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Santa is Coming – Whisky Gift Ideas

It is that time of year again when our thoughts turn to what Christmas presents to buy and for whom. Listed below are a few suggestions that might help in your...
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It is that time of year again when our thoughts turn to what Christmas presents to buy and for whom. Listed below are a few suggestions that might help in your...

thanks for reading Whisky Boys Whisky Blog

Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 10, 2023

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.

Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news.

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The Islay distillery of Ardbeg has announced details of a forthcoming rare bottling that celebrates the regeneration of the distillery at the turn of the millenium. Ardbeg Y2K is a 23 year old single malt distilled in 2000 through a historic 50-year-old still, which was decommissioned shortly afterwards in 2001. The whisky is the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg.

The year 2000 was a pivotal year for Ardbeg and saw it finally return to full production following the takeover by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997. Prior to this, the distillery had struggled during the late 1980s and 1990s until it was renovated and rejuvenated under the new ownership. The new whisky will form the first part of a series that tells the story of this time.

Ardbeg Y2K has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and is bottled at 46% ABV. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The new whisky will be available via UK specialist retailers and www.ardbeg.com from July. However, interest for buying a bottle can be currently registered on the website. A bottle will cost £670.

The SMWS have released a 40-minute documentary exploring the influence of sherry casks on Scotch whisky - Scotch and Sherry: A Flavour Odyssey. The film follows the journey of a cask from the oak forests of Galicia in northern Spain to the cooperages and sherry bodegas of Jerez in the south. Along for the journey are Richard Goslan, the Editor of the Society's Unfiltered magazine, and Euan Campbell, the Head of Whisky Creation at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

The 40-minute documentary charts each stage of a sherry cask's life and introduces the people that make the casks and the sherry. The latest Drop & Dram pack has been released to accompany the film and features three sherry cask matured single malts for £35 - to purchase this pack click here.

The film will be screened each Saturday during May at the Society's Glasgow venue in Bath Street with further special screenings at their Edinburgh venue in Queen Street (May 16 and 23) and at The Machrie Hotel on Islay during the Fèis Ìle festival (May 29 and 30). Alternatively, you can watch via YouTube by clicking below.

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Review | Drop & Dram by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (or SMWS for short) have launched Drop & Dram – a monthly subscription service aimed at allowing whisky enthusiasts in the UK to explore new flavours without having to pay for full annual membership. The new initiative, which formed part of the company's 40th anniversary celebrations when introduced in November last year, costs £45 per month. It is currently exclusive to the UK.

For this you receive a pack of three cask strength whiskies. Each is bottled at 5cl (50ml) and taken from the SMWS’ vast portfolio of casks. This currently includes over 180 distilleries from Scotland and the whisky world beyond. Each month has a different theme and allows access to exclusive tasting notes and video links about the samples.

A huge benefit of signing up for Drop & Dram is temporary monthly membership to the SMWS. This gives the opportunity to purchase full 70cl (700ml) bottlings upon release from the website and visit one of the four excellent Society venues in the UK – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leith, and London. It also allows participation in exclusive events and tastings.

The SMWS was established in 1983 and bottles whiskies exclusively for its members. Most are single cask single malts and at natural cask strength with roughly 150-200 casks bottled per year. They use a unique numbering system for their bottlings and do not reveal the distillery identity - the first number is the distillery where the spirit was produced and the second is the number of casks released by the SMWS from that distillery. Each bottling also has a creative name.

We are sampling Set #4 entitled Drams Without Borders. This includes two Scotch single malt whiskies, one from Speyside and one from the Highlands, plus an English single malt. Drop & Dram Set #4 was released in March 2024 and was the latest pack at time of writing. For further information and to purchase a pack - please visit www.smws.com/drop-dram.

Our Tasting Notes

Drop & Dram | 39.284 Push Pineapple, Shake A Bee

Distilled 5 December 2011/ 11 years old/ first-fill ex-bourbon cask/ Speyside/ 62.1% ABV

The colour is pale gold and the nose is highly aromatic and fresh. Vibrant green apple and freshly mown grass aromas mingle with vanilla custard, honey and luscious juicy pineapple. There are also hints of white chocolate, pink peppercorn and candyfloss.

