Learn more about cask types
The humble wooden oak cask. The vessel to which changes everything in whisky. What do some of those words on the label describing it mean however? Barrel? Hoggie? Butt? These words all refer to [...]
Why should I join the SMWS?
The SMWS began life at The Vaults in Leith in 1983, Scotland when a small group of whisky enthusiasts discovered the delights of single cask, single malt. Since then our membership has grown around the [...]
Legendary Bottlings: The Society’s Early Single Casks
The coded numerical system that features on the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s (SMWS) bottlings was originally created in order to collaborate with distilleries. But the range serves today as a time capsule of a pivotal [...]
Whisky Talk: Adding Water To Your Whisky
When it comes to appreciating a great whisky, there are a few techniques that I have adopted to ensure I get the most out of my tasting experience. Techniques such as using the right [...]
Introducing Our New Look
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded in 1983 through a spirit of friendship – a small group of people who used the discovery of single cask whisky as a reason to get together and enjoy each [...]
What is single cask, single malt whisky?
What is single cask, single malt whisky? The Society is the worldwide leader, and most-awarded, independent bottler and whisky club on earth. What we have done best since 1983 is producing single cask, single [...]
What does the colour of whisky tell us about whisky?
Can the colour of a whisky really reveal anything about how it will taste? The biggest mistake in whisky appreciation, according to Chivas Brothers director of blending Sandy Hyslop, is judging a dram by its [...]
The SMWS by Playwright David Mamet in 1995
The following article was written by American playwright, film director, screenwriter and author, David Mamet. It was written in 1995 for Penthouse Magazine and then faithfully reproduced for attendees to the Vaults 1682 Experience in [...]
Hat trick for SMWS at IBC 2019!
Society makes it three-in-a-row with Independent Bottler of the Year award! The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has claimed its third consecutive title of Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) [...]
Learn more about Glenfarclas and Loch Lomond
Cask 1.210 'Kept in the dark' There's not much really I can say about Glenfarclas that your station host and Cellarmaster Andrew Derbidge doesn't know. It's his favourite distillery and he's kinda my oracle of [...]