UNDERSTANDING THE LABEL

The total global Outturn of bottles from the single cask.

The cask ID: the first number is the distillery code (36) and the second number is the approved cask by our expert tasting panel (178). So this is the 178th cask from this distillery bottled by the Society.

The name of the whisky is an indicator of the flavour and gives the cask a name!

The number of total years of maturation in a cask. The proof/ ABV of the spirit.

The condensed expert tasting note of what to expect.

The flavour profile colour strip.

The date the whisky was distilled.

The region of the spirit.

The type and previous fill of the cask.

Since that day we’ve been changing the way people think about whisky, and encouraging an unparalleled flavour pursuit. We’re a club with more than 40,000 members across the globe and a thriving Australian branch with regular events across the country, Partner Bars who stock our bottlings and spread the word of The Society, incredible content, and of course, usually between 12 – 15 new bottles EVERY month. These bottles are only available through the club, and you must be a member to purchase bottles.

Because most of our releases are single cask, they’re all limited editions by nature — each cask (depending on size) will yield anywhere between 60 and 600 bottles worldwide; once they’re gone, they’re gone forever, never to be repeated again. That’s the beauty of singlecask whisky, it’s a non-recurring expression, a time capsule, even, of that time and place’s conditions.

If you’re wondering what the numbers, colours, names, and whimsical tasting notes are all about, it’s all directly tied into the flavour and identity of the cask. For various reasons (which you can read about in past issues of Outturn, Unfiltered Magazine and online on our blog ‘Whiskywise’), we do not state the name of the distillery that distilled the new-make spirit. We instead use a coding system.

The first number represents the distillery (in the order they joined our stable of distilleries), and the second number represents the number of casks that passed our expert tasting panel. For example, 14.83 is the 14th distillery to join The SMWS, and the 83rd cask to be approved by our expert tasting panel from that distillery.

This expert tasting panel also name the casks and write the tasting notes you’ll find in Outturn (an amalgamation of experiences and flavours from all panel members). The colours are indicative of one of the 12 flavour profiles we assign to each cask, which is a great starting point when looking at what a cask tastes like (you can see all of our flavour profiles at the back of this issue).

If you’re reading Outturn Magazine (our free, monthly catalogue of new cask releases, events, and articles) for the first time, welcome. If you’ve just joined The Scotch Malt Whisky Society — welcome to your first Outturn and the next step in your flavour journey! As always, we’re available for any questions you may have. Feel free to get in touch by emailing us at info@smws.com.au, or calling 02 9974 3046.