Back to Basics: What is Outturn, how do you make the most of it, and how to score that special bottle you’re looking at…
Our full monthly Outturn at the SMWS is released to members on the first Friday of each month from Jan-Oct, then in November we have our bumper festive edition for November-December! So what is Outturn, how do you score what you’re after, and what do all these numbers mean?
To start, our monthly Outturn is emailed and/or mailed to you as a member of the Society. It’s our monthly communication with members about what’s just come in, both in bottlings and events, and where you can engage with us. It often also features great reading in each issue about special releases, distillery research and more. Each Outturn has usually around 13+ new bottlings on offer every month for you to choose from, along with a range of events to attend and taste incredible whiskies and other spirits.
Here’s six tips to make it easy:
Tip 1: Read the tasting notes, the bottle codes, the age, the proof, the region, the cask. We always have full transparency in offering and like to print it all in Outturn. This gives you the best opportunity to pick out what you might want. The tasting notes are however best treated as a guide. Don’t be deflated if you’re not sure what “tea cakes on a Tuesday” taste like, just go with what you like. Fully understand the front label with our helpful mini-guide image below.
Tip 2: Get your marker out. We release the physical and digital copy of Outturn about a week or more before it’s landing online for sale. When your physical copy lands, after you’ve had a read of the upcoming events, Ambassador’s address, Cellarmaster’s note, and other great content enclosed, I recommend unfolding the Outturn completely where you can see all the casks coming up. Now grab your marker and start circling the ones you’re after!
Tip 3: No distractions. For the first Friday of the month on release at midday AEDT / AEST (depending on time of year for daylight savings), I recommend using a quick computer with a decent internet connection, lock the door, phone on silent, and get ready from about 11:55am on the day. Most importantly however: make sure you’re logged in!
Tip 4: Filter your options. Did you know you can filter by price on the shop page? Just adjust that slider to the price range of the bottle(s) you’re after on Outturn, so when you’re logged in and refresh closer to midday, only the bottles you’re immediately after in that price bracket will appear!
Tip 5: Buy now, then browse later. Bottles, especially ones with low allocations or ones that are super-desirable, have been known to sell out in seconds. Want to make sure you get the one you’re after? Filter, click, and most importantly checkout as soon as it’s live. If there’s other bottles that you were looking at and wanted some time to consider, then you can always come back later and get those. Adding a bottle to your cart does not guarantee you’ve scored it, only a completed checkout does.
Tip 6: After Outturn. Did you know we also release something special for our mid-month offer, and occasionally just pop some one-offs and extra goodies on the site throughout each month? There’s always a full-flavoured experience to be found online and I sincerely hope you find the time to crack open something special from the SMWS with friends, family, and other lovers of fine single cask spirits!
Learn more about how our label works here:
