Friday September 7th, 5-7PM

Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh

One of our most popular scotch tastings returns! Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh will be tasted at this event. Presented by distillery representatives and our own in-store whisky experts, scotch connoisseurs and newcomers to the the world of traditional scotch are sure to enjoy this tasting.

Pour list will be revealed as the event approaches.

Follow The Whisky Shop on Facebook to stay up to date!

 More Details & RSVP

TICKETS ON SALE FOR SECOND FIFE WHISKY FESTIVAL

The organisers of the Fife Whisky Festival have unveiled a packed programme for the showcase event which returns to the Kingdom next March.

Tickets are now on sale for the second Fife Whisky Festival which has grown from a one day to a three-day event – running from March 8-10 2019 – following the success of the 2018 festival.

It opens with a whisky-themed dinner with guest speaker Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, at Lindores Abbey Distillery in Newburgh and includes tasting sessions and masterclasses.

Fife Whisky Festival was originally launched last year by Justine Hazlehurst, founder of Kask Whisky, and Karen Somerville, founder of Angels’ Share Glass, who joined forces to bring whisky back to the Kingdom of Fife.

It proved a major success, was credited with boosting the local economy and is now an annual fixture in whisky-lovers’ calendars.

Mrs Somerville said: “As soon as the 2018 event was over, festival-goers were asking when they could buy tickets for next year! Justine and I knew we had to make the festival an annual event and were determined to make it bigger and better for 2019. We’ve done that by creating a three-day weekend destination event which we hope will attract people from across Scotland and overseas to come and stay in Fife for the whole weekend.”

Ms Hazlehurst said: “After years of attending whisky festivals around the world, we wanted the chance to bring a new event to Scotland and were delighted with just how successful the inaugural festival proved to be. It exceeded all our expectations and was enjoyed by so many people. We’re now busy putting the finishing touches to the second event and looking forward to an even more exciting Fife Whisky Festival in March next year.”

The Festival begins with a banquet-style Opening Dinner on Friday March 8 which features three courses – prepared by Lindores Abbey’s award-winning chef Andrew Wilkie – each paired with a carefully selected whisky.

Whisky chief Karen Betts will speak after the dinner followed by entertainment from local musical duo The Coaltown Daisies.

The Festival, sponsored by Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers and legal firm MacRoberts LLP, continues on Saturday March 9 with two tasting sessions at the Corn Exchange in Cupar.

The sessions, which begin at 12.30pm and 5pm, will showcase the renaissance of whisky-making in Fife by bringing together the best whisky producers from the region and beyond.

With more than 30 exhibitors, including Springbank, Inver House Distillers, Adelphi and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, there will be a range of whiskies to try plus two exclusive masterclasses on offer.

The famous Luvians Bottle Shop, the festival’s official retailer, will be on hand for whisky purchases and there will be food stalls throughout the day.

The final day of the Festival, Sunday March 10, features two exciting events – a special tasting hosted by the St Andrews Whisky (Quaich) Society at the town’s Hotel du Vin and an exclusive event at Kingsbarns Distillery.

Graeme Dempster, of main sponsor Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers, said: “As Scotland’s largest independent insurance broker, we have advised and supported many of the country’s new and established distilleries with tailored insurance programmes specifically designed to meet the whisky sector’s needs.

We also provide a specialist private whisky collection insurance policy which is a big hit with collectors. Last year, we were delighted to sponsor the first Fife Whisky Festival, which was opened by our brand ambassador and world record-breaking cycling legend, Mark Beaumont. The inaugural festival was a massive success proving Fife is an exciting and emerging whisky

producing region that will surely grow in prominence. The 2019 Festival will build on this success and as ‘Broker of Choice’ within the Scotch

Whisky industry, we are delighted to once again be involved.”

Lindores Abbey owner Drew McKenzie Smith said: “We are delighted to host the dinner for the second annual Fife whisky festival. The Kingdom has a rich history of distilling, our own going back to 1494, and being part of the new Fife whisky resurgence is an honour. The first festival was a huge success and I feel sure it was the beginning of a very popular annual event on the whisky calendar.” 

To buy tickets and for more details about Fife Whisky Festival, go to www.fifewhiskyfestival.com

Notes: Fife Whisky Festival was launched in 2017 by Justine Hazlehurst and Karen Somerville and was held at the Corn Exchange in Cupar on Saturday March 10, 2018. The event attracted more than 500 whisky-lovers from across Scotland and further afield and was opened by endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont. For more details, go to www.fifewhiskyfestival.com

Notes to Editors: Angels’ Share Glass is a family-run business based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. The firm is co-directed by Karen Somerville and her father Tom Young – a world-renowned Master Craftsman who has been glassblowing and making lamp-work glassware for nearly 60 years. More information can be found at www.angelsshareglass.com

Justine Hazlehurst, of Kask Whisky, is a well-known whisky blogger and media influencer. She organises regular themed whisky tastings in Edinburgh and Fife as well as tailor-made tours to several distilleries. For more details about Kask Whisky, go to www.kaskwhisky.com

SURPRISINGLY SMOOTH AT FRINGE

WATCH NOW

They say everyone’s a critic, but at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, attendees were asked to prove it in our Roaring Review Booth – part of our Surprisingly Smooth Fringe Bar in Bristo Square.

