Blogpost: Water of Life – The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Posted by T • July 12, 2021

Posted by T • July 12, 2021

Water of Life – The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

 

There is certainly no shortage of whisky clubs and subscription services these days and for anyone remotely into discovering new flavour nuances and variations of their favourite bottlings, joining one can prove to be a viable option.

The experience those services offer ranges from basic monthly tasting kits that might entice the uninitiated to tumble deeper into the fascinating rabbit hole that the world of whisky provides to curated offerings with expertise at the helm, attention to detail dedicated to each facet and the ambition to provide access to special independent bottlings that one would fail to find anywhere else.

Enter the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which falls into the latter category,

In essence, the SMSW is a club the membership of which gains one access not only to whiskies exclusively sourced and crafted for its members, but also a range of social events, access to partner bars with discounts and regular communiques, e.g. their quarterly magazine Unfiltered, which is one of the more informative and intriguing whisky-centric on this earthround.

Incepted in the 1970s by Pip Hills and informed by his hobbyhorse, i.e. the acquisition of single malt casks to then share the contents with his friends, which to this day constitutes the core ethos and DNA of the SMWS in an augmented manner,  it has evolved to firmly establish itself on the firmament of whisky clubs that has become known for its stringent and rigorous quality standards, implemented by the society’s tasting panel.

Sounds a tad illuminati?

Well, while the “enlightened” set out to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, which to some degree could also be identified as an equivalent tenet of the SMWS as they provide access to more interesting whiskies with the only criteria being quality.

If you have ever come across the uniform signature green SMWS’ bottlings, you would have looked in vain for further details on the label as to the distillery, age, cask, or origin. A deliberate move, as the idea is to not let preconceived notions about regions and distilleries dampen the tasting experience of the more often than not off-profile single cask nuances and resulting surprising discoveries.

Instead SMWS uses a numbering system comprised of two sets of digits, which enables the curious and discerning drinker to unveil the source distillery and number of casks that have been sourced.

What I love about the SMWS are the tasting notes, which are not only expertly written in a way reminiscent of poetry to evoke a mouth-watering Pavlovian response with the mental images they conjure, but often contain subtle hints regarding the source that are easy to decipher for the initiated.

If you are looking for standard whisky offerings, joining the SMWS might not be for you as the appeal lies in the fact that single barrel whiskies can be quite different from the respective distillery’s core range, which on the other hand is the draw for aficionados willing to explore and experiment.

Harbouring more than a weak spot for Islay whiskies, I would love to see SMWS put less emphasis on sherry casks and release more Islays outside the confines of what Caol Ila offers, as I’d only imagine how interesting an SMWS bottling of Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte / Octomore, Ardbeg, Kilchoman and Laphroiag could be.

Needless to say, with the limited nature of SMWS’ offerings and the keen and enthusiastic nature of its members, their monthly outturn is usually lapped up pretty quickly.

We will hopefully have a chance to cover the 2021 incarnation of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship in October, where sensory prowess will reign supreme and which will help to further cover the merits of SMWS as an organisation and shed light on its events.

Summa summarum, if you love whisky and you invested in the independent bottling landscape and single cask variations, a SMWS membership proves to be a very good investment, especially if travel restrictions allow for a visit its inner sanctums in the old world, i.e. the vaults in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.

---

image courtesy of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

T • July 12, 2021

More recent blogposts

Lung @ Lee's Palace

Posted by Mirela Z. • December 10, 2024

Lung @ Lee's Palace Toronto, ON Canada November 19, 2024 Have you ever heard a distorted electric cello, with intense vocals and heavy drum beats? Powerhouse duo, cellist Kate Wakefield and drummer Daisy Caplan, are not to be underestimated! Seeing them for the first time perform live has left me wanting more! Read more

Better Lovers @ The Observatory 11/30/24

Posted by Aaron H • December 5, 2024

Better Lovers: Photo Credit - AMH Better Lovers are making the rounds again, this time with a new full-length LP, Highly Irresponsible, released earlier this Fall. The hardcore mash-up of ex-Dillinger Escape Plan and ex-Every Time I Die members recently brought their show to So-Cal, and I had the pleasure of seeing how things have been going since last year. … Read more

Rise Against/LSDunes/Cloud Nothings @ HOB 11/20/24

Posted by Aaron H • November 28, 2024

Rise Against Fans - Photo Credit: AMH Rise Against decided to hit the road this past fall and brought along L.S. Dunes. Depending on your city, different acts opened the show. Cleveland, Ohio's Cloud Nothings covered the crowd warm-up duties on their run through California. With a bill this stacked, I didn't want to miss it. Cloud Nothings - Photo … Read more

The Blood Brothers @ The Glass House 11/5/24

Posted by Aaron H • November 12, 2024

Blood Brothers - Photo Credit: AMH It's been 10 years since the last Blood Brothers reunion. You wouldn't think a second comeback would hit as hard as the first, but the band is truly better than ever. The reunited post-hardcore troupe is back in celebration of their eminent album, Crimes, released 20 years ago. Different openers are filling in throughout … Read more

Search/Play/Repeat - November 2024

Posted by Loren • November 11, 2024

Vices, outlets, escapes... I'm not sure where things are at here in November of 2024. But as we battle our demons and look for meaning, or escape, music is a blessing. Here's a new playlist. Many of these artists have been covered at Scene Point Blank, mixed in with tracks that just hit me personally for whatever reason. Pay it … Read more

Sisters of Mercy/Blaqk Audio @ The Greek 10/6/24

Posted by Aaron H • October 10, 2024

Sisters of Mercy - Photo Credit: AMH The perennial Post-Punk/Rock group Sisters of Mercy are back in the States, and this time, they're joined by Electro-Dance Duo Blaqk Audio. The tour swung through The Greek Theater in LA, so naturally, I had to catch the show. Blaqk Audio - Photo Credit: AMH I made my way through Griffith Park and … Read more

Strung Out/Adolescents/AWS @ GHCH 9/26/24

Posted by Aaron H • October 2, 2024

A Wilhelm Scream - Photo Credit: AMH Strung Out, Adolescents, and A Wilhelm Scream just got done with a short US Tour. I had the opportunity to catch it as it rolled through So-Cal and I didn't wanna miss it. A Wilhelm Scream opened the show, and after over 2 decades, the band is still out there proving why they're … Read more

Iron Maiden @ Qudos Bank Arena

Posted by T • September 13, 2024

Iron Maiden Qudos Bank Arena Sydney, Australia 12 September 2024 Essentially, what eventuated tonight transformed Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena into a grand amphitheatre of metal might as Iron Maiden stormed the stage, delivering a performance that felt like the awakening of a sleeping giant. Killswitch Engage, the evening’s opening act, took the stage with a ferocity that ignited the crowd … Read more

Search/Play/Repeat August 2024

Posted by Loren • August 12, 2024

I think I've lamented on this in the past, but one thing I really miss about the tape/cdr era is mixtapes. Playlists offer something similar, fortunately, so I can keep it going when I want to mix things up from writing reviews. This list collects a bunch of stuff I've covered/discovered through Scene Point Blank, plus a couple additions that … Read more

Gaslight Anthem/Joyce Manor/Dirty Nil @ HOB 8/3/24

Posted by Aaron H • August 7, 2024

The Gaslight Anthem - Photo Credit: AMH The Gaslight Anthem are out on the road in support of their newest album, History Books. For the west coast leg of the tour, they've brought along The Dirty Nil and Joyce Manor. I was fortunate enough to make it out to their show in Anaheim at the House of Blues and it … Read more