Aberdeen Exclusive Tasting – Caledonian Thistle Hotel – Thu 19 Nov  More >

Brighton Exclusive Tasting – Hotel du Vin – Fri 20 Nov  More >

Glasgow Exclusive Tasting – Radisson Blu Hotel – Fri 20 Nov  More >

Aberdeen Exclusive Tasting – Caledonian Thistle Hotel – Sat 21 Nov  More >

New Members Tasting – 19 Greville St – Mon 23 Nov  More >

Charles Heidsieck Champagnes Dinner – 28 Queen St – Thu 26 Nov More >

Dundee Exclusive Tasting – Malmaison – Fri 27 Nov  More >

Harrogate Holidays Tasting – Hotel du Vin – Fri 27 Nov  More >

Inverness Exclusive Tasting – Kingsmills Hotel – Fri 27 Nov  More >

Newcastle Exclusive Tasting – The Caledonian Hotel – Fri 27 Nov  More >

Wokingham Exclusive Tasting – Cantley House Hotel – Fri 27 Nov  More >

St Andrews Day – with Robin Laing – The Vaults – Mon 30 Nov  More >

FREE MEMBER ENTERTAINMENT AT THE VAULTS

Free Live Music >  Mon 23 Nov

Browse All Tastings >

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact:mailto:sales@smws.comor 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

#WINMWFTICKETS Twitter Competition!

We’re launching the Twitter competition #WINMWFTICKETS offering you the chance of winning tickets to the Midlands Whisky Festival 1-2 April 2016. We’ll be giving away tickets to a different lucky winner each day for seven days. All it takes is just a few clicks! To be in with the chance to get your hands on FREE tickets to the best whisky festival in the universe, follow these simple steps…

1. Follow the Midlands Whisky Festival Twitter Account
2. Follow the Nickolls and Perks Twitter Account
3. Retweet the daily promotional competition #WINMWFTICKETS before 9:00 GMT the following day.

If you complete all three steps above you may be one of those lucky winners, Good Luck! Please ensure you read the terms and conditions of the competition below: Terms and Conditions of the #WINMWFTICKETS Twitter Competition

• There will only be one winner each day of the competition.
• Entrants must be of legal age to purchase alcohol.
• Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.
• No other prizes are available.
• You must enter the competition between Monday 16 November 2016 and Monday 23 November 2016 9:00 (GMT).
• Entrants must Retweet the promotional tweet and follow Midlands Whisky Festival and partnering company Nickolls & Perks on Twitter.
• The Twitter Competition will be run on the Midlands Whisky Festival Twitter account.
• Winners will be announced on the Midlands Whisky Festival Twitter and the Nickolls & Perks Blog.
• The winners will be notified the following day of each daily promotion.
• Tickets will be emailed to the winners.

Promotor: Midlands Whisky Festival, Nickolls & Perks, 37 Lower High Street, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 1TA. By Nickolls and Perks

JOIN US for BURNS NIGHT IN 2016
Bookings being taken now…

BURNS NIGHT

Monday January 25th, 2016

It only comes round once a year and we have two stunning venues with different Burns Night celebrations to choose from – join us for a fun and traditional Burns Night Supper to celebrate our national poet Robert Burns whose message of friendship and Auld Lang Syne lives on. Join us at WHISKI Bar or WHISKI ROOMS on Monday 25th January 2016 for a memorable Burns Night Supper to celebrate our national poet Robert Burns whose message of friendship and Auld Lang Syne lives on. In addition, we have two sittings on Saturday 23rd January 2016 in the WHISKI ROOMS for those that can not join us on the “official” Burns Night of the 25th January 2016. Bookings being taken now.

WHISKI’s Burns Night Supper

Call us on 0131-556-3095 to book WHISKI on the  Royal Mile for our Burns Supper with live fiddle band. Date: Monday 25th January 2016 Time: 7:30PM View WHISKI’s Burns Supper here

WHISKI Rooms Burns Night Supper

Call us on 0131 225 7224 to book WHISKI Rooms overlooking the Mound for one of our Burns Night extravaganza celebrations – two dates available. Date: Saturday 23rd January 2016 Two sittings: 5PM and 8:30PM Date: Monday 25th January 2016 Time: 7:30PM View WHISKI Rooms Burns Supper here

Win The Ultimate Whisky Experience!

