variances in distillates, entry proofs, capacities, maturation environments, and differences in the oak staves. Every cask has its own life and discreet flavour signature.
The life of the cask involves two processes: seasoning and treatment. Seasoning prepares the wood staves before filling the cask with spirit, while treatment prolongs the productive use of the container after emptying the whisky cask.
"SEASONING PREPARES THE WOOD STAVES BEFORE FILLING THE CASK WITH SPIRIT, WHILE TREATMENT PROLONGS THE PRODUCTIVE USE OF THE CONTAINER AFTER EMPTYING THE WHISKY CASK."
Seasoning is the first stage of reducing or degrading undesirable flavour compounds by drying newly cut oak timbers, either by traditional air drying or mechanical intervention in kilns. American cooperages pioneered industrial kilns in the 1950s and became the accepted practice for American whisky by the 1970s, economising manufacture by accelerating seasoning. Open-air drying is preferred but is a longer process and more expensive as the sunlight, wind, and rain dry and leach the timber while allowing microflora to invade the wood. Staves exposed to nature for five years are deemed superior to those only seasoned for three or eighteen months. Even different techniques of stave stacking (close, open, edge or solid piles) retards air circulation for drying, reduced rainfall penetration affects leaching, and slows fungi infestations, affecting the flavour structure in the wood. Microbiologists discovered various fungi species arriving in two population waves. Three colonising species first appear during the first two years, and another six fungal communities invade after two years, each improving the flavonoids within the stave oak, as their roots secrete hydrogen peroxide, hydrolysing the wood sugars and reducing tannins, explaining why the best staves are air-
Each individual stave can bring something new to the flavour
"THE OTHER PROCESS TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF A CASK IS TREATMENT. DUE TO WHISKY’S SOLUBLE PROPERTIES OF WATER AND ALCOHOL, TIME AND TEMPERATURE, AND MULTIPLE REFILLS, THE CASK OAK FLAVOUR COMPOUNDS WILL EVENTUALLY EXHAUST."
dried naturally for five years.
Another invasive seasoning intervention for casks is exposure to liquid, fire, or both. Since the late 18th century, British cooperages and distilleries soaked new casks in water or brine solutions called pickling. Discovering breweries used pressurised
steam to clean stinky and tannic kegs, distilleries began applying steam to season virgin casks from twenty minutes to eighteen hours. A range of diluted chemicals was also used to steam and steep casks in solutions of caustic soda (alkali metal oxide), lye (metal hydroxide), ammonia (binary
hydride), quicklime (calcium oxide), and sulphuric acid to potash (chloride). These solutions leached, masked and diminished objectionable odours and flavours. In America, where new and often green oak staves were prevalent, they quickly learned to set the cask ablaze, burning off green sap and caramelising the wood sugars, purifying and ‘sweeten the barrel’. European coopers used scorching methods for centuries; discovering gentle toasting or sometimes light charring the internal wood membrane complemented the subtle character of the distillate and filtered offensive fusel oils in ryemashed spirits.
The other process to prolong the life of a cask is treatment. Due to whisky’s soluble properties of water and alcohol, time and temperature, and multiple refills, the cask oak flavour compounds will eventually exhaust. A technique borrowed from the wine industry in the 19th century to rejuvenate casks was to shave or scrape back the spent membrane surface to expose fresher stave wood, then re-toast or re-char. These techniques are back in vogue, notably the STR method (Shave, Toasted Recharred), as the cost and supply of casks force distilleries to cost-effectively recondition casks to limit the rising cost of sourcing new wood and by extending a cask’s working life.
Another treatment adapted from the sherry bodegas is wine suffusion, which occurred when the volume of imported sherry casks declined in the second half of the 19th century, and whisky production increased. Suffusion proved a permeable feature of Scotch cask maturation for over one hundred years.