On the palate this whisky is equally as vibrant. Notes of freshly sawn oak shavings, vanilla pod and honey rise first. These are quickly joined by juicy tropical fruits - think of ripe pineapple, peach and apricot especially. Some creamed coconut, lemon curd and crisp green apple are also evident. There are hints of woody spices (imagine cinnamon, cassia and a tiny scratch of nutmeg) and cocoa powder. The white chocolate and candyfloss from the nose also develop. The finish becomes particularly peachy and is reminiscent of caramelised peach with vanilla custard. The woody spice and dryness draw out the length well. A classic ex-bourbon cask Speysider.

Drop & Dram | 55.85 Passionate Desire

Distilled 28 September 2009/ 13 years old/ first-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead/ Highlands/ 57.5% ABV

The colour is a deep coppery amber and the nose is laced with fruity and sweet aromas. Dark muscovado sugar, caramel and treacle sponge cake mingle with warm orange marmalade, brandy-soaked raisins and cherry compote. Hints of milk chocolate, almond patisserie and dates sit in the background.

On the palate this whisky is rich, viscous and decadent. Notes of golden syrup and treacle mix with caramelised bitter orange, fresh warm gingerbread and a pinch of cocoa. It is big and bold with plenty of dark sugary sweetness. Then comes the fruit and then a building spiciness and dryness. Think of black cherry jam and chargrilled figs in combination with the brandy-soaked raisins from the nose and a hint of marzipan. The spice and heat build and evolve from initial notes of gingerbread through to clove-studded almond tart and finally, warming baking spices - imagine cinnamon bark especially. The finish sees the sweetness fade slowly to leave a drying tannic feel.

Drop & Dram | 137.20 Potted Shrimp & Salmon Terrine

Distilled 25 October 2012/ 9 years old/ second-fill ex-bourbon barrel/ England/ 60.9% ABV

The colour is deep gold and the nose is smoky, sweet and woody. Peppery peat smoke and expressive charred oak aromas rise from the glass first and are quickly followed by golden syrup, apricot jam and a twist of burnt orange peel and zesty lemon. Hints of vanilla sugar, honey and dessicated coconut back things up.

On the palate this whisky packs an immediate peaty punch. Charred oak and ashy charcoal embers hit first and these slowly subside to allow further characteristics through. Chargrilled lemon and bitter orange notes are followed by golden syrup, honey and a hint of milk chocolate garnache. There is also a distinct pepperiness that builds and adds heat. Savoury and umami elements develop slowly and are reminiscent of black tea, old cigar box and a hint of cedarwood. Some toasted spices also come through - think of cinnamon bark, mace and clove with a hint of coriander seed. This spice and dryness dominates the finish, which becomes woody and ashy with plenty of tannins and white pepper.

What's The Verdict?

Drop & Dram is a great initiative from the SMWS and offers a good way of sampling their cask strength single cask whiskies without having to buy a full-sized bottle or annual membership. We like the fact that you can pick and choose which month's packs to subscribe to, depending on your personal tastes and preferences, and that you get a temporary membership with all the benefits it brings for that month.

The whiskies in Set #4 Drams Without Borders perfectly showcase what the Scotch Malt Whisky Society do well - cask strength whiskies in traditional casks. The selection of the three in this set is clever and takes you in three differing directions. All are tasty whiskies and the size of sample allows you to revisit them a couple of times. Well worth checking Drop & Dram out.

