We are now live, folks. Enjoy.

The 40th Auction

Kind Regards from Glasgow

The SWA Team

Hakushu Cask Collection Masterclass – Wedneday 30 July at 7.30pm

The team at Tomoka Spirits Boutique in St. Albans, Hertfordshire are delighted to announce a very special tasting of the Hakushu single malt whisky.

We will be exploring the history of Suntory’s second distillery, the Hakushu and tasting five different expressions.  The line-up includes the extremely rare Heavily Peated and Sherry Cask bottlings from 2013 and is definitely one not to miss!

Tickets are £25 per person and are strictly limited.

Please email us on billmccoy@tomokaspiritsboutique.co.uk or call on 01727 894869 to find out more and book your tickets.

Tomoka Spirits Boutique
5A Christopher Place
St. Albans
Hertfordshire AL3 5DQ
01727 894869

Fergus Simpson, our “Whiskies of Scotland” shop manager, will be holding an in-store tasting of 5 cask strength single malts on Friday 25^th July at 6.30pm in our shop at 36 Gordon Street, Huntly if you’re in the area. Tickets are priced at £20 per head and are limited. Either email me to reserve your places or telephone Fergus on T: 0845 606 6145

Many of you already know that this will take place on a TUESDAY as the First Friday falls on the first of the month and we cannot do it that day. Please note that half the seats are already sold for this event, with priority going to members. 

IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY BOOKED, CONTACT US VERY SOON, as the event always sells out. 

Here are the details for the event:

Date:              Tuesday August 5^th, 2014

Time:              6:30pm to 8:00pm

                        Please note we will start promptly right at 6:30; doors open 6:15pm

Location:       The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants, 919 Douglas Street, Victoria

                                    The event will be in the Maple Room, above the Sticky Wicket Pub, entrance on Courtenay Street

Price:              $35 each for Members & Partners, $45 for Non-Members/Guests   

REGISTRATION:   

1. Space is strictly limited, so you must register in advance. 

Guests are welcome, but we now have to restrict it to one guest per member. 

Members will always have priority. 

1. 2.    To secure your place you need to pre-pay

Please email, drop into the store or phone with credit card details (we do not keep card details on file)

Email: whisky@strathconahotel.com         Phone: 250-370-9463 

1. If your seat(s) are paid for by phone you will receive an email confirmation from me  and this is your virtual Ticket.  If you pay in person in the store you will receive a receipt. 

Thank you to the many members who have already registered and paid. 

We are also accepting bookings already for September, when First Friday falls on September 5^th, 2014 

IMPORTANT: 

Please remember these are cask strength whiskies, so you should not be driving home after the tasting. 

Slainté! 

Colin Southcombe
General Manager
The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants
919 Douglas Street, Victoria BC, V8W 2C2
Tel: 250-370-9463
Email: whisky@strathconahotel.com

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society  

The Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship 2014

Do you like whisky? 

Can you pick a Laphroaig from a Lagavulin?  How about a Glenfiddich from a Glenmorangie?  On Saturday 26^th July, whisky enthusiasts from all over Australia will fly in to compete in the annual Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship.  A major event on the Australian whisky calendar ever since 1989, this year a huge number of competitors and a large number of spectators will gather in the Dinosaur Gallery at The Australian Museum in Sydney to put their tastebuds to the test and find out who will be the newly-crowned Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Champion. This is the chance for whisky nerds and novices alike to test their mettle in the struggle for single malt tasting supremacy.

Competitors have 30 minutes to assess the eight whiskies poured before them in a blind-tasting format.  Each competitor is provided with a list of nine possible whiskies – the eight on the table, plus one red herring.  The task is to correctly identify which whisky is which. 

Following the competition, there will be a cocktail party for all competitors and spectators with some specially crafted hot and cold whisky cocktails, and some Scotch Malt Whisky Society rare and exclusive single cask single malts. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society will be on hand to discuss everything from the future of the single malt industry to a five step guide to buying the perfect bottle.

Saturday 26th July – Dinosaur Hall Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney.
6.30pm Registration.
7.00pm Competition.
7.30pm Cocktail party.
8.15pm Awards Ceremony.

Competition sponsored by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Event and cocktail party sponsored by The Glenfiddich
1st prize sponsored by Starward Distillery
2nd prize sponsored by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
3rd Prize sponsored by The Oak Barrel, Sydney

Notes: 

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society began in the late 1970’s when a group of discerning friends in Edinburgh bought a single cask of malt whisky and shared it amongst themselves.  The group of friends grew and grew, with subsequent cask purchases, and in 1983, the group syndicated as a Society. 

Today, the Society has over 26,000 members around the world with branches in 17 countries. It bottles over 350 single casks a year for its members from a range of more than 129 distilleries. 

Members can choose from the world’s widest selection of single cask, single malt whiskies with only the very best selected and approved by the Society’s respected Tasting Panel. 

The Society has been active in Australia since 2002, holding extremely popular and well-attended frequent whisky tasting nights in each of the capital cities around Australia all through the year for both its members and the general public.   

The Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship is a blind tasting competition that has been run in Australia since 1989.  It was held annually in Adelaide from 1989 until 2002, then was in recess for six years until The Scotch Malt Whisky Society resurrected the competition in 2008.  It is open to national and international competitors, and is now an annual event held in Sydney and hosted by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  

Official photographs from the event will be available on request. 