Coda: Distilleries sourcing ex-bourbon barrels now face a loss in flavour due to a new cask treatment. Twenty years ago, the largest two distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee began barrel rinsing or swishing. A similar practice in Australia was once called ‘bunging.’ A quick and
"IN AMERICA, WHERE NEW AND OFTEN GREEN OAK STAVES WERE PREVALENT, THEY QUICKLY LEARNED TO SET THE CASK ABLAZE, BURNING OFF GREEN SAP AND CARAMELISING THE WOOD SUGARS, PURIFYING AND ‘SWEETEN THE BARREL’."
effective way to liberate whisky soaked in the cask staves, especially when the bulk of Scotch was locally bottled throughout much of the 20th century, where workers emptied Scotch casks, added some boiling water and rolled the casks around
to draw out the whisky absorbed in the staves. The American patented rinsing process releases 11 litres of proof whisky from each barrel over three weeks of rinsing. The rinsed whisky is generously oaken-flavoured and is used primarily
The toasting process in action
for food service goods (whisky BBQ sauces) or blended with dumped whisky for RTDs, pre-packaged cocktails and whisky expressions known as Devil’s Cut. The Scotch distillers noticed a diminution of flavour and colour in the 1980s from kiln-seasoned ex-bourbon barrels, now rinsed ex-bourbon barrels will add to the industry’s changing maturation palette.
Next in the Mighty Oaken Cask series is ‘paxarette’ sherry casks, the leading suffusion treatment, and its sensory implications on once-called ‘genuine Scotch.’
HERBAL HARBOURSIDE HARMONY
LIGHTLY PEATED
CASK No. 4.335
$199
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 12 years
DATE DISTILLED 29 October 2009
OUTTURN 241 bottles
ABV 62.7%
AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles
Our noses detected smoked almonds and smouldering hay, buttery grilled mackerel, lavender and a French polisher’s kit. The palate combined bacalhau and smoked fish paté with clean, tingly notes of menthol, tea tree and mojitos. The reduced nose suggested wax jackets on a harbour, fresh cut grass, coal and Hershey’s chocolate. The palate’s delicate herbal smoke spiralled around flavours of yellow fruit pastilles, cape gooseberries and wild mint. At eight years of age, we combined selected casks from the same distillery. We then returned the single malt into a variety of casks to develop further. This is one of those casks.
SEARED LANGOUSTINE TAILS IN CARAMELISED BACON
CASK No. 10.230
REGION Islay
CASK TYPE 2nd fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead
AGE 8 years
DATE DISTILLED 17 October 2013
OUTTURN 98 bottles
ABV 59.9%
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles
A delightful bouquet somewhere between ashy barbequed lemon and smoked treacle next to seared langoustine tails with caramelised bacon, Brazil nuts and pancetta. On the palate a surprisingly sweet start, like duck breast with dark cherries and a port sauce before more ashy and peppery notes appeared, reminding us of beef jerky. After a drop of water, the barbeque briquettes certainly came up to temperature as we took off our woolly jumpers and enjoyed plenty of sweetness from applesmoked bacon, this time combined with heavily smoked prawns over samphire. Following four years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a second fill PX hogshead.
A FLASHING BLADE
HEAVILY PEATED
CASK No. 144.4 $259
REGION Sweden
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 7 years
DATE DISTILLED 15 May 2014
OUTTURN 215 bottles
ABV 60.8%
AUS ALLOCATION 60 bottles
No messing about here. Immediate notes of pickled gherkins in brine, elastoplasts, tar extracts, BBQ glazed pork ribs, peat fire embers in a cast iron hearth and green olive tapenade on salted flat bread. A brilliant peat-dominated distillate. With water we found carbolic acidity, hot mash water and smoky grist - touring a distillery in full peaty production mode - also malt vinegar doused oysters and smoked lemons. The palate was pure seawater and lemon juice at first. Before a big surge of petrol, mineral salts, engine oils and touches of camphor and paraffin. With water there was some more complexity emerging with aniseed distillate, mercurochrome and suggestions of paraffin, TCP, horseradish and soy sauce.
SM’OAK!
HEAVILY PEATED
CASK No. RR29 $1,195
REGION Islay
CASK TYPE Refill Bourbon hogsheads & 1st fill STR Oloroso barriques
AGE 25 years
DATE DISTILLED 29 April 1998
OUTTURN 513 bottles
ABV 56.3%
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles
Let’s start with the most obvious one, and here it was the prevailing feature – oak and smoke! Think tobacco, burnt toast, venison, peanuts, tofu, plums and coal tar. On the palate there was no respite: incredibly smoky, like beef jerky and Mexican ancho chillies dried over hickory-smoked wood, as well as a plate of smoked tofu pad thai. Additionally, that medicinal, maritime flavour was always lurking in the background. Following the addition of water we opened an old smoker barbecue pit, added smoked olive oil to barbecued langoustines and black cardamom to a hot dog. To taste, we tucked into a beef massaman curry and smoked mackerel maki rolls.
