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

Discover the famous whisky from one of Japan’s most renowned distilleries. Don’t miss our new video series filled with Japanese Whisky, comedy, music and more whisky. Watch now.

Dekanta

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

Mark the New Date!

We’re happy to confirm that this year’s Spirit of Toronto has been rescheduled for Thursday October 15 at 6:30pm at Roy Thomson Hall.

Tickets go on sale Thursday September 10th at 10am, and those of you subscribed to this list will get another update post-Labour Day.

And now it’s time to open some special bottles…

Spirit of Toronto Online Masterclass Series

With fifteen years under our belt, it’s fair to say that Spirit of Toronto has accrued a considerable archive and the time has come for us to share this bounty.

These are dusties acquired over our many years of travel and tasting, waiting for the right occasion to be opened. We always knew we’d recognize when the time was right, and if recent events have taught us anything, it’s to cherish our human connections, near and far — and that hoarding really is a bad look…

With this in mind, we’re excited to be presenting an online edition of our ever-popular masterclass series: eight virtual tastings to be held daily 5:30-6:30pm EDT from Friday, May 8 to Friday, May 15, delivered to you in the comfort of your own home.

We’ve dug deep into our cellars for the occasion, and look forward to offering our friends and fans the singular opportunity to enjoy a guided tasting of some truly engrossing, thought-provoking drams. Most of these collectibles are rarely ever opened for tasting, and all promise much to savour and contemplate.

We’re entrusting none other than Regis Lemaitre to present this series of unique and unrepeatable masterclasses. A long time friend and presenter at Spirit of Toronto, Regis’ love of whisky runs deep, having previously curated the whisky bars at both the Gleneagles and Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, Scotland, as well as judging on a variety of awards panels. He is currently an accredited trainer with Scotland’s Whisky Ambassador program, in addition to being an ambassador for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Masterclass registration includes four 20ml samples in an engraved wooden box, tasting mat, pipette, netiquette guide to online participation, and an email link to join the tasting on the scheduled day and time. In the event you register for a class and are unable to join the live tasting, a recording of the session will be archived for your viewing.

These online masterclass sessions will be open for registration as of Friday April 24 at 12pm EDT. There are only 30 spots available per session so don’t delay in booking.

Regrettably, due to shipping restrictions, these masterclasses are only available to Canadian residents.

Click for our Online Masterclass Schedule

Smokehead TV is back for episode 3 this Sunday 24^th April at 5pm – The Smokehead film awards night featuring our resident film geek, and friend of Smokehead Mr Pickles. This week we’re paying tribute to the definitive Smokehead film performance. We asked Smokeheads what film or actor captures the bold, upbeat and distinctly individual character of our Smokehead whisky. And the winner was… a Bruce Willis/Sin City/Pulp Fiction/Tarantino mash up. There will be Smokehead cocktails to celebrate, Mr Pickles geeking out on all things cinema and merch to be won by answering some of our trivia. Grab a bottle and join us again on Sunday. We’re offering free delivery on UK orders over £29.99.

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.

We’re living in strange times just now, where unfortunately we’ve seen the cancellation of our member tastings and the doors closing on our partner bars and Members’ Rooms. However, the Society is all about coming together so we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring our members together and enjoy a whisky tasting….virtually!

We’re delighted to bring you the details of our first round of virtual tastings, which will be held on 9th and 10th May, over on our YouTube channel, Facebook or Zoom.

These will be hosted by brand ambassadors from the UK and across Europe, so you can choose an event local to you and join in with nearby members.

To get involved, all you need to do is purchase the special Discovery Pack we have curated for these events, which includes the five 25ml drams the ambassador will be sharing during the tasting. Then simply sit back, have your glassware and water ready and log on to the correct channel for your chosen event to enjoy this experience with us.

We look forward to seeing you all then!
#alltogethersmws

VIEW ALL VIRTUAL EVENTS                                     BUY VIRTUAL PACK

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

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival to raise spirits 

Summerton Club has announced a first of a kind whisky festival which will deliver both digital entertainment and physical enjoyment from the comfort of attendee’s homes.

