OUR BOTTLINGS
YOUR SOCIETY
“HE’D
CREATED A TRUE “1+1=3” MOMENT THAT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. WHERE THE COMBINATION OF THE WHISKY PLUS THE BONBON HAD EQUALLED MORE THAN THE SUM OF BOTH.”
FIVE YEARS OF FLAVOUR
WITH BASIK
BY MATT BAILEY
This year is our fifth anniversary with BASIK Chocolates and the chocolate flavour scientist Krsna Raj. Five years! How time flies when you’re having fun in flavour.
Iwill admit, when I first met Krsna, we didn’t technically “meet” as this whole thing really kicked off at the beginning of a global pandemic. We met on a video call, and Krsna’s energy was infectious. As I’m sure many of you will know from his events with us, he has this incredible passion for cocoa and creations in flavour that have seriously warped our brains over and over. But I’ll also admit, I had a level of scepticism that this wouldn’t all work. I’d tried whisky & chocolate pairings before, and while nothing really failed in the past, nothing really ‘popped’ either. I had never had a pairing that really blew my mind, or that I thought was worth remarking on.
IN THAT FIRST VIRTUAL, KRSNA’S ENERGY TO FIND FLAVOUR PAIRINGS LIKE NO OTHER HAD PERMANENTLY BEEN PAINTED ON OUR MEMORIES.
Then, early in the process of working with Krsna in 2020, he started listing out ingredients he was experimenting with to pair with the whiskies we’d sampled for him, and my scepticism turned into legitimate worry. He started listing things off like white soy sauce, Japanese matcha powder, dried mushrooms, finger limes, and others. What on Earth was going on now?!
But… all worry instantly turned into elation when first sampled ahead of the virtual tasting.
He’d done it. He’d created a true “1+1=3” moment that we’ve talked about before. Where the combination of the whisky plus the bonbon had equalled more than the sum of both. In that first virtual, Krsna’s energy to find flavour pairings like no other had permanently been painted on our memories. The member feedback from that one event was so overwhelmingly positive, that we absolutely had to collaborate in subsequent years. Fast forward to 2024, and this is our 5th anniversary of working with Krsna from BASIK and we’re so excited to see what he comes up with this year.
Outside of this, we’re of course releasing a whole slew of amazing panel-approved single casks to enjoy, in this flavoursome and diverse August Outturn. Elsewhere in this month’s offering:
• A Malt of the Month that has been incredibly well-received from the whole team (and even early member feedback).
• A special Whisky & Alement selection, the third release in their SMWS exclusives they’ve picked out personally.
• A member giveaway, all by just photographing (or video-graphing) your favourite whisky & chocolate moments (with SMWS whisky, of course).
Cheers.
Bailey ~ Branch Director, SMWS Australia
Matt
INTO THE FOREST
Society members are no strangers to Distillery 35, and August Outturn has definitely brought the goodies with a trek into the darkness of the forest.
Distillery 35 is nestled in the heart of Elgin, Speyside, and produces a rich and tropical spirit character that members love. This particular Cask 35.326 All the dark things, rides off the back of our Scotch & Sherry documentary, and showcases the incredible depth of flavour coming out of the SMWS’ sherry program, and the insane attention to detail of our wood policy.
To celebrate our chocolate month, we strongly encourage you try pairing this cask with some dark chocolate and see how far the match can take you down the rabbit hole of flavour.
Richly sherried, nicely aged, and an incredible price for Malt of the Month. Do not miss the dark things. Take a dive into this black forest of a dram for our chocolate month!