As Underbelly’s 2018 Lead Sponsors of Comedy, we welcomed festival fans to critique their favourite shows for a Whyte & Mackay ball, our delicious new serve. We launched with the help of well-known Scottish comedians, Chris Forbes and Richie Brown, following up each week with a clip of the best reviews – the good, the bad and the dram funny.

And it wasn’t just the fans – Performers; Helen Lederer, Carl Donnelly and Christian Finnegan were among the #funnyasfolk who dropped in.

WATCH NOW

St Vincent Plaza, 319 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5LP
www.whyteandmackay.com

35TH ANNIVERSARY VIRTUAL TASTING

Join fellow members across the globe as we embark on our first ever virtual tasting, with all of us sharing the same hand-picked drams from our limited-edition Discovery Pack. Broadcast live and direct from The Vaults, make sure you get involved this September – click over to our website for more details.

 READ 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

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY HOSTS 35^th ANNIVERSARY PARTY IN EDINBURGH’S QUEEN STREET GARDENS

Tickets are available to members and non-members of the whisky club 

On Saturday 8^th September, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is throwing open the gates to the normally private Queen Street Gardens to host a party celebrating its 35^th anniversary. The festivities start at 12pm and include food, drink and music with prices from £20 for members and £25 for non-members: http://bit.ly/2LnlF0Z

Each guest will receive a Society tasting glass on entry, which can be used to sample a wide selection of SMWS single cask whiskies, as well as whiskies from the many other distilleries that will be on hand to showcase their own malts throughout the day.

Guests will also receive a token for a dram from the SMWS Historic Stock Bar, featuring some very special Old & Rare bottlings.

If guests would like to add a little whisky education into the mix, the SMWS will be holding masterclasses all afternoon across the road in the Members’ Rooms at 28 Queen Street.

There will also be a Chapel Down bar serving English sparkling wine, the Edinburgh Beer Factory will be bringing along their Beer Van and live music will take place throughout the afternoon, along with a barbecue.

Jan Damen, UK Operations Director said: “We’re delighted to be hosting this party in the beautiful Queen Street Gardens to celebrate our 35^th Anniversary. The Society has risen from strength to strength over the years as our fantastic group of members continues to grow.

“We’re looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and welcoming some new guests to sample our wonderful range of single cask whiskies. For non-members, there will be the chance to purchase membership to the Society at the event.”

For more information on membership:

UK

http://bit.ly/2Lr81JY
Twitter: @SMWSUK 

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an international whisky club that bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The Society only ever bottles single casks – each cask is unique, making every Society bottling a limited edition
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 135 distilleries in its history
• The Society releases a new batch of around 30 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar and Shop in Edinburgh has over 200 whiskies on offer and is open to everybody
• The Society offers a variety of membership packages which can be tailored. Please see http://bit.ly/2Lr81JY
• For more information about the Society, visit http://bit.ly/2Lr81JY

Amrut and Ashok

Nectar of the Gods

Tuesday 11 September 2018
7.30pm-9pm

Tickets on sale now!

BOOK NOW >

In the run up to the much anticipated 10th anniversary Whisky Show, join us as we discover Amrut – ‘Nectar of the Gods’ in Sanskrit – and be the first in the UK to taste a brand new release: Amrut Madeira Cask Finish. Amrut brand ambassador Ashok Chokalingam will guide us through six whiskies, including the multi-award-winning Fusion, the new batch of the super-rare Naarangi and the brand new Madeira Cask Finish, flown to the UK specially for the tasting. Discover how Amrut’s whiskies are different to those from the rest of the world, and taste why this award-winning distillery continues to break Indian whisky stereotypes.

Amrut Single Malt
Amrut Fusion
Amrut Peated Cask Strength
Amrut Portonova
Amrut Naarangi (new batch)
Amrut Madeira Cask Finish (new release)

Ashok is a well-known character in the whisky world. He was the Icons Of Whisky Rest Of The World Ambassador Of The Year in 2012 and 2016, and has a reputation for fantastic tastings. He spends most of his time in India these days, so don’t miss out on the chance meet him in person.

Tuesday 11 September

7.30-9pm

Upcoming Tastings Calendar

Friday, August 31st: 

Penderyn Welsh Whiskey with Distillery Guests
More Details & RSVP

Saturday, September 15th: 

Tipperary Irish Whiskey with Co-founder 

Jennifer Nickerson

More Details & RSVP

Friday, September 28th:

Jura presented by Kimberly Drake

More Details & RSVP

Friday, September 7th: 

Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh

More Details & RSVP

Friday, September 14th: 

 Glen Grant with Robin Coupar

More Details & RSVP

Friday August 31st, 3-6PM

Welsh Whiskey: Penderyn 

with Ambassadors Jon Tregnna & Robert Weller

Wales’ first distillery in over a century, Penderyn has received worldwide acclaim for its stunning single malt whiskies. Penderyn’s distillery guests have flown all the way from Wales to present their whiskies  at this tasting, providing in depth knowledge and insight about Penderyn’s innovative distilling practices.

See Full Pourlist & RSVP