OUR RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Dear members,
Here at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society we have been monitoring developments of the Covid-19 / Coronavirus for a number of weeks and have been taking as many precautions as necessary. Whilst we are confident that we have implemented correct practices and that our members and hosts have all done their utmost to avoid any potential spread of the virus, we are well aware of the urgent need to prevent any risk of infection in these crucial few weeks.
As a result, and guided by information and advice from medical professionals, we have decided to postpone our member experiences that were due to take place in the next few weeks around the country. The safety of our members and broader community is of paramount importance to us.
Although these events were limited to between 20 and 90 people, and therefore are well below the 500 public gathering limit imposed by the federal government, we feel there is a social responsibility to protect our members, team, their families and the Australian community.
The events immediately impacted are:
- An Afternoon in the Vaults, Hobart, Saturday 21 March
- Tour of Speyside, Sydney, Friday 27 March
- Single Cask Sunset Whisky Cruise, Saturday 28 March
- Taste and Test Whisky Dinner, Canberra 2 April
- The Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship, Saturday 25 July
All of these events are postponed for the foreseeable future and we hope to reschedule them later in the year, guided by the advice of experts.
People who had purchased tickets to these events will be contacted ASAP with their options to either await the rescheduled date, use ticket value as store credit or request a refund.
The good news however is that our bottles are still being dispatched from our warehouse, and Australia Post are still delivering them to your door like always. Along with that, we have some incredible home tasting kits online should you wish to have a full Society experience in the comfort of your own home.
While not being able to host gatherings for you is disappointing and we were more than excited to crack open some incredible new releases with you, the current domestic and global situation is more important and we must work to the recommendations of medical experts.
We would also like to highlight the plight of our friends in the hospitality industry during these tough times and hope that all of our friends in all the great Partner Bars and restaurants across the country aren’t too adversely affected during what is going to be a tough couple of weeks of social isolation.
The Society has been proudly bottling the world’s most unique single cask, cask strength spirits and hosting the world’s most colourful whisky experiences for 37 years and we will continue to do so in the future.
Slainté,
The team at SMWS Australia
