SMWS CELEBRATIONS
A SOCIETY SILVER ANIVERSARY
Last year we celebrated our 40th anniversary – and this month, we’re marking the 25th anniversary of the opening of our Members’ Room at Greville Street in London, a home-from-home for Society members far and wide.
Sarah Gillespie uncovers some of the venue’s history and hears from members who have appreciated it over the years
FLAVOUR FOCUS
THE MAGIC OF MATURATION
Having produced malt spirit destined to become whisky, there is then the little matter of having to wait three years for it to achieve legal Scotch whisky status. This is the part of the process that distillery accountants dislike most. However, the process of maturation is not there merely to frustrate the bean-counters – it also tames and transforms the raw spirit, imbuing the drams we ultimately drink with what some say could be up to 70 per cent of their overall character. In the final two instalments of his series on the production of Scotch whisky, Gavin D Smith turns his attention to the last act – maturation
Cask No. 39.298
FRESH!
€75.00
PROFILE Light & Delicate REGION Speyside AGE 10 years ABV 56.6% CASK TYPE 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
The neat nose bristled with citrus air freshener and linen cupboard starchiness. We also noted freshly laundered fabrics, eucalyptus leaves, pineapple rings and fresh flowers in vase water. This had a lovely sense of brightness and freshness.
Reduction brought weightier notes of camphor, pollens and butter bean hummus – a slightly more savoury impression overall. The neat palate opened with dried mint and tea tree oil aspects, then richer tones of leather, toasted cashew nuts and buttery, fresh cereals. Water revealed toasted sunflower seeds and limoncello in soda water, plus rice wine, muddled parsley and freshly peeled citrus rinds.
Cask No. 73.161
LEMON AND LAVENDER STRAW BALES
€82.00
PROFILE Spicy & Sweet REGION Speyside AGE 11 years ABV 58.3% CASK TYPE 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
Drops of lemon and lavender oil landed on straw bales dusted with icing sugar and double cream. Tangerine then joined the palate, as too did nutmeg and more cream.
Water offered to enhance the sweetness of the nose, adding ripe banana, pine resin, aniseed balls and pear. The palate remained predominantly sweet, although now with some black tea bitterness and a white pepper that fades reassuringly quickly to finish with linseed oil and white chocolate
SMALL BATCH BLENDED MALT
CITRUS REVERIES
€74.00
BATCH 25 AGE 8 ABV 50.0% CASK TYPE 1st fill ex-Bourbon barrels
This tasty drop was crafted exclusively for Society members in partnership with our friends at King’s Inch whisky. Drawn from their truly unique lowland distillate, with a narrow cut point, Anchor DY502 yeast, matured in top quality first fill bourbon barrels. The taste was that of two great desserts – a lemon and star anise posset with a liquorice biscotti, and a chocolate chip cake with sambuca-mascarpone cream.
Following reduction we made ourselves a lemon-honey hot toddy using white rum and a fusion of raw honey, lemon zest and ginger. On the palate we all enjoyed a devilishly moreish caramelised grapefruit margarita served in a sugar-rimmed glass garnished with a lime wheel.
'HERESY' SMALL-BATCH DELIGHTS
CITRUS REVERIES
While the lazy days of summer present an opportunity for daydreaming, the flavours of the season are very much about the zingy vibrancy of the here and now.
As the Society releases its very first Lowland bottling in our ‘Heresy’ series of small-batch whiskies, Julien Willems learns more about this collaboration with Courageous Spirits
SCOTCH AND SHERRY
THE WORLD OF SHERRY WOOD
From specially commissioned seasoned hogsheads to ex-bodega butts, the world of sherry casks can be as confusing to get your head around as the varieties of sherry wine that might have filled them. In our continuing focus on sherry cask-matured whisky, Richard Goslan explores the wonderful world of sherry wood
DISTILLERY PROFILE
THE BEATING HEART OF BALCONES
They describe themselves more as shamans than scientists, and there’s no doubt that in an increasingly crowded distilling environment in the United States, Balcones stands proudly apart.
Society brand ambassador Lee ‘Connas’ Conner continues his dive into some of our distilling partners in the US to find out more about what makes this distillery in Waco, Texas tick