$229
See following page for further details
ALL THE DARK THINGS MALT OFTHEMONTH
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. 35.326
$229 FOR AUGUST REDUCED FROM $279
EXTRA MATURED
We first noted such aromas as sticky date pudding, plum duff, molten liquorice, fruity muesli and chocolate caramel sauce. Also damp cellar mulch, balsamic reduction and mineral oils. A thick and highly polished nose we agreed. Water brought notes of Guinness cake topped with marzipan, rose cordial, orgeat syrup and rum n raisin ice cream. In the mouth we found an initial abundance of spiced dark fruits stewing in Armagnac. Then mulling spices, crusted port and aniseed. Some softer tones of sweet pipe tobacco and walnuts followed on. With water it achieved a lovely, harmonious balance. Plum wine, leather, butterscotch, eucalyptus and damp, earthy rancio. Matured for 13 years in a bourbon hogshead before transfer to a 1st fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead. ALL THE DARK THINGS
1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead
AGE 16 years
DATE DISTILLED 30 January 2006
OUTTURN 162 bottles
AUS ALLOCATION 54 bottles
A MAGICAL FOREST WALK
YOUNG & SPRITELY
CASK No. 46.135
$159
TART CHERRY FRUITCAKE
SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW
CASK No. 13.99 $185
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.
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill Cosecha from Ximenez Spinola barrique
AGE 9 years
DATE DISTILLED 23 April 2013
OUTTURN 247 bottles
ABV 60.1%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
Heady aromas of rum and raisin ice cream, melon and sandalwood incense combined with sweet coconut shavings and digestive biscuits before the arrival of earthy root vegetables and ancient woodland. Flavours touched on ginger and white peppercorns but swiftly swayed towards tart cherries, pomegranate and cranberries, with finishing notes of old leather and dry pipe tobacco. The palate now had greater depth, with candied orange peel in spicy fruitcake, dry stone fruits and nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar sprinkled over creamy porridge. Five years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a cosecha wine first fill barrique.
TAKE A TROPICAL CRUISE…
We’ve seen a few 19s through in the last 12 months, and once you taste these casks, you’ll understand what all the hype is about. Arguably the oldest operating distillery in Scotland (although hotly contested by distillery 16), this distillery for the longest time had its own floor maltings, was self-sufficient in its malt supply, and has made both peated and unpeated variants over the years. If you’re a fan of those tropical kinds of notes, and heavy fruit baskets, then jump into this martini of a dram for August.
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
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.
THE NAME SAYS IT ALL!
Imagine you let all 40,000+ members of the SMWS crowd-source the name of a boat, or a whisky bar, or, a whisky! Well, this cask kind of sounds like it was done that way. A fun variation of Boaty McBoatface, it’s rare to see 77s through the SMWS, especially with sherry cask influence. Distillery 77 is one of Diageo’s most exciting ‘workhorse’ distilleries that usually only goes into blends, but we’re lucky to be able to showcase how this spirit works not just as a single malt, but also at cask strength, a rare treat indeed. Clear wort, long ferments, a high cut point on the spirit, and a slightly unusual distillation method make for a fascinating end result. The extra time spent in sherry is one of our own second-fill Oloroso casks, again showcasing how exemplary our sherry program is.
WAXY MCSHERRYFACE
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.
SPICY & DRY
CASK No. 35.328
COWPUNCHER RODEO DRAM
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. 140.14 $249
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE 9 years
DATE DISTILLED 28 June 2012
OUTTURN 215 bottles
ABV 60.4%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
A rather big and fulsome profile greeted us at first nosing. Lots of sweetened rapeseed oil, waxed canvass, barley sugars, shoe polish and buttery popcorn. A wee lactic yoghurty vibe in the background as well. Some water developed this further towards milk bottle sweeties, then scone mix, yellow plums and dried meadow flowers. Some varnished oak and white pepper added warmth. When neat the palate displayed notes of chamois leather, sandalwood shaving foam, heather flowers and bergamot tea. Reduction brought cask char, pineapple jelly, putty, breakfast cereals and juicy fruit chewing gum. A lean, spicy and drying finish was lip smackingly satisfying.
REGION Texas
CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE 4 years
DATE DISTILLED 15 February 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.
WHISKY & ALEMENT HAT-TRICK!
Back in 2018, Whisky & Alement bottled Cask 68.18 Triple berry lamington cake. This was a luscious drop of whisky that was like drinking a literal liquid lamington. It vanished off the shelves at both W&A and SMWS.
