HIBIKI JAPANESE HARMONY

Introducing an eagerly anticipated new release from Suntory that brings to life the harmony of Japanese nature and craftmanship.

A delicate and well balanced expression that is both subtle and complex. A blend of more than 10 malt and grain whiskies creating a harmony of flavours and aromas.

Knowledge Bar: 

Hibiki means resonance in Japanese. It speaks to the soul and emotions of the most discerning whisky lover. The legendary Hibiki represents true harmony, the ideal of perfection, the paragon of ‘The Art of Japanese Whisky’ and its artisans.

Now in stock, immediate dispatch available on all orders.

Click to buy – £54

Cask No. 7.111 $115

Sweet melody – jazzy harmonics

Speyside, Lossie

The nose trumpeted sweet notes (toffee, jam roly-poly and custard, vanilla, bubble gum; then crooned cherry blossom and pot-pourri – as an after-thought it whispered toasted coconut, raisins, sultanas, nuts and banana chips. It changed its tune slightly with water – fragrant basmati rice, pencil shavings and Scalextric formed a curious jazz chord. The palate ran with the sweet baton – toffee, fudge, caramel, chocolate, vanilla ice-cream, crème brûlée, Oreos and bourbon – just held back from over-sweetness by nutmeg, toasted oak and Camp coffee. With water, we warmed happily to its adult sweetness of dark chocolate Magnums, pecan pie, sweet sherry and chocolate-coated cherries.

Drinking tip: With artisan chocolate and good music as a special Sunday treat – would also provide comforting distraction in a thunderstorm

Colour: Burnished belt buckle

Cask: First-fill barrel

Age: 11 years

Date distilled: September 2003

Cask No. 39.93 $220

Pork chops in red wine sauce

Speyside, Lossie

We all got very hungry nosing this one neat; very lightly smoked pork chops in a rich red wine sauce, grilled apple rings and sautéed red cabbage with raisins. To accompany the meal we either had a cool dry white Port wine or a cold wheat beer. The taste followed on with sweet sticky marinated chargrilled pork cracklings, maple and mustard glazed ham and richly spiced plum chutney. When adding a drop of water, pork sausages with fennel and coriander are on the smoldering barbeque and the taste is sweet, nutty and slightly ashy with a hint of salt – the barbeque has now been doused with a splash of sea water.

Drinking tip: Watching the sun dip into the sea

Colour: 18 carat gold

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 29 years

Date Distilled: September 1984

Alcohol: 57.9%

USA allocation: 72 bottles

Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet

Cask No. G7.9 $135

A sultry smoking seductress

Grain

At first the panel found cedar wood shavings, old wood, and then mineralic wet slate and cooling Victory V’s. A delicate oiliness of sewing machine oil and warm ski wax preceded orange zest, barley sugar and warm hay. Grippy aromas of white balsamic and lime pickle came through as aged honey infused grappa on taste. It barreled over the tongue with intense tobacco dryness, snus and then burnt toast. They found North African sweet spices, more orange and perfumed cigarette smoke. Poached fruits in a cardamom infused syrup with a hint of mint on the finish. Unusual and elegant.

Drinking tip: Don’t leave this too long – it becomes sooty!

Colour: Polished trumpet

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 22 years

Date distilled: September 1992

Alcohol: 57.3%

USA allocation: 48 bottles

Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet

Cask No. 93.63 $140

Unapologetic non-conformist

Campbeltown

To nose, we found venison in a red wine and cocoa sauce, maple syrup on pancakes and salted rum caramel. Then, a furniture workshop was crafting benches for a bodega whilst a mechanic with grimy overalls tucked into a bacon sandwich at the beach. To taste, cranberries coated in chocolate, melted salted butter on Belgian waffles, and hoisin sauce noodles. Water brought brown envelopes, wet seaside rocks, Branston pickle, and memories of smoking a shisha pipe (apple tobacco) in a leather armchair. It was sweet and earthy with papaya, roasted beetroot, salted cashews, mint humbugs and bran cereal. Conformity is overrated.