Contact: 

Nick Rose, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society – 0403 884 119 | rose@smws.com.au | http://www.smws.com.au/

http://www.smws.com.au/australian-malt-whisky-tasting-championship-2014/

JULY EVENTS

Old and Rare Whisky Tasting, The Sign of the Don Restaurant, London – Fri 18 July
Haggis & Whisky Tasting, 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Fri 18 July
New Members Tasting, 19 Greville St, London – Tue 22 July
Dundee Members Tasting, Malmaison, Dundee – Thu 24 July
Harrogate Members Tasting, Hotel du Vin, Harrogate – Fri 25 July
Stirling Members Tasting, The Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling- Fri 25 July
Durham Members Tasting, Radisson Blu, Durham- Fri 25 July
Birmingham Members Tasting, Hotel du Vin, Birmingham- Fri 25 July

Browse all events

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

Whisky Dinner: San Jose

Thursday, July 30, 2014 – 6pm – 8pm
Mosaic Asian-Fusion Restaurant
211 S. First St., San Jose , California 95113
$70 all inclusive  

Join us for the summer whisky dinner in a casually upscale restaurant specializing in Asian fusion cuisine. Duncan Taylor is one of the highest end Independent Bottlers. They either buy the best casks from distilleries or they purchase new spirit from the distillery and age it in their own casks. Peter Currie, the Duncan Taylor brand ambassador and expert of all things Scotch, will joyfully conduct the pairing. The Mosaic chef has carefully crafted a five course menu including a dessert to enjoy with these great whiskies:

Black Bull
Big Smoke
Linkwood 14 yr
Mortlach 15yr
Macallan 17
SpringBank 20yr Sherry Cask ‘The Single’ ($500)

Menu (Please inform us of dietary restrictions and we will provide alternate selections)

Welcome cocktail hour: Smoked Gouda, Mustard Cheese, Parmesan, Grapes, Cold Cuts, Crackers

Course 1: Baby Field Green Salad

Course 2: Dungeness Crab Cake

Course 3: Roasted French Lamb Chop

Course 4: Roasted Bell Pepper Bruschetta

Dessert: Mini Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

And if you feel the need, stick around after dinner to enjoy a cigar with a whisky nightcap. (I’ll have cigars for $10 if you don’t bring your own)

Slainte,

Douglas Smith,

Event Director

The Great Grain Whisky Tasting

Too much time is spent harping on about the malting process that creates the principal ingredient of single malt whisky, or so claims a certain member of our staff. Eager to quiet him down we told him to host a tasting and argue why this is the case, tell us why single grain whisky is better than single malt.

For the uninitiated; grain whisky is made from cereals that haven’t been through the malting process. The result is a lighter, sweeter (and for blenders cheaper) style of whisky which forms the core of blended whiskies.

Join us for an evening sampling the very best grain can offer.

A light buffet of cheese and charcuterie and a 10% on-the-night store discount is, of course, included.

If interested tickets are £25 per person, please reply HERE so we can sign you up!

All the best,

Milroy’s of Soho

JULY EVENTS

Old and Rare Whisky Tasting, The Sign of the Don Restaurant, London – Fri 18 July
Haggis & Whisky Tasting, 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Fri 18 July
Steak & Chips Tasting, The Vaults, Leith – Sat 19 July
New Members Tasting, 19 Greville St, London – Tue 22 July
Dundee Members Tasting, Malmaison, Dundee – Thu 24 July
Harrogate Members Tasting, Hotel du Vin, Harrogate – Fri 25 July
Stirling Members Tasting, The Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling- Fri 25 July
Durham Members Tasting, Radisson Blu, Durham- Fri 25 July
Birmingham Members Tasting, Hotel du Vin, Birmingham- Fri 25 July

Browse all events

NEXT AT 28 QUEEN ST: HAGGIS & WHISKY TASTING

We all love the finer things in life but tonight is about satisfying a craving for simpler, comforting experiences. Enjoy five succulent Society drams, a hearty serving of haggis, neeps and tatties and all the whisky expertise of a Society Ambassador – a great start to the weekend! Fri 18 July, 7-9.30pm BUY

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

Whisky Business at Saffire

It is no secret that Tasmanian whisky is taking the world by storm, and we believe it is time that we celebrated this fact. We are offering you the opportunity to be a part of a very special weekend at Saffire Freycinet.

Together with Tasmania’s premier whisky distillers, we invite you to join us on Friday 29 August and Saturday 30 August for two days of winter warmth and cheer. 

Guests will have time to enjoy all of the elements that you would normally associate with Saffire, but also have exclusive access to the very best whisky makers in Australia. This will involve one-on-one interaction with the owners of the distilleries, whisky tastings and masterclasses, whisky, wine and food matching dinners and more. Whether you are a whisky expert or novice, the inaugural ‘Whisky Business’ weekend will be unforgettable.

Only repeat visitors to Saffire, and friends of the Tasmanian distilleries will receive this exclusive invitation.

There is no additional charge above our regular rates for this weekend. It is a way of thanking those who have been faithful to us, as well as raising the profile of a great Tasmanian industry. Rates begin at $1800 per suite per night. This includes all meals, beverages, activities, minibar and $100 spa credit.

Justin, Saffire General Manager would like to offer himself as the contact for this event. He would be delighted to answer any questions you may have personally or indeed oversee all aspects of your reservation.

Justin can be contacted on 03 6256 7861 or via email at Justin.King@saffire-freycinet.com.au. Alternatively you are welcome to call any of our Guest Service Managers on 03 6256 7888.

You will hear more about this event in the coming weeks, but we urge you to book early to ensure your place.

We look forward to raising a glass with you.

Yours sincerely

Hugh Whitehouse
Saffire Executive Chef
www.saffire-freycinet.com.au

and

Bert Cason
Sullivans Cove Marketing Manager
www.sullivanscovewhisky.com