Then in 2020, amidst a Covid pandemic, we launched their next cask via chaotic Zoom livestreams (see image) with Cask 72.89 Pirate’s breakfast juice, complete with a bandana!
Fast forward to now, and Whisky & Alement have picked out cask no.3, and they’ve properly pulled a hat-trick here. More than a year ago, I sat down with Brooke & Jules, the co-owners of W&A, and presented five samples from five casks to pick from. Brooke, Jules, and Lachlan tasted all five, and came back with “nope, none of these”. I was a bit surprised, these were all panel-approved from the UK, but there was just nothing that really ‘hit’ with the team, which is what is most important when picking out a cask that is worthy of being the third selected.
A month later, I had a fresh bag of samples, and both the spirits team in the UK and I were determined to really wow the team…and we did. Brooke & Jules tasted this 39, and immediately both went “ohhhh ok…this is something special”.
Cask 39.289 just oozes old-school sherry, plums, red apples, pulled pork, maple glaze, and that old dunnage floor funk. Distillery 39 is referred to as a ‘top shelf dresser’ in Scotland, and rarely do we see it as a single malt, let alone one that’s had such an elegant sherry maturation like this.
See following page for further details
Brooke, Jules, Lachie & the whole team at W&A have knocked this out of the park for 2024, and their 3rd selection from the vaults of the SMWS.
Cask 39.289 Maple-mustard pulled pork is available on Friday the 16th of August, at midday AEST, and is limited to 2x bottles per member until the end of the month. This special release will also be available for members to purchase by the bottle at Whisky & Alement on a first-come, first-served basis. $279
MAPLE-MUSTARD PULLED PORK
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead
EXTRA MATURED
On the neat nose, an array of rich aromas was detected by the Panel. Just to mention a few, we found nutmeg, toasted almonds, molasses and a selection of cakes – orange, walnut and victoria sponge. On the palate, a plate of comfort food arrived, with maplemustard pulled pork and crispy bacon served with garlic macaroni and cheese. After reduction, we found chocolate-coated coffee beans, trail mix, rum and raisin ice cream, and an oloroso espresso. The taste was now very relaxed – tobacco, dark chocolatedipped pears and brown sugar ‘n’ cinnamon baked apples. Following 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.
TWO FOR ONE
DEEP, RICH & DRIED FRUITS
CASK No. 18.48
$250
ROSE PETALS, ICE-CREAM AND BIRTHDAY CAKE
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
CASK No. 113.66
$180
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill Spanish oak Oloroso hogshead
AGE 15 years
DATE DISTILLED 18 September 2007
OUTTURN 237 bottles
ABV 60.9%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles EXTRA MATURED
Initial nosing drew notes of cherry bakewells, hessian, toasted pecan nuts, red apples and old leather. A rich, but precise and spicy nose. Some water evoked notes of fig jam, peppery watercress, chamois leather, cured game meats and dried herbs, plus a wee saline tang of black olive tapenade. We agreed it was more complex with water. The palate when neat was wonderfully salty and earthy; lots of salted almonds, cellar mulch, pipe tobacco, walnut oil and dark chocolate. With water we found bitter citrus piths, apple seeds, toasted almonds, aged amontillado sherry and earthy black teas. This was matured for 12 years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.
REGION Speyside
CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE 13 years
DATE DISTILLED 23 April 2009
OUTTURN 144 bottles
ABV 62.6%
On the nose, some sharp fruity notes (strawberry, gooseberry and cranberry) were appeased by softer aromas of toasted coconut and flaked almonds, mashed banana, rose petals and white chocolate. The reduced nose was a bit of a re-run – freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries and fruit pastilles alongside chocolatecoated peanuts, caramel, toffee and toasted oak. The palate was now lightly creamy and waxy – lemon bonbons, Kendal mint cake, vanilla ice-cream and birthday cake candles.
