SMWS AT 40

MAVERICK MOMENTS

Spirit of Rebellion

Cast your mind back, if you’re old enough, four decades to 1983. That’s the year The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded, against a backdrop of distillery closures, a ‘whisky loch’ of blended spirit that couldn’t be drained, and an industry that showed little interest in single malts, and even less in single cask whiskies.

It took a rebellious attitude to challenge the status quo, something the Society has been doing consistently over 40 years. Througout 2023 we’ll be bringing you events and whisky to celebrate our anniversary. So bookmark this page to regularly review and see what’s happening.

Read about the Founding of SMWS

CASK NO. SM.55

Maverick

1st, 2nd & refill hogsheads Spanish oak oloroso, Spanish oak PX & bourbon

€83.50

Spirit Notes:
The aromas of freshly waxed, natural marble floors, mosaics and terrazzo tiles were followed by a fruity scent from apricots, peaches and plums, before a cup of Assam tea and fig, apple and raisin bread pudding joined the party. On the palate, we found American-style blueberry and banana pancakes with lemon juice and maple syrup, as well as cardamom and orange-spiced rhubarb on top of fluffy French toast.

Following dilution we discovered dark chocolate, marshmallows and a sherry mango trifle. To taste, a traditional ‘blood & sand’ cocktail, named after a 1922 film about a Spanish matador, using equal parts of Scotch, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and orange juice.

MORE DETAILS

NEW WAVE 40TH ANNIVERSARY BOTTLINGS

In March, the SMWS is celebrating new distillers with illustrations by our old master, Bob Dewar. We are releasing a series of 10 bottles for markets around the world, selected from three of the UK’s newest distilleries and all illustrated by the Society’s original illustrator, Bob Dewar – the artist who was instrumental in defining our look when we started out 40 years ago, and whose artwork still adorns the ceiling of our spiritual home at The Vaults.

The ‘New Wave’ celebrates new distilleries and hidden gems – it’s a symbol of everything that the SMWS is all about.

Our original spirit dating back to 1983 was to celebrate access to new experiences – and to help out, we brought back the original house illustrator to marry up that original spirit with a new wave of bottles.

Trying new whiskies has always been part of the endless discovery journey for Society members, and that’s as true today as it has ever been. Our ‘New Wave’ is a look forward, with an interpretation of flavour by our old master, Bob Dewar, on each bottle label.

Euan Campbell, SMWS Head of Whisky Creation, said: “The distilling scene is vibrant and it's a pleasure to work with distilleries old and new. All of these releases are from our new make fillings programme, so we've seen them develop from day one and are delighted to see these releases with the artwork of a key figure in the Society’s history.

“Trying new whiskies has always been part of the endless discovery journey for Society members, and that’s as true today as it has ever been. Our ‘New Wave’ is a look forward, with an interpretation of flavour by our old master, Bob Dewar, on each bottle label.”

A NEW WAVE, AN OLD MASTER

40TH ANNIVERSARY BOTTLINGS

Our bespoke New Wave artwork was created by Bob Dewar. These unique bottlings are part of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

CASK NO.

A WHISKY EPIPHANY

As The Scotch Malt Whisky Society celebrates its 40th anniversary, founder Pip Hills recounts his single cask epiphany on the Aberdeenshire farm where it took place – thanks to his friends, a rusty combine harvester and a whisky-loving farmer’s lemonade bottle.

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