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Many thanks,
Hannah, on behalf of all of us at Compass Box!
FROM EDINBURGH EPIPHANY TO WORLDWIDE WHISKY CLUB, SOCIETY CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY & APPROACHES 40,000 MEMBERS
Year-long series of special activities announced by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society as it closes in on 40,000-member milestone
Pip Hills, founder of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, pictured at the Abderdeenshire farm where he first discovered single cask whisky: pic by Mike Wilkinson;
Maverick art by Andy Rogerson
Having been dismissed by industry experts in 1983 as an idea that would never work, a whisky club started ‘for a lark’ by a maverick whisky enthusiast in Edinburgh is this year celebrating its 40th-anniversary and approaching 40,000 members around the world.
For four decades, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has specialised in releasing ‘whisky in its purest form’ – mainly single malt whiskies bottled from single casks that are not diluted with water, artificially coloured or chill-filtered to prevent it going cloudy when water or ice is added.
Now The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which has grown to include around 30 branches across the world including China, Australia and the USA, is marking this new milestone in its journey with a year-long series of special releases, events, collaborations and happenings, all inspired by its founder’s unorthodox outlook.
Alongside commemorative bottles and special releases for the 40th year, the Society’s anniversary activities over the next 12 months include innovative creations such as a chilli-tinged whisky, collaborations with a ‘thrill engineer’ and a top-secret world-record attempt.
The Society will also launch a new podcast series featuring maverick and game changing characters from around the world and assemble a first-ever female-only tasting panel to select future releases.
The worldwide whisky club was started in 1983 by then Edinburgh-based accountant Pip Hills. The idea came after he’d experienced an epiphany discovering that whisky drawn straight from a cask had much more flavour compared with that era’s choice of off-the-shelf whisky.
His ingenious idea of forming a club in Edinburgh to share these ‘pure’ single cask whiskies with others and making whisky more fun by using wine-tasters’ terminology to describe flavours was a game-changer at a time when the Scotch industry was perceived as dull and in decline.
Four decades on, the whisky industry is booming – thanks in part to pioneers like Hills – while the Society is also thriving. Despite being told by industry experts that his idea of a whisky club would never work, the Society now has around 30 branches around the world, over 100 partner bars worldwide, has bottled whisky from over 180 different distilleries and has more than 37,000 members. The club is part of the Artisanal Spirits Company plc group, known for creation and curation of outstanding limited edition whisky and artisanal sprits for premium drinks lovers around the world.
The Society’s year of celebrations also include the release of a special short film about its origins which documents the whisky epiphany Hills experienced when he first sampled single cask whisky at an Aberdeenshire farm. Other plans involve the release of more sherry-cask matured whiskies, and new releases from distilleries the Society has never bottled from before.
Andrew Dane, CEO of Artisanal Spirts Company plc which owns the Society, said: “They say ‘mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ and that is true of the Society’s story. It’s incredible to think that a small gathering of pals sharing single cask whisky in Edinburgh has grown into this worldwide club. It seems apt that in our 40th year, we are closing in on reaching 40,000 members, worldwide.”
“As we enter our fifth decade, we’re incredibly excited. Our Spirits Team is hard at work seeking out incredible casks and we continue to bring people together to explore the flavours of whisky and create new friendships. Our members and adventurous whisky fans looking to join the Society can expect to see a few surprises during our 40th anniversary year. Watch this space…”Society founder Hills, said: “I started the whole thing for a lark. At the time, most of the Scotch whisky industry was very dull and most of the whisky wasn’t up to much. I had had no great liking for whisky, but when I first tried whisky drawn straight from a cask, it was an epiphany – this whisky tasted astonishing and quite unlike any whisky I’d drunk before. I shared some with my friends and they loved it too, so it seemed like a good idea to share it with more people.
“When we started the Society and began to share the ‘secret’ of single cask whisky with others, there’s no doubt that we began to alter people’s attitudes, so that they came to see that behind the branded sameness of Scotch whisky there lay a world of variety and interest, as well as a drink that tasted a lot better than what they were used to. The great thing was that we had a lot of fun doing and people joined the Society in their thousands to share in the fun, as well as to get their hands on the whisky.”
About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)
About The Artisanal Spirits Company (ASC)
We hope this finds you well and enjoying the first few weeks of 2023. Helen and I are just back from the Central Florida Highland Games where we were the ‘honoured guests’. The games are extremely popular with visitors coming from all over the States to attend; in fact there were over 30,000 at the event, sharing a passion for all things Scottish and it was a privilege for us to be able to spread the Lindores word to such an engaged audience. Our hosts were incredibly welcoming and keen to promote Lindores at all times for which we were extremely grateful.
Turning to matters closer to home, we are delighted to announce the release of the Friar John Cor Cask Strength Congregation Batch Chapter 1. A combination of Bourbon, Monbazillac, STR and Sherry casks, it is an absolutely delicious dram. Congratulations to Gary, Lorena and the distillery team for bringing it to life, we are sure it’s going to be a great success. It will be available from mid February, from your local stockist.
As we continue into 2023 let’s raise a glass of our award winning Lindores Abbey whisky and toast to a healthy and successful year to come.