MAKES TIME STOP…
Have you ever poured a whisky, sat down, spun some jazz, and upon first nosing, time appeared to completely stop around you? This Isle of Mull Premium release does that. This distillery, the only on the Isle of Mull, produces both peated and unpeated spirit and has been riding something of a wave of popularity in recent years with the coastal and rugged spirit they release, predominantly around the 10-16 year age range. Enter Cask 42.76, which is a fair bit older at 26 years. With full maturation in a 1st fill hogshead, you are immediately greeted by butterscotch, ginger snaps, honey and heather. It’s irresistible, incredible, irrefutable…
SIMPLY IRREFUTABLE
The nose neat had that sense of calmness and elegance which is simply irresistible. There was chamois leather, ginger sponge cake, cinder toffee, baked apples plus hints of hazelnuts, figs, nutmeg and exotic wood – the list could go on and on! On the palate, rich, mellow and smooth, gentle, refined and sublime. We had to go exotic here, like roasted nectarines with labneh, herbs and honey -a combination that simply cannot fail to please. The tiniest drop of water, if you wish, and you will be rewarded with the scent of heather, bergamot and candied brazil nuts while to taste Samai salted plantain chips.
SUMMER
JUICY, OAK & VANILLA
$199
Limit of one bottle per Member
PEAT-SMOKED PORTER
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel
AGE 12 years
DATE DISTILLED 3 June 2009
OUTTURN 195 bottles
ABV 58.5%
AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles
One panellist imagined whistling “we’re all going on a summer holiday” while packing his sponge bag with a minty toothpaste, coconut sun lotion, a hint of talc and apple shampoo. On the palate a lovely creamy, coconut oily richness like a dollop of caramel ice cream with a cinnamon swirl and chunks of cinnamon bun dough. Following reduction on the nose clove infused honey, apple shisha pipe and apricot jam emerged, while to taste there were cinnamon sticks, cocoa nibs as well as sweet snowballs and a fine oak spice, soft tannins and a bright refreshing finish all guaranteeing “fun and laughter on a summer holiday”.
REGION Highland
CASK TYPE Refill recharred hogshead
AGE 8 years
DATE DISTILLED 1 October 2013
OUTTURN 206 bottles
ABV 63.0%
AUS ALLOCATION 36 bottles
We made beef brisket with burnt ends on a smoker and threw in some crunchy thick-cut potato chips, plenty of brown sauce, added a tankard of rich and peat-smoked porter, and for some this was heaven on earth. On the palate, dark and sweet, warm and smoky, molasses, peanut butter, chilli barbeque sauce and a slice of black bun. Following reduction, we smoked bananas over a peat fire with dark bitter chocolate and pistachios, while to taste, surprisingly soft and smooth with honey nut bars and smoked chocolate mousse before the smoke started to build up again rising to a delicious crescendo.
A HIKER’S DRAM
I’ll be brief here. Get this bottle. Either fill a flask, or take the whole bottle on your next mountain or bush walk hike. You can thank me later. Sometimes the tasting panel absolutely nail the “where” of a whisky, and this is the ultimate hillwalker’s delight. Bright and lightly peated, it’s packed with shrubs, lavender, baked apples, damper, and that pot of billy tea from the campsite. Time and place…or as the team at Whisky & Alement recently said about our 4’s lately: farmyard fun in a glass.
HILLWALKER’S
LIGHTLY PEATED REGION Highland
DELIGHT CASK No. 4.334
$199
CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel
DATE DISTILLED 29 October 2009
A comforting welcome of chocolate coins on a Christmas tree and hillside heather greeted us as we sipped hot chocolate laden with smoky whisky sitting in a worn leather armchair. Heather was joined by lavender on the palate with nutty aromas merging with baked apples and coal dust. Adding water brought peaty notes to the fore, alongside dried coconut, coriander and cardamom. Creamy flavours of pink peppercorn sauce now coated stewed mango and melon while violets blessed the sweet finish. At 8 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.