We’re offering one lucky customer the chance to win a bottle of the superb Tomatin 36 year old batch 1, plus private whisky tour for four people with mystery cask tasting at one of the highest distilleries in Scotland! Six lucky runners up will receive a prize of a bottle of Tomatin 14 year old Port Wood Finish.

Simply purchase any 70cl bottle of Tomatin Highland single malt Scotch whisky from our online whisky store and you’ll automatically be entered into the draw.

ENTER NOW

Tomatin 36 Year Old Batch 1

Tomatin 36 Year Old Batch 1, created from a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Beautifully presented, only 800 bottles filled for this small batch release with each bottle individually numbered and accompanied with certificate.

RRP – £499.99

Dalmore prize draw – win whisky worth more than £1,750!

It’s the season of prize draws at The Whisky Exchange, and the next on the list of great whiskies to win is an impressive set from Dalmore.

With legendary master blender Richard Paterson travelling the world extolling the virtues of the distillery’s whisky, it’s unsurprising that Dalmore has the reputation that it does. Roll in their impressive stocks of old whisky and a history stretching back 1839, and you have a distillery that’s been turning heads for a long while.

We’ve put together a set of three incredible whiskies to give away to one lucky customer:

Dalmore 18 – the top of Dalmore’s regular range. With lots of fruit and spice, this is the perfect upgrade for those looking for a great, easy-drinking sherried dram.
Dalmore 21 – a limited edition bottling released this year. Matured first in American white oak before being ‘finished’ for 10 years in first-fill oloroso sherry casks.
Dalmore 30 – limited to only 888 bottles, this is the latest release of Dalmore’s impressive 30 year old. A masterpiece of sherry maturation.

In total, the three bottles come to just over £1,800 – an excellent prize, even if we do say ourselves.

To be in with a chance of winning the set, just buy a Dalmore 15 Year Old glass pack before 11.59pm on 10 January 2016 – we’ll automatically enter you into the prize draw.

While the entry-level Dalmore 12 Year Old is probably their best known whisky, the dram that we turn to as the perfect example of what the distillery does best is Dalmore 15 Year Old. It’s soft and spicy, but with the depth of flavour and richness that you get from well selected sherry casks – something that Dalmore pride themselves on.

DALMORE 15 YEAR OLD GLASS PACK

Nose: Soft and very approachable, with tempting notes of dried fruit, hazelnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Smells like Christmas!
Palate: Rich, classic Christmas-cake notes of raisins, currants, cherries, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish: Sweet and raisiny, this rich-tasting dram lingers for a long time – save this one until after dinner…
Comment: An excellent dram for this time of year and the glass pack is a great gift – either for a whisky fan or for yourself.

For full details, see the competition page.

November Auction *ENDS SOON*
Runs from 6th – 15th November

Just Whisky is now live with their latest whisky auction! Their November ends this Sunday evening at 8PM! Here are some auction highlights.

Bowmore 38 Years Old 1957

 An outstanding Islay malt from the No.1 Vault of Bowmore, described by the distillers as ‘Saved from extinction’. Distilled on the 14th of January 1957, the new spirit was filled into 5 casks and left to mature for 38 years when Islay Campbell, Distillery Manager, found the spirit was sitting just above the critical 40% alcohol volume strength for Scotch Whisky. So he moved with haste to have the whisky bottled, if he had waited a moment longer the whisky would have become extinct.

Bruichladdich 40 Years Old

Bruichladdich Forty is the oldest official release from the Islay distillery. Distilled on the 24th October 1964 and matured in a single bourbon cask for four decades before being bottled on the 23rd November 2004. No 114 of only 550 bottled ever released, comes with original presentation tin and a signed certificate from Mr Jim McEwan himself.