Taking place 12:30 to 22:00 on the 30^th May, the Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival is the first event to combine a whole-day live stream with a home-delivered pack (containing drams, mixers and snacks) to create an event which whisky enthusiasts can not only look forward to, but also actively take part in whilst in the comfort of their homes.

Distilleries set to appear and include their whiskies in the festival pack include: Bimber, Glenfarclas, Glen Scotia, The Lakes Distillery, Mackmyra and Wolfburn (additional brands TBC).

In addition to brand presentations, cocktail masterclasses with leading bar professionals, Q&A sessions and insightful talks (both live and pre-recorded) from prominent industry insiders are also scheduled to take place during the event. The festival will be supported by live entertainment and a wide variety of well-known industry figures, whisky writers and presenters.

Speaking of the Virtual Festival, Summerton Club Founder & Director Dan Humphrey said “It’s been a very difficult few weeks for the entire whisky industry and wider community. With a raft of popular festivals and tasting events all being cancelled, distilleries and producers have lost an invaluable channel to reach whisky enthusiasts. At the same time, whisky lovers have similarly had to forgo much loved social gatherings and opportunities to engage with distilleries and bottlers under a single roof. The Summer Virtual Whisky Festival aims to create not only an event that we can all look forward to, but one in which the attendees can actively participate in, engaging directly with whisky makers whilst still enjoying a dram. The response to the event has been fantastic and it’s wonderful to see the industry and community all coming together to raise our spirits.”

Notes 

About Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival 

www.summertonwhiskyfestival.com

30^th May 2020

12:30 – 22:00

Virtual tasting room provided by private live stream via YouTube

Private members group to continue conversation after the event 

Tickets cost £38 and include:

• Expertly curated whisky samples
• Mixers
• Snacks
• Complementary promotional items

Participating distilleries include (as of 14^th April 2020)

• Bimber
• Glenfarclas
• Glen Scotia
• The Lakes Distillery
• Mackmyra
• Wolfburn

Guest speakers include (as of 14^th April 2020)

• Colin Hampden-White, The Three Drinkers
• Amy Seton, Birmingham Whisky Club
• John McCheyne, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
• Matt McKay, The Dramble
• Vin Perry-French, No Nonsense Whisky
• Anthony & Nicky Manton, New Dram Drinker
• Andy Duckworth, Malt Box
• Ian Wisniewski, Whisky Author

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

Relaxed virtual Milk and Honey tasting

The very relaxed people of the Milk & Honey Distillery in Israel have asked us if they could host a tasting just for the Maltstock community. Of course we said yes!

The tasting will be on Sunday 26 April 15.00 CET. It will be on Facebook, for everyone to join in and learn all about the very interesting things they do at the Milk & Honey Distillery. Tomer Goren will host the tasting, he is the head distiller. We know him as very knowledgeable, passionate and relaxed!

As mentioned, everyone can join in! With or without a relaxed dram. To make it even more enjoyable, the relaxed Milk & Honey people have also sent over 20 tastings sets. These are available at cost (€ 20,- including shipping).  But we only have a very limited amount of these tasting sets available and we would like to give everyone an equal chance of getting one.

How can you get your tasting set?

Well, easy, by simply being relaxed! Send us a picture of you, relaxed, with a Maltstock logo clearly visible. This can be the Maltstock glass, the (virtual) flyer, a polo, whatever, be creative! Post it on our Facebook page with #StayRelaxed.

Please post if before Sunday 19 April midnight CET. On Monday we’ll select the most relaxed photos and contact you for your address. We’ll send out the tasting sets the day after, so they should be with you before the tasting.

So tune in on our Facebook page, Sunday 26 April 15.00 CET and learn all about the very relaxed and interesting Milk & Honey distillery!

Stay healthy, stay relaxed and look after each other!

Annette, Bob, Klaas,Stan, Teun