Upcoming Tastings

Elements of Islay Online Tasting

Wednesday 20th May 2020 at 7.30pm

For one night only, the inimitable duo of Oliver Chilton and Katy Kennedy will lead you across the incredible selection of Islay whisky bottled by Elixir Distillers. Guiding you through some of the history of the island, as well as the science behind the unique flavour profile that binds these highly regarded distilleries, the evening will not be one to miss.

The tasting will comprise of:

Br7 –  sherry hogsheads, distilled in 2001
Ma2 – first fill bourbon barrels, distilled in 2004
Lp8 – ex-Madeira casks, distilled in 1998
Bw7 –  sherry butts, distilled in 2001

Book Tasting

Douglas Laing Online Tasting

Wednesday 27th May 2020 at 7.30pm

Join us for and our good friends at Douglas Laing for an unforgettable online tasting experience, exploring their selection from many categories of Scotch whisky. From grain to blended and single malt, the various styles of whisky produced in Scotland will be on show.

Rock Island 21 Year Old (Limited release)
Glenrothes 15 Old Particular
Braeval 18 Old Particular
Inchgower 21 Old Particular
Cameronbridge 35  XOP

Book Tasting

The Whisky Shop Dufftown
Virtual Relaxed Whisky Quiz

At the beginning of May The Whisky Shop Dufftown intended to bring a host of whisky events to Speyside.  One of them was a relaxed whisky quiz hosted by our good friends at Maltstock with the most relaxed quiz master known to whisky, Teun van Wel.  Maltstock quizzes are legendary and it would be a loss to the world as we know it if it did not go ahead.  Teun suggested we could go ahead as planned, albeit virtually, so that is what we are going to do.  Just two weeks later, and via Facebook live, we will bring direct to you (almost) the same relaxed fun quiz on Sunday 17 May.

The event will be streamed on The Whisky Shop Dufftown’s Facebook page from 4pm CET / 3pm BST.  Answer forms will be sent to contestants electronically to be completed and returned.  Teun will be your on-line host with the questions.  The questions may be fiendish, testing, whacky, revealing or fun but always relaxed.

How do you take part?  We will be running three leagues during the quiz.  The first one is for mere mortals, the amateur league.  The second one is for teams of mere mortals.  If you are entering as a team then it is down to you how you organize your team communications.  The third and final league is not for immortals but for whisky professionals.  Not all of these are immortal.  These are people that are or have been employed in the whisky industry and is just for fun.  This is to make things fair for all taking part.

When you complete the quiz, you will receive a £5 voucher to use on The Whisky Shop Dufftown’s on-line store to put towards a whisky purchase.  You will be able to win prizes along the way during the quiz as well and, of course, the big prize for the top scoring contestant or team in each amateur league.  When taking part, we strongly recommend ensuring you have a good supply of drams to hand to make sure the brain cells are appropriately lubricated.

To enter the individual amateur league click here to buy a ticket and for the team amateur league click here.  Tickets are £10 per entry.  One ticket per team but it is down to you on how to share the voucher and any prizes you win amongst your team.

The professional league is for “fun” only.  No prizes.  They do not need the incentive to be competitive.  Drop me an email if you want to take part in the professional league (mike@whiskyshopdufftown.com).

So contestants are you ready? Tickets on sale until 16 May.

Don’t miss our new video series filled with Japanese Whisky, comedy, music and more whisky.

Watch the latest episode now.

Discover the famous whisky from one of Japan’s most renowned distilleries.

Dekanta

2-49-7 Minamiikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo,

How time flies; it is now the beginning of May and “The Self Isolation Festival” is less than four weeks away so we thought that we would take this opportunity to give you the latest update on our progress.

Firstly, we are surprised by the interest shown by the whisky industry, you can see this by the strength of those who are supporting us on the day. There have been one or two changes, as you would expect, due to the current difficult time that we are going through and we also had to find a replacement for Whisky Auctioneer due to unforeseen circumstances.  However, they are behind us and still providing their support to the day.

The full day’s programme of Whisky Masterclasses will now be as follows:

• Starward Distillery from Melbourne, Australia
• Dewar’s of Aberfeldy
• Tullibardine Distillery
• Lindores Abbey Distillery
• The GlenAllachie
• Buffalo Trace from Kentucky, USA
• Robertson’s Private Collection

The masterclasses will be interspersed with music from three local musicians, mixology sessions, a talk from Blair Bowman – whisky consultant and author, a whisky quiz and a prize draw.