FRUITY PEAT EXPLOSION IN A GLASS!
REGION Islay
CASK TYPE 2nd fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead
AGE 20 years
DATE DISTILLED 16 February 2004 OUTTURN
TASTING NOTES
The Panel felt that this was, frankly speaking, a ridiculous nose. It was shamefully riddled with exotic fruits wrapped in serrano ham, smoked pink sea salt, and salt and balsamic vinegar crisps, with wafts of pure blue peat smoke interweaving everything. Almost embarrassing in its downright gorgeousness. With water it developed stunning complexity, evoking bone-dry aged Loire chenin blanc, peppery waxiness, smoked exotic fruit teas, salt and chilli squid, lime juice and seawater, and crystallised tropical fruits. We felt it had become utterly disgraceful by this point. The palate was immediately, unapologetically and boisterously tropical, salty, camphory, peaty and coastal. We found nori, soy sauce, young calvados distillate, smoked teas, iodine and a stunningly resinous and thick texture. Heads were in hands by now! Reduction only served to enhance this outrageously oily and tropical palate, as into the mix we noted pristine salinity, tar extracts, pickling juices, papaya, brined olives and guava jam. The finish and aftertaste had to be redacted for reasons of common decency. This was matured in a bourbon hogshead for 17 years before being transferred to a second fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.
FROM THE TEAM
There’s something truly magnificent that happens when spirit from Distillery 3 reaches this age…especially if it’s allowed to then be bottled at cask strength to ensure the entire breadth of its flavours can be enjoyed by all. There was a period not too long ago where we saw a number of these high-teen 3s coming through, but they’ve been somewhat vacant from our Outturns for several months, and we know members are going to enjoy Distillery 3s return with Cask 3.353, a 20-year-old Peated cask which 17 years of maturation in an ex-bourbon hogshead and three years of further maturation in a 1st fill ex-Spanish oak Oloroso hoggy. Salt and chilli squid, lime juice, ripe fruits wrapped in serrano ham — the sherry has elevated this cask to a new level, and as you’ll find out below, this bottling caused even our Tasting Panel to have a breakdown due to the sheer level of flavour ridiculousness that was occurring in the glass.
“THAT
CASK IS OUR LAST HOPE…” “NO…THERE IS ANOTHER”
“THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF”
PEATED
CASK No. 53.431
$1,399
REGION Islay
CASK TYPE 1st fill Bourbon barrel
AGE 31 years
DATE DISTILLED 22 April 1991
OUTTURN 240 bottles
ABV 56.9%
AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles
TASTING NOTES
EXTRA MATURED
FROM THE TEAM
Like opening a hamper of succulent smoked shellfish, this is “the stuff that dreams are made of”, with a lot more smoke on the palate neat than expected from the nose. We found bananas smoked in cedar wood with chocolate and pistachios next to palm trees in flames and, in the finish, medicinal ointments. Following reduction, we were seated in the dining room of a historical tea clipper voyaging across the Atlantic, enjoying key lime-smoked mojitos while puffing on cigars. At 27 years of age, we split the content of one sherry butt into two barrels. In addition to this first fill ex-bourbon barrel we also filled an exrye barrel to create an intriguing duo of releases.
Some of you may remember that a couple of months ago we released Cask 53.432 Take a step back in time… well this is quite literally the sister bottling of that, not just because of the sequential cask code, but because it’s the other half of the sherry butt. Our whisky team like to have fun (whisky should be fun, after all) and they like trying different things, so after 27 years of maturation in an ex-sherry butt, the spirit from this famed Islay distillery was split — half was put into an ex-rye cask for four more years (.432), and the other half was put into a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel for four more years, and that’s the cask we have here ‚ Cask 53.431 “The stuff that dreams are made of”. These two casks are different, yet both unmistakably 53s. Seafood bonfire on a wet beach with smoked banana and medicinal ointments. It’s not often you’ll have the opportunity to sample two bottlings with such maturation journeys side by side — available on its own or as a duo bundle with its sister cask.
“JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED”
ARMAGNAC
CASK No. A8.1 $339
REGION Bas Armagnac - Baco/ Ugni Blanc
CASK TYPE Refill Armagnac Gascon black oak barrel
AGE Vintage 2003
DATE DISTILLED 1 April 2003
OUTTURN 492 bottles
ABV 47.1%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
We were handed a bouquet of roses, dark red with soft and velvety petals, with the most deliciously heavy scent – think warm, rich chocolate combined with balsamic and woody notes. Plenty of exotic wood spices on the palate neat as we mixed a Penicillin cocktail of whisky, ginger, lemon and honey. Careful when adding water, as we found cherry blossom, milk chocolate with prunes, bananas doused in spiced rum and cinnamon bagels on the nose. To taste, a surprising fizzy, chilli bite like a prosecco topped up with ginger beer and garnished with a slice of orange and a basil leaf.
MIDNIGHT GRITS
BOURBON
CASK No. B5.9 $189
REGION Tennessee
CASK TYPE 1st fill charred barrel
AGE 6 years
DATE DISTILLED 22 March 2016
OUTTURN 195 bottles
ABV 63.5%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
Our initial notes included maraschino juices, sweet orange wines, aged triple sec, nutmeg, liquorice and treacle spread on hot cross buns. It also brought to mind molten chocolate marshmallow and jam biscuits, dark honey and date molasses. Reduction made it more complex and we found notes of sunflower oil, shoe polish, cream soda and Turkish delight – thicker, deeper and darker. The palate when neat was peppered with cloves, crystallised satsuma chunks, runny honey, herbal wines and spiced blood orange liqueur. Some water made everything easier and brought out lemon cough drops, cherryade, eucalyptus resin and notes of birch beer and red liquorice.
“POW”-ERFUL!
RYE WHISKEY
CASK No. RW1.5 $220
REGION Chicago
CASK TYPE 1st fill 30 US gallons #3 char level
AGE 5 years
DATE DISTILLED 7 June 2017
OUTTURN 132 bottles
ABV 61.1%
AUS ALLOCATION 42 bottles
We looked at each other as though we had been smelling the same magic potion the druid Getafix brewed to give Asterix and his fellow Gauls superhuman strength. The main ingredients were various herbs found around the village and in the surrounding forest. Can you recall how Asterix reacted on drinking the potion? Well, that was how we felt – “Pow”erful! Heat and spice galore! Water to the rescue, as the nose developed into muscle rub as well as eucalyptus and prune juice. The palate benefited hugely, with flavours reminding us of an old-fashioned root beer blending sassafras and sarsaparilla root, spices, herbs, barks and berries.
$2,499 4 available
Contrast and compare with these two Islay powerhouse bottlings! One sherry butt split in half; one half filled into a 1st fill ex-Rye barrel, and the other into a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel. Discover the power a single cask can have with these two VC bottlings from Distillery 53. Limit of one bundle per member.
“THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF”
Kick your feet up, close your eyes, and don't forget your sunscreen as you enjoy your own private tropical island paradise; wafts of coconut, bananas, peaches, and apricots will transport you this summer. Limit of one bundle per member
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
BANANA ICE CREAM SMOOTHIE
BUNDLE OFFERS
$530 6 available YOUNG & PUNCHY BUNDLE ...AND FESTIVALS FOR ALL
$600 6 available
A melange of recent(-ish) casks delivering ripe, highoctane flavours with a solid ABV across three different cask maturations — highly recommended for those who love their American malts and younger whiskies. Limit of one bundle per member
COWPUNCHER RODEO DRAM
RICH & DRIED FRUITS
BUNDLE
A mix of tasty small-batch Speyside and Highland bottlings from the 2024 festivals. A great balance of citrus and sweet pastries will fill the air with this whisky flight, perfect for sharing amongst friends during the festive season. Limit of one bundle per member
HERITAGE PUDDINGS FOLLOW BREAKFAST
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. RR12
FREEFORM JAZZ
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. RR85
RHUBARB AND FIG CRUMBLE CASK
A DRAM FROM DAYDREAMING
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
MORSEL
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CASK No. RR55
FANTASTIC FESTIVE FLAVOURS VIRTUAL TASTING
WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER @ 7PM AEDT
What’s better than a five-dram tasting pack? An EIGHT-dram tasting pack, that’s right! We’re turning up the heat this festive season with eight delightfully tasty drams to satiate your appetite for full-flavoured whisky — it’s a bumper festive virtual kit! Join your newest National Ambassador, Lachlan Watt, alongside Adam Ioannidis and Andrew Derbidge for a historic evening of banter, knowledge and fun on Wednesday the 18th of December at 7pm AEDT. 8x 30ml drams (including our 27-year-old November Premium Malt of the Month), a tasting mat, and a menu — $2000+ value for just $149! Limited packs to go around, so order yours up on November 15 and join the team live on the 18th of December — or watch it at your own leisure afterwards on our YouTube channel. We’ll see you there!
