Friday August 30th 4-6PM:

Scotch Tasting: GlenAllachie 

Join us for a traditional whisky tasting of GlenAllachie scotch! We’ll have a variety of rare and award-winning releases to try at this expert presented tasting. Established in Speyside in 1967, GlenAllachie produced blended whiskies under the Chivas Portfolio until 2018. Their single cask, aged releases, and peated blends, have since swept numerous international award competitions, including the 2019 World Whiskies Awards and San Francisco Spirits Challenge.

Click Here to RSVP

Saturday Tickets Now Sold Out!

But not to worry – the UK’s largest whisky festival is a two-day event and we still have both Sunday and weekend tickets available. You’ll find all the same great experiences at the show each day, including more than 800 whiskies from 100+ exhibitors, masterclasses, Dream Drams and lots more.

Book Now

Experience a truly ‘life-changing’ whisky experience in aid of a fantastic charity 

In aid of Spinal Injuries Association

London, UK: On Friday 30th August, an intimate tasting session is being hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at their tasting rooms in London, in collaboration with world-renowned whisky commentator Jim Murray. The event will support the Spinal Injuries Association, a national charity working with spinal cord injured people across the UK.

This exclusive event offers a very special chance for 20 guests to spend an evening sampling some of the finest and rarest whiskies in existence, with one of the greatest whisky writers of all time, whilst supporting a fantastic charity too.

Jim Murray is the world’s leading commentator on whiskies, having become the world’s first full time whisky writer in 1992. Author of the annual, bestselling ‘Whisky Bible’, which is currently in its 16th edition & heading to 1 million copies sold. Jim is also a consultant blender, travelling the world training the next generation of blenders. He will be leading this special tasting session, taking guests on a journey through eight specially selected ‘mystery drams’, giving his own personal insight into each selection, and offering expert tutelage to help guests have the ultimate in whisky tasting experiences.

As with any Jim Murray event, the evening will be entertaining and fun-filled, catering for all guests, no matter their level as a whisky enthusiast.

The evening will conclude with the chance to sample one of the Society’s own single cask malts, with each guest also receiving a hand-signed copy of the ‘Whisky Bible’ – the envy of any collector!

With only 20 tickets available, this event is a chance to spend an evening in the company of one of the real masters of malt, whilst also helping to change the lives of spinal cord injured people across the UK.

Tickets are £200 per guest and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Buy your ticket today via SIA’s website here: www.spinal.co.uk/events/whisky-tasting.

50,000 people live with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in the UK, and 2,500 people are injured or diagnosed with an SCI every year. The Spinal Injuries Association supports SCI people as well as their families and friends, from the moment of injury, during rehabilitation and at any time afterward.

Find out more about Spinal Injuries Association visit www.spinal.co.uk. 

Notes:

About The Spinal Injuries Association 

Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the leading national user-led charity for spinal cord injured (SCI) people. Being a user-led organisation; SIA are well placed to understand the everyday needs of living with an injury. SIA are here to meet those needs, by providing key services to share information and experience, and to campaign for change, ensuring each person can lead a full and active life. SIA supports spinal cord injured people and their families with practical and emotional support, advice and information, empowering them to lead full and independent lives.

We aim to:

• Offer support and assistance from the time of injury and for the rest of a paralysed person’s life
• Provide services to increase an individual’s quality of life
• Support the families of newly injured people
• Increase knowledge and awareness of the causes and consequences of spinal cord injury
• Campaign for the best medical and social care for spinal cord injured people 

About SCI

Every year in the UK over 1,000 people experience a spinal cord injury and there are an estimated 40,000 spinal cord injured people in the UK alone. Spinal cord injury is life changing. It can happen to anyone, at any time. Spinal cord injury often causes paralysis and can also affect many other aspects of a person’s health.

Saturday August 24th 

11AM-6PM: 

Single Malt Tasting: Edradour, Signatory, & Kinahan’s 

Presented by single malt expert Tony Marino, this tasting features lesser-seen distilleries and independent bottlers. We’ll have with new and rare single malts from Edradour, Kinahan’s, and the Signatory Vintage portfolio to try from 11AM-6PM.