Slàinte
Drew McKenzie Smith
Managing Director of Lindores Abbey Distillery
& Custodian of Lindores Abbey
Let’s start with the highlights of 2022! They include moving over to Crisp Malting to reduce our road miles; our new warehouses were built; we filled some truly excellent casks; we launched some fantastic bottlings, some as distillery exclusives on sale only in our Visitor Centre, and some as celebration of our monks’ home town of Tiron Gardais; and we had Thomas our Belgian intern exploring alternative uses of draff and distillers’ yeast. We also won some great awards!
Over Christmas we had a well-earned festive shutdown and the time off was enjoyed by all! But what is 2023 bringing? It started with a special run of malt through the distillery: we are running through 10t of Scotch Annat Malted Barley, grown and malted by the Crafty Maltsters over in Auchtermuchty. This is what we would call a heritage grain and I think we will be the first distillery in Fife to use it in a long, long time. It’s not a high- yielding strain, but that’s not why we are running it. Rather, it’s to give us a slightly different flavour profile to be working with. Here we have quality, nurtured materials from the past – on the nose as described by Lorena, very floral and sweet – very much like a wild flower meadow.
Just last week we launched our latest bottling – Friar John Cor Chapter 1 – what a dram that is, a blend of 4 different casks and bottled at cask strength, it’s Lindores at its very best! Here’s to 2023
Slàinte
Gary Haggart
Distillery Manager
The best part of my job is Sensory Analysis, that is my passion, and that is why I chose to study it in my last year of University in Chile. When I arrived in Scotland and discovered the beauty of Scotch Whisky I couldn’t ignore this unique product with all the compounds formed during the process that contribute to its aroma and flavour.
Last month I had the pleasure of trying our Lindores Single Malt matured in different types of casks filled in 2019.
My favourites casks were : Cask# 190699 Ex-Calvados @ 61.7%abv, a French cask with just three years of maturation: evolving as a complex, pleasing Single Malt with a burnished colour, mellow ripe red apples, sweet pears and floral notes on the nose. On the palate, nutmeg, cinnamon spices combined with sweet vanilla , fruity apples, some nuttiness and pleasant dark chocolate on the back of the tongue. Finished with a smooth vanilla and a touch of spice finish. Nice.
The next cask is outstanding : Cask# 190540, ExManzanilla Sherry (Spanish cask subcategory of a Fino Sherry) @ 60.9 %abv: yellow gold in colour, a beautiful cask giving green grapes, with citrus floral notes on the nose; a sea breeze and a subtle oak aroma. A great combination, on the palate releasing clean green fruitiness, sweet orchard fruits and salty marine notes with a hint of vanilla oak. Just right.
Every cask tells its own story; but I must say that Lindores New Make Spirit is getting better and better over the years. The ongoing, developing relationship between whisky and wood in the warehouse is fascinating.
Slàinte
Lorena Baez
Product Development
LINDORES WORLDWIDEE
We are working hard to get Lindores to all corners of the globe, and are hoping to be able to give you some good news about the USA in the next few weeks. We’re also about to do a launch in Norway, at the end of February and I recently visited the West Coast of Canada (Vancouver, Vancouver Island, North Edmonton, and Calgary) back in November and spent time with Pacific Wine and Spirits sales team, conducting tastings, and generally educating them on the Lindores brand.
I have also done market visits to Denmark and Germany and I am going back out to Germany again soon, so the word is certainly spreading!
Elliot Wynn Higgins
Export Manager
‘The Cask Strength Congregation Batch’
Chapter 1
Our newest release was matured in a blend of Bourbon, Monbazillac, STR, and Sherry casks. As with all Lindores bottlings it has no added colouring, is non-chill filtered and bottled onsite at the batch cask strength of 60.2% ABV. The introduction of the Monbazillac casks gives a sweetness and complexity that compliments perfectly the classic Lindores style.
The design of the unusual black bottle, mirroring the Exclusive 1494 First Release Bottle, draws on several elements of Lindores Abbey’s history, most obviously the dramatic black colour which is inspired by the black cloth tunics worn by the Lindores monks back in 1494. This unique bottle shape is also in homage to the magnificent stone pillars which would have been found throughout the Abbey, the remains of which can still be found in the ruins today.
These bottles will be available from mid February through selected stockists, so get in touch with your local bottle shop to reserve your bottle!
Lindores Abbey Distillery
Abbey Road
Newburgh, Fife KY14 6HH
United Kingdom
Whisky Magazine issue #189
We’re excited to announce that our latest issue is out now, so make sure you don’t miss out!
Our cover star for this issue is Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker’s master blender. Diageo’s Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience has dominated the headlines and won numerous awards since it opened to the public in September 2021. Just over a year on, we visit the Edinburgh blended Scotch ‘whisky wonderland’ to see for ourselves how the venue has influenced Scotch tourism.
Make sure you don’t miss out!