Drinking tip: While camping on a beach

Colour: Precious amber

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 15 years

Date distilled: June 1999

Alcohol: 56.1%

USA allocation: 96 bottles

Flavour profile: Oily & coastal

Cask No. 29.159 $150

Anyone for cricket?

Islay

The panel were transported to a tranquil scene at the cricket pavilion. Old apothecary chests and Germolene merged with gentle applewood smoke and wet, mossy grass. Tuna steak with a crust of wasabi was served with crispy seaweed and posh salt and vinegar crisps. A selection of tea was on offer: nettle, Berber, camomile, Earl Grey. A smirr of rain evoked damp hessian sacks, and sportsman leathers like well worn gloves and knee pads. Sweet pipe tobacco wafted over a old fashioned chest of fresh linen. It finished with cool, ashy flavours and dark chocolate with mint and sea salt.

Drinking tip: Careful with the water

Colour: Peely wally

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 17 years

Date distilled: October 1997

Alcohol: 51.7%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Flavour profile: Peated

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MALTS OF SCOTLAND

BACK IN STOCK!

The sun has been shining on Soho this week with people out enjoying the cafe culture. Offices are empty and pubs are full! Chester, the shop dog, has been sat on our front step catching some rays, and our buyer Lee is thinking of investing in a deck chair to match his Panama hat (he’s going for a look…).

The sun has also been shining on us in terms of availability of interesting independent bottlings. We have more Maltbarn and Samaroli on the horizon, and today we have had a gleaming arrival of new releases from the most excellent Malts of Scotland.

There’s a great value Deanston, a staff-pick Bruichladdich, and even a 28 year old Bowmore which we don’t need to say much more about than that! Malts of Scotland are one of the recent additions to our shelves and are part of a cohort of indie bottlers we’ve wanted on the books for some time, largely because of their quite frankly amazing ability to consistently select good casks!

THE SELECTION

Deanston 1997, 16 Year Old, 46%

A 16 year old Deanston bottled by German indie bottler Malts of Scotland, this single cask is limited to just 242 bottles. On the nose there are notes of vanilla toffee, nutmeg and freshly mown grass. The palate opens up with a firm maltiness and a oily mouth coating quality. The finish is long and complex as notes of Asian spice, baked Bramey apples and passion fruit come to the fore.

£45.95

Angel’s Choice Bowmore 1987, 28 Year Old, 35cl, 51.3%

What more do we need to say – a 28 year old sherry cask matured cask-strength Bowmore – yes please! The nose opens with blackberry fruit, summer fruit pudding and palma violet floral peat. The whisky coats the mouth with notes of blueberries, Victoria sponge cake and blackcurrants. Then comes the spectacular finish; warm spice, soothing coastal peat and demerara sugar. Sublime!

£239.95

Images of Islay, Lochindaal Lighthouse, 53.2%

A limited run of just 265 bottles, this is a stunning secret Islay bottling. The peat is sturdy but reveals itself coquettishly. The palate balances a saline maritime quality with estery fruit, pear drops and banana. The finish lingers with the peat becoming a beach bonfire on a balmy summer evening.

£78.95

Bruichladdich 2004, 11 Year Old, 55.5%

This Bruichladdich has been matured in an ex-Bourbon cask for 11 years. Expect Islay coastalness (that’s a word…) with additional notes of greengages, fennel seeds and compte shavings. A superb cask selected by one of our favourite German independent bottlers!

£78.95

Images of Dufftown, St Michael’s Episcopal Church, 53.2%

This secret bottling of a Speyside distillery is adorned with a label depicting St Michael’s Episcopal Church. Only 557 bottles were produced from a single cask and were bottled at cask-strength. The whisky has a nutty aroma with extra notes of stewing plum fruits. The palate is relatively soft for a single malt of this strength, followed by a luxuriously silky finish.