$199 HEAVILY PEATED
A FLASHING BLADE
REGION Islay
CASK TYPE 2nd fill Oloroso butt
AGE 7 years
DATE DISTILLED 17 October 2013
OUTTURN 577 bottles
ABV 60.5%
AUS ALLOCATION 48 bottles
There was smoke, “one hell of a lot of smoke!” Imagine sitting on a pebble beach near ‘the mouth of the river’ overlooking the Paps of Jura on a full moonlit night with a sailing ship anchored in the bay. The wind suddenly changed direction and a blanket of smoke from the barbeque has engulfed us. The taste was massive and unapologetic, not sweet, not floral - just peat, well maybe a hint of salty rockpools and ashtrays. With water we gazed into the sky, the moon light illuminating the lighthouse further along the coast, when we noticed a lightning storm rolling in off the sea.
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. With water there was some more complexity emerging with aniseed distillate, mercurochrome and suggestions of paraffin, TCP, horseradish and soy sauce.
THE WILD SCIENTIST OF CHOCOLATE RETURNS
BY ADAM IOANNIDIS
Every year we hear the same thing “membership is worth it JUST for the chocolate pairing tasting”. The SMWS x BASIK Chocolate collaboration is highly regarded amongst SMWS Australian members and is easily the most anticipated tasting in our calendar. As we prepare to welcome another year of SMWS x BASIK collaboration with the incredible Krsna Rajalingam, Adam Ioannidis had a little chat with the Wild Scientist of Chocolate to learn a little bit more about how things have changed over the last few years for him, and some of the goodies we can expect from this year’s collaboration…
AI: This is your fifth year collaborating with the SMWS, how has your approach/ process changed in that time, if at all?
KR: First of all, I wanted to thank both the members and team at SMWS for the ongoing support and the following this particular event has built over the five years. Thank you everyone!
AI: We saw the ‘snack bar’ last year (an absolute treat), was there any reason for moving back to the double bon bons for this year’s pairings?
Yes & No, I’m always thinking about new ideas & concepts within the world of flavours, chocolate and unique ingredients. This being the 5th anniversary since the inception of this collaboration, my focus is on elevating that experience from our end: specifically around presentation & the types of stories/memories we build around this. Having seen the line-up, my mind is going down adventure/fantasy, so let’s see if we can help guide members through some imaginative stories and have a few laughs and smiles along the way.
KR: Yes! I love the snack bars and the size itself helps with creativity (i.e. layering etc). The biggest challenge last year was storage space for the finished product. We had to use every cubic inch of our holding cabinet (a special fridge with a chocolate preset function for humidity and temperature control) to store everything. For this year’s bonbons, members will see a small change in the shape too!
AI: Sometimes it can be difficult to condense so many flavours into a broadstroke flavour profile, but if you had to pick a favourite Society Flavour Profile to work with, which one would it be, and why?
“THIS BEING THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THIS COLLABORATION, MY FOCUS IS ON ELEVATING THAT EXPERIENCE FROM OUR END: SPECIFICALLY AROUND PRESENTATION & THE TYPES OF STORIES/MEMORIES WE BUILD AROUND THIS.”
KR: I’ve always loved the Lightly Peated category. Most whiskies, whether it’s the society bottles I’ve personally tried or featured at the SMWS x BASIK events have always presented an opportunity to go in several directions. From a flavour pairing perspective, it’s not a challenge, per se, more it gives me a chance to really pause and think about which lane to pick.
AI: Last year we saw some real obscure and mad scientist-esque ingredient acquisitions (including some you purchased off of eBay), can we expect something similar with this year’s pairings?
KR: Sadly not, this year, I took a stroll down both the Coles and Woolies aisles and realized even a Cadbury celebrations box was too expensive, so this year, we’re going with Aldi chocolate on discount day. (On a serious note, No surprises until closer to the date!)
“MY MIND IS GOING DOWN ADVENTURE/FANTASY, SO LET’S SEE IF WE CAN HELP GUIDE MEMBERS THROUGH SOME IMAGINATIVE STORIES AND HAVE A FEW LAUGHS AND SMILES ALONG THE WAY.”