Tickets are now on sale and have now been purchased in several countries globally.

As planned, we will be giving £5 from every tasting kit bought to the NHS Emergency Fund, along with monies raised by the auction and a Just Giving page that we are setting up for the event.

We are now offering the opportunity to pick and mix your drams for the day, please see the web site for details.

To register or purchase tasting kits please go to:   www.robertsonsofpitlochry.co.uk

To ensure that the tasting kits arrive in time for the event we will be having two cut off dates for purchasing:

International 15th May 2020

United Kingdom 22nd May 2020

Kind Regards

Sandy Fraser

Co-organiser

Highland Perthshire Whisky Festival

The Self Isolation Festival

As we enter another week of lockdown, we’re starting to get into the swing of connecting together online as we all stay at home. To help all our members stay in touch with the Society, and each other, we’ve got another busy week coming up in our virtual Members’ Room. Check out what’s coming up.

BRINGING THE FESTIVAL TO YOU!

Normally in May we’d be out and about, meeting members from all over the world at the whisky festivals of Speyside, the Highlands, Campbeltown and Islay. Since we can’t be there in person, we’re bringing the festival to you. We have celebratory bottlings, virtual pub sessions, music, quizzes and special tastings – take a look at the full programme and see how you can get involved.

SEE FESTIVAL PROGRAM

OUR FIRST VIRTUAL TASTINGS STAT THIS WEEK

If you bought one of our Virtual Tasting Discovery Packs last month, the wait is almost over – the live tastings start this week! We’ll be hosting screenings with local ambassadors across the UK and Europe, so you can join the one nearest to you. Remember to check the start time and platform for your chosen tasting, then get your glasses and Discovery Pack ready to join in. You can even download and print our exclusive tasting mat, and join in the conversation using #alltogethersmws

FIND MY EVENT

DOWNLOAD TASTING MAT

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

We had a great time celebrating the Spirt of Speyside Festival on Friday with the launch of our first virtual pub session. Streamed on our UK Facebook and YouTube page, members got together at the ‘bar’ to share a dram and chat with whisky writer Hans Offringa and Glen Moray ambassador Iain Allan, talk whisky and wildlife with expert Nick Baker, and enjoy music and a good old pub quiz.

If you missed out, don’t worry – you can join us this Friday, 8 May to raise a toast to the Highland Whisky Festival – featuring whisky legend Richard Paterson from Whyte & Mackay, and the Whisky Bard himself, Robin Laing. The festivities kick off at 8pm.

RELIVE THE SPEYSIDE NIGHT

THE FESTIVAL FINALE REGIONAL SAFARI

We’re already looking ahead to our next virtual tasting, where we’ll be enjoying a flavour safari round Scotland’s whisky regions. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on a Festival Discovery Pack, with five 25ml drams from this year’s festival bottlings then join us online for an evening of untamed entertainment on 29 May

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

We’re all disappointed that we can’t gather together at Scotland’s festivals this year, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate our love for whisky. Throughout May, we’ll be bringing the festival experience to you virtually, featuring online pub sessions with tastings, live music, quizzes and Q&As. Head to the website now and explore our programme to find out what’s coming up – we look forward to sharing a virtual dram with you soon!

DISCOVER MORE

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

This Sunday 3^rd May Smokehead TV is going on a virtual American road trip with hell raising national guitar madman Dave Arcari. Dave is a trash, punk, country, rockabilly and delta blues kind of a guy who’s toured the US nine times covering virtually every state. A big friend of Smokehead, he’s invited fellow musicians like Seasick Steve to experience it on the road and even written a song to our Islay Single Malt.

We’ll be drinking Sherry Bomb, making Smokehead cocktails, playing his signature National Reso-Phonic guitar and giving you guys a chance to win cool Smokehead merch – we hope you can join our live session.

Stay safe, stay indoors Smokeheads.

SHOP NOW

 During this challenging time, £1 from the sale of each bottle purchased from www.smokehead.com will be donated to the Drinks Trust and The Ben to support their mission of providing care and support to our hospitality colleagues.

Join us for a Virtual Whisky Tasting!

During these extraordinary times as we shelter-at-home, we can still get together remotely to enjoy some great drams and discover more about our favorite spirits. 

Look out for more virtual tastings & #stayhome whisky events in the future!

Upcoming Virtual Tastings Calendar

(click listings for more details) 

 Monday, May 4th, 5PM:

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch

Thursday, May 7th 5:30PM:

Balcones Bourbon

Monday, May 4th,  5PM:

Glenmorangie Single Malt 

Join us for a Virtual Happy Hour with Glenmorangie Scotch, presented by Global Ambassador and Keeper of the Quaich David Blackmore! This roughly 1 hour presentation will feature the Original 10yr, La Santa, Quinta Ruban, and Nectar D’or Glenmorangie expressions. Additionally The Whisky Shop has a special sale price for featured whiskies: The Glenmorangie Collection Taster Set is $20 off. (Was $45, now $25).

 Click here to purchase the Taster Set
Tasting set includes all featured whiskies for this tasting.

All other Glenmorangie Whiskies are 10% off with coupon code ‘GLENMORANGIE’ at checkout

Click Here to Purchase Glenmorangie Whiskies

Thursday, May 7th,  5:30PM:

Balcones Bourbon 

Join us for a virtual tasting of Balcones Texas Single Malt!  From humble beginnings an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas, Balcones distillery is now recognized worldwide for their bold and intense flavors. From blue corn grown in New Mexico to the first Texas-grown malted barley, they’ve taken pains to create a truly Texas spirit – which is then distilled in magnificent copper pot whisky stills designed by Forsyths of Scotland.

Click Here to RSVP

Additionally through May, Balcones Distillery will donate $5 of every bottle sold to the USBG bartender emergency assistance fund. Get 10% off all Balcones whiskies with the coupon code ‘BALCONES’ at checkout.

Click Here to Purchase Whiskies

Tasting experiences are held over Zoom and allow a limited number of participants, so please do not wait until the last minute to reserve your ticket! After purchasing and shortly before the tasting, an email will be sent to you with instructions to access the tasting via Zoom.

Hebridean Businesses Collaborate for Remote Tastings

A company which sources ‘wild water’ from the Isle of Lewis for whisky drinkers to enjoy with their dram is uniting remote island communities in a digital collaboration with a small whisky shop in the Outer Hebrides, a well-known Scottish distiller and a whisky expert.

James McIntosh, the founder of wild water brand Larkfire, is launching an online ‘Whisky & Wild’ tastings series together with whisky expert Matt Chambers and Jura single malt whisky, produced on the island of Jura nestled off the West Coast of Scotland.

Larkfire is sending free tasting packs of its wild water and samples of 12, 18 and 21-year-old Jura single malt whisky to islanders with the aim of keeping spirits high while businesses and communities are on lockdown and tourism is on hold.

Whisky blogger and awards judge Matt Chambers will be hosting the live whisky tastings on Instagram, encouraging islanders to connect and communicate during lockdown.

James McIntosh, whose Larkfire business already supports local initiatives through a partnership which donates a percentage of sales to The Stornoway Trust, hopes that the new digital initiative will support communities.

He said: “We’re keen to support communities and businesses on the islands and were mulling over what we could do to help, just to raise spirits a little.

“We heard about Stornoway start-up business, the Island Spirit Whisky shop, having to postpone its opening because of the current situation, and it gave us the idea of doing something virtually.  We contacted owner Iain Faller and he’s put us in contact with other businesses.

“What sounds like the start of a joke about a bar – a wild water for whisky, a whisky shop and a distiller start working together – is happening, ironically, because there are no bars open.

“We are launching the first ‘Whisky & Wild’ tasting on 1 May, inviting islanders to join a free online session hosted by Matt.  We hope to unite many people in raising a glass during lockdown, supporting each other and promoting local businesses across the islands and beyond.”

Kirsteen Beeston, Head of International Malts at Whyte and Mackay which owns the Jura brand, said: “We are delighted to support this creative initiative of bringing together fellow Scottish island communities.”

Larkfire – a natural ‘wild water’ that brings out the full flavour of whisky – is stocked by prestigious venues including Boisdale Group sites in Mayfair, Belgravia, Canary Wharf and Bishopsgate. Soho Whisky Club also uses Larkfire for its tasting events, and Islington restaurant Frederick’s offers Larkfire alongside its range of world whiskies.  It was named Best Premium Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards.

To enquire about future ‘Whisky & Wild’ online tastings email James@larkfire.co.uk

End-of-Line Whisky Sale

Our overstock & end of line sales continue with more local whiskies and rare single malts to pick from – get them while you still can!

Click here to see the sale at whiskyshopusa.com