Please note | all images are copyright of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society – A Trio of Delights (Part Two)

Let’s now take a look and a taste of the “Dunnage Nougat” Batch 21, part of the SMWS’s Trio of Delights. This dram, is unlike the other two of this trio....
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Let’s now take a look and a taste of the “Dunnage Nougat” Batch 21, part of the SMWS’s Trio of Delights. This dram, is unlike the other two of this trio....

thanks for reading Whisky Boys Whisky Blog

Scotch Malt Whisky Society – A Trio of Delights (Part One)

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has brought out this very tasty trio. Batches 20, 21 and 22 and this parcel is online for the reduced price of only £140.00, a truly...
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The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has brought out this very tasty trio. Batches 20, 21 and 22 and this parcel is online for the reduced price of only £140.00, a truly...

thanks for reading Whisky Boys Whisky Blog

Scotch Malt Whisky Society – A Trio of Delights (Part Three)

We are now about to enjoy Batch 22, the third expression of the SMWS’s Trio of Delights. Scarlett Marzipan is a 10 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky which was fully...
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We are now about to enjoy Batch 22, the third expression of the SMWS’s Trio of Delights. Scarlett Marzipan is a 10 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky which was fully...

thanks for reading Whisky Boys Whisky Blog

Artisanal Spirits Company Acquires Single Cask Nation

The Artisanal Spirits Company, owners of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, have acquired the US-based independent bottler Single Cask Nation from its founders, Joshua Hatton… Read More

The Artisanal Spirits Company, owners of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, have acquired the US-based independent bottler Single Cask Nation from its founders, Joshua Hatton and Jason Johnstone-Yellin. The founders will remain with the company and lead its business from their base in Connecticut, according to a statement released by ASC today.

“In a way, by joining ASC we’re coming full-circle in our whisky journey,” Johnstone-Yellin said in the statement. “It was actually The Scotch Malt Whisky Society that first inspired us to start an independent bottling business in the first place. We’ve admired them (and their whiskies) for years, so to be a sister brand to them now is really exciting.”

The partners founded Single Cask Nation in 2011 as an offshoot of their Jewish Whisky Company, and now sells its single cask whiskies in eight countries. Artisanal Spirits Company CEO Andrew Dane praised their work in the statement. “Along the way, they have cultivated a passionate global following and stellar reputation as thought leaders in the world of whisky. Single Cask Nation is a perfect fit for ASC and our mission to deliver the world’s most exceptional limited-edition whiskies and experiences. They’re going to be a tremendous asset to our team and we’re excited for everything we can accomplish together in the years ahead,” he said.

Former Westland Distillery executive Steve Hawley has also joined the ASC team to build its presence in the United States, the world’s biggest market for Scotch Whisky by value. Hawley will focus on SCN’s business side, allowing Hatton and Johnstone-Yellin to focus on SCN’s whiskies and the “Nation,” a following of more than 10,000 whisky enthusiasts who purchase SCN whiskies through its web site.

WhiskyCast has requested interviews with Hatton and Johnstone-Yellin. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Links: Single Cask Nation

Christmas is coming | The SMWS Whisky Advent Calendar

Well, it is starting… every radio, TV and internet advert is popping up with all things sleigh bells and snowmen, not to mention the big man himself Santa. It got me...
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Well, it is starting… every radio, TV and internet advert is popping up with all things sleigh bells and snowmen, not to mention the big man himself Santa. It got me...

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A Visit to the Refurbished SMWS Vaults Members Room

A couple of weeks ago Nicola, her husband Scott, Jacqueline, my wife, and I decided we needed to go and see the new revamped SMWS venue in Giles Street, Leith. As...
thanks for reading Whisky Boys Whisky Blog

A couple of weeks ago Nicola, her husband Scott, Jacqueline, my wife, and I decided we needed to go and see the new revamped SMWS venue in Giles Street, Leith. As...

thanks for reading Whisky Boys Whisky Blog

Balcones Distilling Celebrates 15 Years of Texas Whiskey

Balcones Distilling in Waco helped put Texas whiskey on the map when it opened in 2008, and this past weekend, the distillery marked it’s 15th… Read More

Balcones Distilling in Waco helped put Texas whiskey on the map when it opened in 2008, and this past weekend, the distillery marked it’s 15th anniversary with a rain-soaked party. We spent the weekend in Waco for the celebration, and sat down with longtime head distiller Jared Himstedt to get answers to some of your questions. In the news, whisky cask investment schemes in the UK are coming under scrutiny, while a charity auction to benefit victims of the recent Irish floods has raised nearly €35,000.

Episode 1029: November 5, 2023