AI: What are some of your favourite things to pair with whisky outside of chocolate?
KR: A group of friends, who happen to be members of SMWS too, we often pair our whisky with a home-cooked meal on a Friday evening. We did pair a Macallan Rich Cacao with a Tiramisu for dessert. Simple pleasures!
AI: Peated and smoky drams can sometimes be quite divisive amongst whisky enjoyers, do you have tips or guidelines you follow when it comes to pairing these (or similarly strong/ dominant) flavours with chocolate?
KR: I try my best to keep an open mind when doing pairings, I know some people aren’t fans of a big smoke bomb in their drams, it’s a tough one but you could always try something with more milk present such as milk & white chocolate vs. dark. Milk fat can help balance the sharpness of a strong peat bomb.
KRSNA IS BACK
TUESDAY 20 AUGUST @ 7PM AEST $169 +DELIVERY
Flip back to July Outturn, and you’ll see we’re celebrating five years of Krsna hosting the ultimate whisky & chocolate pairings, so August this year is our celebration with him for the ultimate whisky & chocolate pairings.
For those who are new to Krsna’s wild creations: imagine a flavour explosion in your mouth, made from cocoa and other ingredients that will challenge your perception of what chocolate even is, expertly created around five different single-cask SMWS offerings. 30mls of each whisky, 2x of each bonbon. Perfect for sharing.
On sale now, being hosted live on Tuesday 20 August, 7pm AEST, or watch it at your own leisure afterwards on our YouTube channel. $169 each. Limit of two packs per Member.
SHOW US YOUR CHOCOLATE & WHISKY PAIRINGS
ONE OF THREE BOTTLES OF ALL THE DARK THINGS
While we’re hosting again with Krsna this year, we realise that you might be finding your own incredible pairings between whisky and chocolate at home or elsewhere, and we want to see them! Which whisky goes with that Twix? Which rum pairs with that rocky road?
Take a photo of your favourite Society whisky & chocolate pairing, post it to our socials (or email us) and we’ll do a draw for the most creative entries at the end of the month! The top 3 posts with the most creativity of whisky & chocolate pairings will win a bottle of Cask 35.326 All the dark things. A truly decadent Malt of the Month, valued at $259, for three lucky members, to then pair All the dark things with all the dark chocolate.
Post your pairings to our Society Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram (@smws_aus), and let’s get the chocolate pairings going!
We’ll announce the winners in early September on our socials and YouTube.
SOCIETY EXPERIENCES
SMWS EXPERIENCES IN YOUR AREA
SYDNEY
THE GATHERING
The Gathering is back! Our own cask, our own gathering, our full experience at The Captain’s Balcony Crows Nest. Tickets are on sale now!
Saturday 14 September, 2:30pm.
BRISBANE
ONE NIGHT ONLY: BASIK X SMWS LIVE IN BRISBANE
Join Krsna Rajalingam for the only live BASIK x SMWS whisky and chocolate pairing experience of 2024 at Common Vice. Tickets are on sale now.
Thursday 5 September, 6:30pm.
BRISBANE
GRAND TOUR OF SPEYSIDE GOES NORTH
Thursday 8 August, 6pm.
MELBOURNE
ALEX MOORES’ LONG LUNCH SERIES
Alex Moores returns with another intimate long-lunch experience, this time at Smith Street Bistro. Keep your eyes peeled for tickets going on sale soon.
Saturday 12 October, 1pm.
MELBOURNE
WHISKY & ALEMENT CASK RELEASE!
Tuesday 13 August, 6:30pm.
CANBERRA
GRAND TOUR OF SPEYSIDE HITS THE CAPITAL
Thursday 22 August, 6:30pm.
LAUNCESTON
GRAND TOUR OF SPEYSIDE LANDS IN LONNIE
Friday 30 August, 6.30pm.
HOBART
GRAND TOUR OF SPEYSIDE GOES SOUTH
Thursday 29 August, 6.30pm.