CASK 112.110 – BRIGHT AND DAZZLING
CASK 35.331 – LIFE-CHANGING MAGNIFICENCE
CASK 63.104 – BANANA ICE CREAM SMOOTHIE
CASK 128.20 – DELIGHTFULLY BONKERS
CASK 39.307 – WELCOME IN, 2025
CASK 115.33 – MERRY CHRISTMAS
CASK 55.76 – PETALS IN AN ORANGE BITTERS COCKTAIL
CASK 10.230 – SEARED LANGOUSTINE TAILS IN CARAMELISED BACON
THE PINNACLE OF SOCIETY SPIRIT
Last year, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society celebrated its 40th anniversary. Which means that 41 years ago, our founder, Pip Hills, bottled Cask 1.1; never in his wildest dreams did he think the Society would become what it has become today, though. A global club of flavour trailblazers and spirited adventurers.
Cask 12.79 On the road again is the culmination of 40 years of Society excellence. Distilled in our foundation year of 1983 — literally distilled the year we started. After 35 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, the remainder of this liquid was transferred to a refill Spanish oak ex-Oloroso hogshead and carefully monitored for the additional 5 years of maturation. At 40 years of age, this masterpiece was deemed ready to bottle by our expert tasting panel.
This is the most important release the SMWS has ever had the privilege to offer up to members. Each and every single bottling of 12.79 is also unique in its wax-dipped pattern and individual wooden plinth.
" CASK 12.79 ON THE ROAD AGAIN IS THE CULMINATION OF 40 YEARS OF SOCIETY EXCELLENCE. DISTILLED IN OUR FOUNDATION YEAR OF 1983 — LITERALLY DISTILLED THE YEAR WE STARTED.."
Primary tasting notes from our expert tasting panel of sandalwood, pipe tobacco, minty dark and ginger nut biscuits, exotic fruits, camphor, rum cream, and salt crystals.
We have just 2 bottles left ofthis monumental Society release on our website — this is more than just a whisky, this is a celebration offlavour and whisky history.
PIONEERING THE DEALER'S CHOICE WHISKY FLIGHT
What If all bartenders described whisky like they did cocktails? Through flavour, a journey, vibe or feeling?
BY MELANIE HACK
The Dealer's Choice Cocktail was arguably popularised by Sasha Petraske and his Milk & Honey crew in NYC in the early 2000s, but what about the dealer's choice whisky flight? Never heard of it? That’s probably because it only exists in two venues across Melbourne, Australia: Whisky & Alement, and The Elysian.
Amongst the Greek precinct in Melbourne’s CBD, hiding behind black curtains, you’ll find Whisky & Alement. In 2010, Brooke Hayman & Julian White pioneered Australia's first single malt whisky bar. With a background in classic cocktails and an encyclopedia of whisky knowledge, Hayman & White used their know-how to create something that I’m 99% confident no other bar outside Melbourne does: Bartenders creating custom-made whisky flights, on the fly, with 800+ whiskeys to choose from, within a five-minute time limit, seven nights a week (and they’ve been doing it for the past 15 years).
What if we tasted and evaluated whisky differently? Took away the pomp, took away the leather armchairs, and got down to basics? How does a whisky taste? How does it make us feel? What is the origin story behind the whisky? What if we related whisky back to the people? These are all questions Hayman & White asked themselves, as they became the pioneers of the Australian whisky bar scene.
SO HOW DOES A DEALER’S CHOICE WHISKY FLIGHT WORK AT WHISKY & ALEMENT?
From a guest's perspective, it’s quite simple. You can be as specific or as broad as you like when communicating your preferences to the bartender. A Dealer’s Choice Flight will set you back $60 for 4x15ml whiskies.
The type of questions you may be asked if you’re a whisky novice are the following:
1. Do you have a preference of style: i.e. single malt, blended, blended malt, single pot, single grain, bourbon, rye etc.?
2. What’s your flavour? Do you prefer light and floral? Sweet and decadent?
Smoky and Savoury? Spicy and Dry? Spicy and Sweet? Smoky and Sweet? Funky?