£68.95

Bunnahabhain 2000, 15 Year Old, 50.9%

A proud sherry cask matured Bunnahabhain bottled from a single cask at cask-strength. The aroma conjures up images of a calm Scottish Island bay before those assertive sherry cask scents emerge lending a richer Christmas cake-like quality to the whisky. The palate maintains an earthiness with winter spice softening the edges. The finish lingers with a coastal salinity and soft fruit notes. One of 655 bottles.

£88.95

WHISKY WAILERS

Just like whisky, jazz music incites a passionate response. This month we explore the mysterious arrangement that makes whisky such a fine accompaniment to music with a Whisky & Jazz playlist… Richard Havers (Universal Music/The Jazz Cafe) matches 15 of our whiskies to different tracks. Let us know what you think of our musical matches #whiskyjazz.

Sweet, fruity & mellow

85.31 A toy shop in an orange grove £46.80

76.123 Warm, joyous and gratifying £126.00

Spicy & sweet

35.135 A pure stouter! £69.50

55.30 Remarkable freshness, beguiling sweetness £43.30

Spicy & dry

77.37 Baked fruits and nuts £49.40

Old & dignified

7.114 Ode to Grown up George £110.00

Light & delicate

48.59 Cidre de Glace £42.80

Juicy, oak & vanilla

50.65 Tutti Frutti £110.00

44.64 You can fly £89.60

Lightly peated

66.68 Bon Appétit  £45.90

29.160 Fifty shades of dark** £62.40

Heavily peated

53.223 Angels and Demons £94.00

129.7 An artist in an antique boat** £70.00

Browse New Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

**Limited to 1 per Member and only available in our Members’ Rooms or by phone (0131 555 2929, 9am-4.45pm Mon-Fri)

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

Glenlivet 18 Year Old 1997

Single cask refill hogshead bottled May 2015 by Douglas Laing & Co. for the Old Particular series. Yielding just 108 bottles!

Buy – $118.84

FEIS ILE 2015 – A SECOND TRANCHE

(PLUS A SPRINGBANK 21 YEAR OLD CLARET WOOD)

As we have previously mentioned, we had a member of staff up at the Islay Festival this year collecting bottles of whisky for our bar, tastings and shelves. To give everyone the best chance to purchase a bottle of these Feis Ile 2015 expressions, we decided it was best to split them into two releases. Below you will find the second and final release of our haul (including some repeats and some new bottles!). Better still we’ve also managed to get our hands on some Springbank 21 Year Old matured in ex-Bordeaux wine casks. Those who remember the stunning 12 Year Old Claret Wood from a few years back will know just how well Springbank takes to this cask type, so take a peek!

In other news, we will have an allocation of the Ardbeg Perpetuum soon, so keep your eyes on your inbox and our social media channels for more information.

THE SELECTION

Laphroaig Cairdeas, Feis Ile 2015, 51.5%

Laphroaig used their smaller pot stills to create an old fashioned style of their famous whisky and bottled it for the 2015 Feis Ile celebrations.  Very sweet & smokey on the nose, followed by menthol and burnt pine on the palate, with a long dry smoky finish.
£125

Bruichladdich High Noon 134, Feis Ile 2015, 48.7% – Signed by Jim McEwan

With just 1881 bottles produced, and a combined age of the whiskies that make up this stellar dram at 134 years, it’s fair to assume this is seriously old Bruichladdich! The bottle has even been signed by Jim McEwan! Gentle sweet honey and some salt on the nose, followed by more salt, then later, honey and cashews on the palate.
£199.95

Bowmore Virgin Oak, Feis Ile 2015, 55.7%

A Bowmore from the Feis Ile Festival 2015, taken solely from a virgin oak cask, spicy, peaty – delicious! One of just 1000 bottles produced. Presented in a cloth gift bag. Woody caramel, a little bit earthy on the nose with manuka honey on the palate and a lightly spiced, lingering finish.
£110

Bunnahabhain 11 Year Old, Rubha A’Mhail, Manzanilla Limited Edition, 57.4%

A small release of only 1200 bottles, this un-chillfiltered cask-strength Bunnahabhain has been matured in Manzanilla sherry casks. The result is a single malt with notes of chocolate eclairs, Maldon sea salt and gentle coastal notes.

