Iron Gate Auctions in Canada presents its largest spirits auction to date with over 425 lots of rare and exceptional spirits. For the first time ever in Canada impossibly hard to find treasures, such as the storied 1974 Ardbeg Provenance 1974 Limited Edition, Colonel EH Taylor Jr Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and the Nikka Taketsuru “On the Road” Prestigious Trunk with 5 bottles honouring the father Japanese whisky.

Auction ends today!- September 23rd, 2024.

View Catalogue 

We firmly believe that whisky is all about what’s in the glass, not on the label. That’s why we bottle whiskies from a wide selection of distilleries but don’t include their name – so you can enjoy each sip without any preconceived notions. You might think you don’t like peated whiskies or prefer certain regions, but Society whisky has a way of surprising you if you’re open to it.

Our selection process is straightforward: if it doesn’t wow our Tasting Panel, it doesn’t make the cut. So, when you pour a dram from us, you’ll know it’s something exceptional, no matter where it’s from. Remember, it’s all about the experience in the glass, not the name on the bottle.

ALL WHISKY

GET IN TOUCH ~ We promise we’re not robots. We’re a small team, all of us members, and would love some chat from kindred spirits – if only to hear what you’ve been doing and what you’re drinking.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Kentucky Distillers’ Association Joins Prestigious World Spirits Alliance

The Worldwide Voice of Bourbon Celebrates New Era of Growth on Global Stage

FRANKFORT, Ky.– As the industry voice of Bourbon, America’s only native spirit, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) has been inducted into the prestigious World Spirits Alliance (WSA) based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Since 1880, the KDA has represented the heart of the Kentucky Bourbon industry and its now 100+ members. As a WSA member, the KDA is proud to enter a new era recognized as the worldwide voice of Bourbon amongst global spirits leaders and benefit from increased industry collaboration.

The WSA is the international trade association for the industry and acts as a representative partner and interlocutor before international organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations (UN).

The WSA offers member producers and leading trade groups a platform to exchange best practices and collectively comment on issues of global relevance, particularly in the areas of free and fair trade and regulatory policy.

Helen Medina, CEO of the WSA, said, “We are delighted to welcome the Kentucky Distillers’ Association to the World Spirits Alliance. The spirits industry is a global powerhouse, contributing an impressive US$730 billion to the world’s GDP in 2022 and supporting 36 million jobs worldwide.

“Cooperation across the industry is imperative and the KDA is such an important voice, offering historic achievements and sustainable success. Together, we can achieve remarkable progress in promoting sustainable growth, responsible practices, and a unified vision for the future of the spirits industry.”

The KDA is proud to offer its resources to the prestigious membership rolls as well, KDA President Eric Gregory said. From record-breaking economic growth to tourism programming to member collaboration and connectivity, Kentucky Bourbon has elevated its presence and is helping spirits industry leaders from across the globe learn from its success.

“With a Bourbon economy that is stronger than ever, Kentucky Bourbon is a leading force respected across the globe,” Gregory said. “As Bourbon continues to gain more momentum each day, a seat at the world table allows our industry the opportunity to maximize our impact, tenfold.

“As the worldwide voice of Bourbon, we regularly consult with other industry leaders who look to our tourism, innovation and economic growth as benchmarks for success. We’re excited to continue to do that while also learning from others who are champions in their industry.

“The WSA is a powerful network and we are honored to be part of it.”

Learn more about the WSA at worldspiritsalliance.com.

Jessica Pendergrass, Chair of the KDA Board of Directors and General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Heaven Hill, said she is proud to see Kentucky Bourbon cementing its place in the global spirits industry.

“As the global leader representing Kentucky Bourbon, the KDA is thrilled to sit at the table with our peers in the spirits industry as a member of the World Sprits Alliance. Through collaboration and partnership with other associations, the KDA is proud to share the history and heritage of Kentucky Bourbon and build on our collective success as we work together to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

Founded in 1880, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association is the worldwide voice for Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.