Click Here to RSVP

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

CELEBRATES HERITAGE WITH WEEK-LONG FESTIVAL IN EDINBURGH  

‘The Gathering’ encourages SMWS members from all over the globe to make the pilgrimage to their spiritual home at The Vaults, Leith 

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is hosting ‘The Gathering’, a week-long celebration of its Leith origins that will bring members together to discover and share wonderful whisky experiences. The festival is taking place from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 September at The Vaults and other iconic Leith venues.

‘The Gathering’ encapsulates what it means to be a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, with a jam-packed week of fun-filled whisky-themed events. Festivities include a fascinating walking tour of Leith’s illustrious whisky history, an exclusive whisky and Leith food pairing, tasting and film screenings at renowned Leith venues, as well as member events in the courtyard of the spiritual home of the Society, The Vaults.

BRINGING MEMBERS TOGETHER WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THE WORLD

The SMWS is now a truly global membership organisation, with members and partner bars across the world. For those who can’t make the journey to Leith, SMWS will share the spirit of The Vaults through an integrated online tasting experience. The Virtual Tasting, hosted by SMWS Master Ambassador John McCheyne, will be screened live from The Vaults to the world via Facebook on Saturday 7 September.

Branches across Europe including Munich, Paris and Stockholm will also be holding The Gathering events at their venues for local members from August 20 to September 21.

CELEBRATING LEITH’S HERITAGE  

The SMWS will celebrate the arts and film that support its unconventional nature with festivities going beyond The Vaults to other iconic Leith venues, with exclusive screenings at the beautiful Leith Theatre, as well as The Biscuit Factory.

The whisky experts have partnered with local producers, including a colourful food pairing with the much-loved Kilted Donuts, who will be pairing five of their sweet and savoury donuts with delicious SMWS whiskies.

Throughout the week, SMWS member and history enthusiast Justine Hazlehurst will be hosting regular walking tours of Leith, getting up close to the area’s intriguing history and whisky heritage.

Jan Damen, Operations Director at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, said: “As a Society, we’re always striving to ensure that our global members feel connected to one another and are able to share their whisky experiences together.

“This is a rare opportunity for our members from all over the world to come together and congregate at The Vaults for a series of unique events. We look forward to welcoming whisky lovers from near and far.”

For details on all the events and to buy tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/2HaaTM6

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The SMWS bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society bottles single malts, unique single casks and exclusive blends
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 138 distilleries from Scotland and beyond
• The Society offers a new batch of around 20 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Society offers a variety of membership packages which can be tailored. Please seehttps://bit.ly/2uqKanT
• For more information about the Society, visithttps://bit.ly/2HHiNyC
• Twitter: @SMWSUK Facebook: @thesmwsuk Instagram: @smws_uk

Gordon’s “A Spirit-ual Experience” Tasting 2019’s Biggest & Best Whisk(e)y & Spirits Event!

Gordon’s is proud to announce ticket sales are underway to our signature spirits walk-around tasting “A Spirit-ual Experience”, taking place on Sunday, September 22nd at Boston’s Artists for Humanity EpiCenter.

Since 2015, Ken Gordon and his world-class whisk(e)y team have hosted A Spirit-ual Experience, one of Massachusetts’ largest in-store spirits tastings, connecting connoisseurs with the world’s best distilleries. For the first time, we are moving A Spirit-ual Experience off-site to Boston’s innovative Artists for Humanity EpiCenter.

This year’s Spirit-ual Experience will feature over 300 of the world’s best spirits including whisk(e)y, tequila, rum, cordials, gin, local distilleries and, of course, Gordon’s Single Barrels!

Guests will enjoy 5 lounge experiences, gourmet food pairing stations, and live music in addition to over 50 tasting tables! Don’t miss this chance to raise a glass to the Distiller’s Art with Gordon’s!

Featured Distilleries/Brands include The Glenlivet, Pernod Ricard, Beam Suntory, Old Pulteney, 375 Park Ave Spirits, Diageo, William Grant & Sons, GHOST Tequila & many more!

Go to gordonswine.com for a full list of participating brands/distilleries and pre-event whisk(e)y dinners & seminars!