3. Would you like the same flavour profile, or would you like to be taken on a flavour journey?
4. Do you have regional preferences: i.e. Scottish, Irish, American, Japanese, Australian, or elsewhere?
5. Do you prefer drinking strength (4048%), or is cask strength (50%+) more to your taste?
6. Is there anything you dislike? Do you hate pickles? Or licking asphalt? What flavours are you looking to avoid?
If someone is completely new to whisky, they may be asked:
1. What do you usually drink? Beer? Wine? Cocktails? Other spirits?
2. Do you like your beverages sweet, spicy, creamy, smoky, or floral?
3. Do you enjoy your spirits with a mixer? If so, which ones?
As a bartender who came from extensive high-volume cocktail bars, I was in disbelief when I first witnessed the bartenders at W&A whip up these flights like it was as easy as breathing.
"WHAT IF WE TASTED AND EVALUATED WHISKY DIFFERENTLY? TOOK AWAY THE POMP, TOOK AWAY THE LEATHER ARMCHAIRS, AND GOT DOWN TO BASICS?"
HOW CAN MEMBERS IMPLEMENT DEALER’S CHOICE WHISKY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHEN ENTERTAINING GUESTS?
1. Taste, research, record.
Every time a new SMWS bottle is added to your home back bar, taste 5-15mls, and record your own tasting notes — nose, palate, and finish — you don’t need to pour yourself a large glass, remember, this is for educational purposes only. Although, I’m not your mother, do with that dram what you see fit. Identify the key flavour components, go beyond the code and discover the distillery's DNA, read about the distillery, take note of 2–3 interesting points of difference in their history, production methods or just a fun fact. Keep those notes close by for when you might need them.
2. Asking your guests the right questions.
Understanding our guest's experience with whisky and what they usually like to drink will allow you to find the perfect whisky for any occasion. Is there a theme or something to celebrate? These are some of the things to keep in mind. Just like you would for a cocktail, or how a sommelier would pick a wine for their guests. Craft the flight around this and link themes and occasions with flavour.
3. Practice
Practice this technique with some close friends and have fun — they’ll give you honest feedback. Remember, whisky is meant to be drunk and enjoyed.
DEALER’S CHOICE WHISKY FLIGHTS
IN MELBOURNE?
WHISKY & ALEMENT
Address: 270 Russell Street, Melbourne, Australia, 3000.
Opening hours: Sunday & Monday: 4pm–10pm Tuesday–Saturday: 4pm–1am
Website: whiskyandale.com.au
Instagram: @whiskyandalement
Since opening Whisky & Alement, Hayman and White became coowners of The Indie Whisky Co Imports, launched The Whisky Set independent bottling company, opened a second venue called Melbourne Whisky Room, and globe trotted for the past 13 years buying, collecting, and selling whisky. Additionally, White is Head Whisky Judge for the Australian Distillers Association; in 2016 Hayman quietly became the first female to win the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championships — Australia’s #1 blind tasting whisky competition (hosted by the SMWS), and in 2023 they went on to win World's Best Whisky Bar (Rest of
the World), with their Bar Manager, Lachlan Watt, winning World's Best Bar Manager at the World Whiskies Awards. It’s safe to say, they know a thing or two about whisky and cocktails, hence, the creation of the whisky flights; one may say that their success took flight.
THE ELYSIAN WHISKY BAR
Address: 113 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, 3065.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 4:30pm–1am
Website: theelysianwhiskybar.com.au
Instagram: @theelysianwhiskybar
Kelvin Low and Yao Wong both worked at Whisky and Alement between 2012 – 2016, opened Australia's first Japanese popup whisky bar: White Oak with Hayman & White in 2016, and then went on to continue the W&A legacy by also creating whisky flights at their whisky bar in Fitzroy, Melbourne.
FESTIVE ORDERING
For stress-free delivery in time for Christmas, we recommend placing your order by Friday 13th December. For faster/priority delivery by Australia Post, select Express Post in the online store, or contact our office.
FESTIVE SEASON OPENING HOURS
The Society’s office will be closed from Tuesday 24th December, re-opening on Thursday 2nd January. The online shop is always open. Orders placed online between Christmas and New Year will be dispatched in the first week of January.
WE WISH YOU AND YOURS A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE FESTIVE SEASON!