About the Kentucky Distillers’ Association:

Founded in 1880, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association is the worldwide voice for Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry. Its diverse and growing membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from historic, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are fostering the next generation of the Commonwealth’s timeless craft. Kentucky Bourbon is a $9 billion economic engine generating more than 23,500 jobs and attracting over 2 million visits annually through the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience. A 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization, the KDA maintains an open membership policy, champions a strong commitment to the responsible and moderate consumption of spirits, and fights to curb underage drinking and drunk driving. Learn more at www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com.

OUR SECOND EXPRESSION
LAUNCHES 10AM (UK TIME) 24TH SEPTEMBER 2024…
–
ON SALE IN HARRIS, ONLINE, AND ACROSS THE UK
AVAILABLE GLOBALLY OVER THE COMING MONTHS

It’s Vapour, not paper: The Scottish tech start-up transforming spirit production and maturation around the world

– Vapour, founded in the northeast of Scotland, provides contemporary solutions for comprehensive tracking of a product journey from crop to cask, offering distilleries and cask managers valuable insights into spirit production and maturation

– Gaining attention from a growing customer base across Europe and Australia, Vapour is revolutionising the drinks industry with a digital-first solution

Vapour, a pioneering cloud-based spirit management system, is transforming the way distilleries and cask management companies around the world manage their production and maturation processes. 

Co-founded in Speyside, Scotland by digital expert – and Elgin native – Stephen Hamilton, Vapour is a cutting-edge digital platform that provides an innovative digital-first solution to augment traditional methods used in spirit production and maturation, offering unparalleled traceability and transparency from crop to cask.

The innovative platform, developed alongside industry experts, is enabling brands like Brewdog Distilling and Lochlea Distillery to track their products’ entire lifecycle with a mobile device, from raw material intake to cask maturation and beyond.

By capturing data at every stage of the production and maturation processes, Vapour creates a comprehensive record of provenance, allowing distilleries to monitor quality, track changes, and gain valuable insights into their spirits’ unique journey. This traceability is built into the platform from the moment it is used.

Vapour offers a flexible pricing model tailored to the needs of all sizes of business, making it an accessible and cost-effective solution at a time where value is of utmost importance.

Co-founder and CTO at Vapour, Stephen Hamilton, said: “We have developed Vapour in collaboration with leading industry experts, ensuring that the platform addresses the specific operational challenges of running a distillery or maturing and bottling spirit. A key aspect of our philosophy is that we don’t ask you to do anything different than you do today – it’s as simple as recording your existing activities in Vapour.”

“We’re proud to say that in just a few short years since launching, we now have customers as far afield as Australia using Vapour, and our customer base across Europe has expanded significantly too. The nature of the product means it’s extremely quick to set up for customers anywhere in the world and can be done remotely from our base in Scotland.”

“It is not just a digital record, we are digitising operations within distilleries and in turn giving them scalable, efficient and detailed support at every stage of production. It is fantastic to have clients like Brewdog Distilling, Lochlea Distillery and Scotch Whisky Investments on board who we’ve worked with to enhance and craft the platform to meet the needs of our clients. We have also developed important industry partnerships such as Clyde Associated Engineers, a major supplier for fluid handling businesses like our distillery and maturation customers, to automate and digitise data capture on the distillery or warehouse floor.”

“As is the nature of the product, we can easily adapt and add new functionality to Vapour based on feedback from our customers. We are in the relatively early stages of bringing Vapour to the world, but we feel hugely optimistic about the future.”

John Campbell, Production Director at Lochlea Distillery, and legendary former distillery manager at Laphroaig stated: “Having previous experience of the traditional technology used in large volume spirit producers, I was immediately impressed with the Vapour platform from day one with how easy it has been to use and embed into our processes in the distillery. The fact that Vapour is a digital platform means that wherever I am in the world, I can have an instant overview of what’s happening at the distillery across Production, Maturation, and soon our Bottling processes. Our inventory management and traceability have never been as good as they are now. The depth of utility and flexibility offered by Vapour is ideal for us and I’m sure many other spirits businesses.”