Gordon’s “A Spirit-ual Experience” At A Glance:

Date: Sunday, September 22nd from 2-5PM (1PM VIP Entrance) Event Capacity: 400

Location: Artists for Humanity EpiCenter 100 W 2nd St, Boston, MA 02127 Ticket Price: General Admission: $85.00 VIP Admission: $150.00 Ticket Sales Link: https://www.gordonswine.com/event/gordon-s-a-spirit-ual-experience-2019-09-22-18-00-00.html

About Gordon’s Fine Wine & Liquors:

For over 85 years and four generations, Gordon’s has been the leading purveyor of fine wines, spirits and craft beer in New England. We pride ourselves on offering outstanding products at the best prices while maintaining topnotch service.

With a wide range of beverage services such as exclusive email offers, private barrel whiskey selections, corporate events and beverage catering, and a wine storage facility, Gordon’s has proven to be a cutting-edge retailer. Our success has always been built on our ability to form long lasting relationships with our customers.

New Scotch and Bourbon Study & Certification Program Announced

The Council of Whiskey Masters​ in Los Angeles is introducing a dedicated certification program for whiskey. Two separate Level 1 tracks, Certified Scotch Professional (CSP)​ and Certified Bourbon Professional (CBP)​, are now open for student enrollment.

While several organizations have offered credentialing programs for spirits, no specialized and rigorous self study program has been available globally for Scotch or Bourbon, nor for whiskey in general. The market gap to offer a credential program that can gain the same industry trust as the leading wine and sommelier certifications can hereby be filled.

With growing interest for Scotch and Bourbon, beverage professionals and hobbyist can formalize their dedication to whiskey through a demanding study and examination program, from anywhere in the world.

Candidates enrolled in the CSP​ or CBP​ programs (Level 1) receive a detailed 100-page study guide to prepare for the exam. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, with an exam time of 1 hour. Passing grade is 80%. Exam dates are offered 4 times a year in local exam centers everywhere in the United States, Europe and Canada. Candidates receive a diploma and a lapel pin upon passing the exam, and may carry the corresponding postnominal after their name.

Passing either Level 1 exam (Scotch track or Bourbon track) allows candidates to register for the comprehensive Certified Whiskey Specialist​ (CWS;​ Level 2) exam, and they can later proceed to the Master of Scotch​ (SM​, Level 3) and Master of Whiskey​ (WM​, Level 4) levels.

Program and registration information, as well as curriculum overview and sample exam questions, can be found at www.WhiskeyMasters.org.

Contact email: Office@ScotchMasters.org

SUMMARY

Master of Whiskey – Study and Certification Program
Level 1: Certified Scotch Professional (CSP)​ OR Certified Bourbon Professional (CBP)
(open for enrollment now)
Level 2: Certified Whiskey Specialist (CWS)
Level 3: Master of Scotch (SM)
Level 4: Master of Whiskey (WM)

Friday August 30th 4-6PM:

Scotch Tasting: GlenAllachie 

Join us for a traditional whisky tasting of GlenAllachie scotch! We’ll have a variety of rare and award-winning releases to try at this expert presented tasting.

Established in Speyside in 1967, GlenAllachie produced blended whiskies under the Chivas Portfolio until 2018. Their single cask, aged releases, and peated blends, have since swept numerous international award competitions, including the 2019 World Whiskies Awards and San Francisco Spirits Challenge.

Click Here to RSVP

Last chance for tickets to our Summer Festival this weekend!

Make your week brighter by joining us at our Summer Festival this Saturday 17th August! With a very special limited single malt release on sale only to ticket holders, incredible live music with King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys headlining, delicious food and our Oustanding Natural Spirits, this is one you don’t want to miss!

We’re down to our last tickets, so get yours now to avoid missing out.

Head to our website via the link below to buy tickets and for more information.

GET YOUR TICKET HERE

Single Malt Tasting: Edradour, Signatory, & Kinahan’s at The Whisky Shop #SFO

Presented by single malt expert Tony Marino, this tasting features lesser-seen distilleries and independent bottlers. We’ll have with new and rare single malts from Edradour, Kinahan’s, and the Signatory Vintage portfolio to try from 11AM-6PM.

Click Here to RSVP