Milton-Duff 13 Years Old (75cl)

A late 1970’s bottle of Milton-Duff-Glenlivet, bottled in the classic Ballantine’s bottle by George Ballantine & Son Ltd of Dumbarton.

Karuizawa 30 Years Old – Single Cask No.5347

An astonishing 30 year old sherry matured single malt whisky from closed Karuizawa distillery. This single cask bottling was one of 2 exclusive “Show Bottlings” for The Whisky Exchange’s 2014 whisky show in London.

You can view the Auction Here

MARK WATT BACK AT MALTSTOCK

Ohhh wow, what a relaxed time we had at Maltstock 2015. Plenty of great masterclasses, the Campfire Gathering hosted by Highland Park (Sietse and Daryl), a pyjama tasting…. yes… A tasting with a group of people all dressed in pyjamas, hosted by Tony (Maxxium). Inge Lanckacker with her delicious sweet treats paired with Wemyss whisky, Reypenaer Cheese who matched their cheeses to the whisky you were having. The Best Of Whiskies Midnight Cafe. The Whisky Quiz hosted by Hans Offringa, the Big Bockje Blind Bottle Battle, the Swedish pop up tasting, our awesome guests and much much more. Thank you all very much for making Maltstock fun!

Although we had great fun, something, someone was missing.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend and Fashion Guru, Mark Watt! He will be present at Maltstock 2016. Responsible for selecting the casks going into the Cadenhead’s single cask whisky range and always thinking of new ways to push fashion forward. Mark we are very happy to have you at Maltstock 2016 again. Slainte!

MALTSTOCK AT WHISKY FESTIVAL DEN HAAG

Maltstock will be present at International Whisky Festival Den Haag the whole weekend. Come and have a dram with us. Ps. if you find a wanted person, please drag him to our stand, thank you!

Agenda (Maltstock visiting other festivals):

International Whisky Festival Denhaag 13-15 Nov. 2015
International Whisky Festival Gent 12-13 Mar. 2016
Whisky Festival Noord Nederland 18-20 Mar. 2016
Whisky Weekend Twente 9 Apr. 2016
Whisky in Leiden 16 Apr. 2016
Limburg Whisky Messe 23-24 Apr. 2016
Speyside Whisky Festival 28 Apr. – 2 May 2016

Demand for SPEY delights in the lead up to Whisky Live Holland

A Speyside malt singled out as the signature drink of Holland’s premier whisky event is going down a storm with discerning dram lovers.

Whilst organisers are counting down the days to this year’s Whisky Live Holland, more than 80 per cent of this limited edition SPEY expression from Speyside Distillery, has already been snapped up.

Demand for the last remaining bottles is expected to be high, and all are expected to be sold before the Netherlands’ oldest and biggest whisky event gets underway on 13 November.

Some whisky lovers have been buying two bottles each, one to savour and enjoy and the other to keep, explains festival organiser Wouter Wapenaar, a Keeper of the Quaich.

Wouter was part of the judging panel that selected this limited edition SPEY expression as the exclusive bottling, after the tasters were won over by the SPEY expression’s aroma, flavour, cask finish and characteristics.

Wouter says: “Whisky Live Holland is about great whisky, and we search high and low for the very best whiskies to celebrate the show.

“We only have around 100 bottles still available and with such interest and demand it’s likely that our SPEY limited edition bottling will be sold out before the festival even starts.”

Each bottle was filled at cask strength from a 2007 single sherry cask before being hand finished with specially designed 2015 festival packaging, stating the cask and limited bottle number. With only 600 available, the rare bottles are expected to become highly collectable.

The single malt Scotch whisky is produced at the boutique Speyside Distillery near Kingussie in the Highlands, management and staff are delighted that SPEY has been specially selected as the festival bottle for the 2015 Dutch show.

Speyside Distillers Co Ltd Managing Director, Patricia Dillon says, “We are delighted to bottle this limited edition for what is a very special festival and to be exhibiting other SPEY expressions at the event with our Dutch distributor Whisky Import Netherlands and to be mingling with whisky lovers from all over the world. The exposure that will be achieved through being the festival’s bottling of the year will develop further awareness of SPEY in Europe.