For more information, please visit: https://vapour.scot

Our September Auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from 7pm (BST) Friday 20th September until 7pm (BST) Sunday 29th September 2024.

www.whiskyhammer.com

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Glendronach – 50 Year Old (1971)

Glenfarclas – 1959 (The Historic Reserve No.3) Christmas Malt

Highland Park – 40 Year Old (1958)

Bowmore – 43 Year Old (1973)

Dalmore – 20 Year Old (1991) Constellation Collection

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.com.

Our 74^th release, the Cask Collection documents more than two decades of single casks from A. D. Rattray.

These bottles are our story, the way we tell it best. 

Whisky curation – the art of grouping and presenting whiskies in a meaningful way – is at the very heart of what we do as an independent bottler, guiding people through their journeys of whisky exploration. As for all whiskies selected in A. D. Rattray’s Cask Collection, the six casks chosen for our 74th release stand alone in terms of both quality and intrigue. But beyond meeting these individual criteria, each cask is selected for its contribution to the release as a whole. 

Of course, there are several practical and financial reasons for grouping casks together in a release; maximising time with a print set-up and on a bottling line, as well as consolidating samples, communications and shipping. However, a carefully curated release is much more than just the sum of its parts, and may help to make Scotch whisky more accessible. Categorizing, grouping and sorting our whiskies is vital in helping potential whisky lovers enter and navigate the world of Scotch whisky, to explore different distilleries, regions, cask types, ages and flavour profiles. Alone, one cask is a singular piece in the puzzle, whilst the full gamut of Scotch whisky offers such variety and nuance that it may seem intimidating, or even impenetrable. DRCC74 serves as a cross-section of our whisky landscape, offering various points of reference to the curious consumer.  

Whilst showcasing the great variety of whiskies produced throughout Scotland, the selection of Cask Collection No.74 is also an acknowledgement of what each cask shares; not simply the timing of their bottling and release, but the people involved and the values we embody. With each curation, we strive to present the best of A. D. Rattray, yet are mindful of the long-term impact of the decisions we make today. Put simply, these snapshots of our stocks, methodologies, and current trends, are a statement of who we are. 

Now on our 74th release, the Cask Collection documents more than two decades of single casks from A. D. Rattray. These bottles are our story, the way we tell it best. 

COLLECTION 74

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

SAVE £100 ON THESE ICONIC WHISKIES

While Stocks last, we’re offering £100 off the retail prices of these six whiskies from the world’s great distilleries, including Macallan, Talisker and Chichibu.

SHOP NOW

Cigar Malt Batch No 3 (2023)

Tamdhu Cigar Malt Batch No 3 Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in first fill European oak sherry casks with a character robust enough to support the rich flavour of a top quality cigar, each cask meticulously hand-selected for this purpose. 2023 limited release.

£231.59

NOSE: Gingerbread dipped in honey, with unmistakable sherry oak.
PALATE: Panna cotta with sherry-dipped raisins and malt biscuits.
FINISH: A hint of apricot jam, ending with rich praline.

Tamdhu Distillery was founded in Speyside in 1896 and in production the following year. Designed by Charles Doig this distillery was originally equipped with two stills that were increased to four in 1972 and then six in 1975 in order to cope with the ever increasing demand for Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark blends of scotch to which Tamdhu was a major contributor. When the nearby railway station closed in 1965 the ticket office was subsequently converted into the Tamdhu Distillery visitor. But the visitor centre closed and then the distillery itself in March 2010 and with it the last working Saladin malting boxes in Scotland. A year later and Ian Macleod Distillers purchased Tamdhu Distillery and re-opened it in 2012. Single malts include Tamdhu 10 Year Old and Batch Strength.

Nikka Days

 Gold — International Spirits Challenge 2020

A subtle blend of grain and malt whiskies, slightly peated. Creamy, fruity and smooth, this whisky will please amateurs and connoisseurs alike with its floral and fruity notes. A whisky with a smooth and fruity profile, to enjoy neat or in a cocktail.

Expect notes of white flowers, orange blossoms and pear on the nose, leading to a complex palate of malt, toffee, nuts, vanilla and a hint of peat. The finish is fruity, malty and lingering, with a distinctive apricot note.

WAS £51.00

NOW £39.00

SHOP NOW ❯

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