£160

Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old, Moscatel Limited Edition, 51.8%

Matured in moscatel wine casks, this 18 year old Bunnahabhain takes on the honeyed vinous notes of the moscatel, fortified with that strong maritime Islay influence! One of only 250 bottles.

£450

Springbank 21 Year Old, Claret Wood, 46%

We picked this Springbank up from the distillery itself! A 21 Year Old that has been matured in ex-Bordeaux wine casks, lending the whisky notes of cassis fruits alongside that Springbank oiliness and fresh estery fruit!

£450

Time to blow our (and Balblair’s!) trumpet – we are proud to present an exclusive single cask, cask strength bottling of some of the last remaining 1997 vintage available. If you’re lucky enough to be in Edinburgh, London or Pitlochry call in at one of our shops for a wee sample (while stock lasts!)

BALBLAIR 1997 RMW Excl. 52.6% £99.95

RMW staff have all been saving up their pennies for this exclusive, specially selected single cask. It’s no secret that we love Balblair, but what a treat to get a rare cask strength bottling!

Glenlivet
42 Year Old 1973

Buy – $489.54

Summer’s in full swing and the July Outturn is full of tasty little numbers! Enjoy the bottle notes below and visit http://www.smws.ca/ for the full tasting notes:

Cask No. 123.10  Sweet treats on deck

9 years old; 1st fill barrel; 57.6%; Sweet, fruity & mellow

Fresh linen on board a freshly varnished yacht. Pear with vanilla ice cream and wafers. Butter icing, French fancies, iced gems. Elderflower cordial on warm, newly polished decking. Champagne tea with bread and butter pudding, chocolate truffles. Kick back, relax!

Cask No. 35.114  A Southern gentleman

19 years old; 1st fill toasted oak hogshead; 58.9%; Spicy & sweet

A slow start, then minty, with linseed and coconut oil, and a shake of white pepper – Rye whiskey character, which increases with water (macaroons, Bounty Bar), with spice. A sweet, soft taste (toasted marshmallows) and a warming finish.

Cask No. 121.74  A box of chocolates

14 years old; refill hogshead; 55.7%; Juicy, oak & vanilla

An emersion in sweets: Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers, Newberry Fruits (sugar-covered jellies), ‘mango cream fondant chocolates’, Thornton’s Summer Fruit Chocolates’, Maltesers, Bakewell tarts, croissant with raspberry jam… Finishing with peppermint Aero.

Cask No. G3.6  A fascinating reminder of a bygone era

33 years old; refill hogshead; 53.2%; Old & dignified

Deep aromatic sweet wood and leather aromas make this a very relaxing and comfortable dram on the nose. The taste neat is surprisingly smoky and ashy but soon followed by sweet, soft and floral aromas of chocolate honeycomb and muscovado sugar. Best enjoyed neat.

Cask No. 3.227  Tasty farmhouse cooking

16 years old; refill sherry butt; 56.4%; Lightly peated

Warm and rich aromas of a beef consommé poured into a rabbit casserole simmering on a wood burning stove. The taste is that of a rich tomato soup and honey roasted sweet potatoes. Water adds sweet earthy notes and the flavour is a tender pork stew with herb dumplings.

Cask No. 29.144  You gotta love this one

22 years old; refill hogshead; 51.2%; Peated

Peat smoke emerging from the pagoda and a beach barbecue with langoustines, scallops and crispy aromatic duck. Adding a drop of water and it becomes like a comfort blanket with flavours of tropical fruit salad and clean sweet peat smoke.

http://www.smws.ca/

Kilkerran Work in Progress 7 – Bourbon Cask

Kilkerran 54.1%% vol. / 70cl