“In addition, our Distillery Manager, Sandy Jamieson shall be present at the festival to share some of our SPEY secrets.”

Whisky Live Holland launched the limited edition SPEY for sale through its website just a few weeks ago.

While all bottles are likely to be sold before the event, the 6,000-plus festival visitors won’t be left disappointed as they will be able to sample a taste of SPEY from its distributor’s exhibition stand.

Details of the SPEY limited edition bottling features on the festival website, http://www.whiskyfestival.nl/

Whisky Live Holland takes place from 13 -15 November 2015 at The Hague. The oldest and biggest whisky event in the Netherlands, it is supported by importers and distributors of whisky, representing hundreds of whisky brands.

The programme features whisky trams, masterclasses, cocktails, trails, books and the opportunity to meet whisky distillers, writers and other celebrities.

Demand for tickets is so high that the festival has been a complete sell out for the past five years in a row.

Speyside Distillery near Kingussie is home of the SPEY brand of malt whisky. It has been in production since 1990 and is operated by Speyside Distillers Ltd. In 2012 the SPEY brand and packaging with its specially designed unique bottle was introduced.

For further information about Speyside Distillery, visit http://www.speysidedistillery.co.uk/. Follow Speyside Distillery on Twitter @SpeySingleMalt and on Facebook at facebook.com/speysidedistillery

2015 SPIRIT-UAL EXPERIENCE 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH FROM 1 – 4PM 

Join us for what is shaping up to be the best FREE walk-around Whiskey tasting in Massachusetts. Not only are we opening over 100 different Whisk(e)ys from around the world – but we’re pulling out all the stops here. No filler. We’ll be opening rare and pricey bottles left and right. This is a Whiskey drinker’s tasting. We picked the stuff we are excited about. A tasting you’ll be talking about all year. But don’t take our word for it. Here is a partial list of what we’ll be tasting – with even more on the way. And this is just the stuff we can tell you about. The real gems – the bottles we’d be crazy to open at a tasting – but are – those we can’t publish online. But sign up for tasting by clicking the link below, and we’ll fill you in on the details of our secret pours. 

http://www.gordonswine.com/spiritual-2015

BENRIACH WHISKY TASTING – WEDNESDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2015

For our final tasting of the year we will be welcoming back the ebullient and extremely knowledgeable Stewart Buchanan, Brand Ambassador for BenRiach Distillery on Speyside.  Those of you who have met Stewart before will know of his passion for whisky which, along with the experience he has gained over the years on the production side, makes him an excellent guide through the varied range of excellent whiskies that BenRiach produce.

Since its takeover by an independent consortium in 2004 BenRiach has gone from strength to strength.   They manage to successfully produce a wide variety of styles that includes both unpeated and peated whiskies plus some very well balanced finishes in wine, sherry and port casks.  These diverse whiskies range from the smooth, fruity, honeyed and spicy core range through to the robust peated (yet still undeniably Speyside) expressions, meaning there is truly something for all tastes.

Tickets are £15 per person and will be available to buy from 12.15pm on Monday 9th November online or by ‘phone only.  Please note, no bookings will be taken before this time and the maximum number of tickets per booking is 6.

See below for all the details and if you have any queries just contact us.

Sláinte! Fran and Ken Arkwrights Whisky and Wines www.whiskyandwines.com

UPCOMING EVENT

Name: BENRIACH WHISKY TASTING
Date: Wednesday 2nd December 2015

Time: 7.00 for 7.30pm
Venue: Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren SN6 7SD

Details: Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night. Tickets are £15 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Arkwrights reserve the right to restrict the number of tickets per customer and as these tastings usually sell out within hours it is best to book as soon as the tickets are released. To buy tickets just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com from 12.15pm on Monday 9th November and place an order for the number you require (up to a maximum of 6).
Please note that tickets can not be reserved without payment and are non-refundable.

N.B. We have negotiated special rates at Stanton House Hotel for anyone who wants to stay overnight after the tasting – just quote ‘Arkwrights- whisky tasting’ when booking by ‘phone or email.