Buy your printed copy of Whisky Magazine
Dalmore 30 Year Old 2022
A stellar dram matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished for two years in rich tawny Port pipes. This 2022 bottling of The Dalmore 30 Year Old single malt has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished for two years in tawny port pipes, which previously held Graham’s 1982 Single Harvest Tawny Port. Presented in a stunning bottle, with a abv of 43.2%.
Nose: stewed apples and plums, treacle and ginger.
Palate: dark berries and cherries, port wine.
Finish: espresso, soft liquorice, orange and dark cocoa.
‘Fortune Favors the Brave’ so you don’t want to miss out on this incredible Single Malt from Scotland’s first and last mainland Whisky distillery!
Wolfburn Appoints ImpEx Beverages as its Exclusive US Importer
January 2023 – Wolfburn’s Thurso Distillery has been producing world-class spirits by hand, using only the finest ingredients, and without haste since its resurrection in 2013. Its smooth and warming flavor stems from the unhurried way in which the spirit is made. Long fermentation is followed by gentle distillation before the spirit is laid down in the best quality Oak casks. Their warehouses are beautifully dark and cool, providing the perfect environment for the spirit to mature into its signature Single Malt Scotch whisky.
Commencing in 2023, Wolfburn has appointed California based ImpEx Beverages as its Exclusive US Importer representing the brand’s four core expressions and periodic limited releases.
Northland represents the first chapter in the history of Wolfburn. Bottled at 46%, unchillfiltered, with no color added; this expression is fully matured in American Oak casks.
Aurora is a beautifully sherried whisky made from spirit laid down in a combination of ex-Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks bottled at 46%, unchillfiltered, with no color added.
Morven is a lightly peated whisky made from malted barley infused with smoke during the drying process. Bottled at 46%, unchillfiltered, with no color added; this special Single Malt is matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and quarter casks.
Langskip represents the very best of Wolfburn. Bottled at 58% and fully matured in first-fill Bourbon casks. It’s a sweet, balanced, and beautifully easy-drinking dram.
When asked of the new partnership with ImpEx Beverages in the US, Co-Founder Harry Tayler said, “ImpEx is a leading distributor of independent whisky brands and we are absolutely delighted to be partnering with them. Our brand has seen stellar growth across the globe in recent years, and we are hugely looking forward to it being accessible to whisky lovers in the United States.”
“Our passion is our whisky,” added Wolfburn Brand Ambassador Mark Westmorland. “ImpEx shares that passion, and with their key team members being Keepers of the Quaich, we are tremendously excited to be sharing our story – and of course our award-winning Single Malts – with new fans and followers across the USA.”
Sam Filmus, President of ImpEx Beverages said, “It’s an honor to represent this delightful range of Single Malt Scotch here in the US. Everything at Wolfburn has been done with purpose and it shows through with each of their expressions. Their craftsmen breathe new life into its history with each drop produced and we look forward to seeing the delight on the faces of US consumers as they savor the moment”
Wolfburn will be available at specialty retailers across the US. For more information on where to find this fantastic line ‘from the far North’ please reach out to our office at Office@ImpExBev.com.
ABOUT WOLFBURN:
The original Wolfburn Distillery was founded just to the west of Thurso by William Smith in 1821. In its day it was one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, producing, according to HMRC records, 28,056 “gallons of proof spirit” in a single year. Taking its name from the stream that provided the water – the Wolf Burn – the distillery operated until around 1870. The reasons for its closure are lost in time, but by 1877 the newly produced Ordnance Survey maps showed it being in ruins.
In 2011 plans were laid to resurrect the old distillery. Construction began in 2012 and in January 2013 the new Wolfburn Distillery commenced production, thereby becoming the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland. Situated 300m from the site of the original distillery, the new Wolfburn operates in much the same way as the old: craftsmen use traditional methods to produce fine spirit, which is laid down in best quality oak casks to await the day when it is bottled as single malt scotch whisky. Wolfburn’s single malt scotch whiskies are now available in 35 countries globally.
ABOUT IMPEX BEVERAGES
In 2008, ImpEx Beverages was founded with the vision to import premium and rare spirits from around the world, with a special emphasis on the best of what Scotland has to offer.
Today, ImpEx boasts an impressive portfolio, including some of the most notable small to medium sized distilleries and independent bottlers; importing Whisky, Gin, Rum, and Mezcal from Scotland, Wales, Japan, Israel, Mexico, England, India, and New Zealand with future anticipated additions from unexpected destinations. ImpEx also features a fine line of Liqueurs and Cordials produced in the US.
In case you might have missed it, check out Harry Taylor with the ImpEx team discussing Wolfburn on our last Distillery Deep Dive of 2022 where we spoke about brands Past, Present, and Future… An ImpEx Carol
Located on the west coast, Ardnamurchan is one of the younger distilleries in Scotland. It is owned by Adelphi – an indie bottling company, and it officially opened in 2014. They produce both peated and unpeated spirit, matured on-site in American and European oak, ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks.
The goal is to create an overall flavour profile expected from the west coast malt: gentle peat smoke, rich oily/honey and dark fruit palate, chilli pepper, sea salt and a little more smoke in the finish. They might be located a little out of the way, but the scenic roads and welcoming visitors centre more than make up for the long drive.
The distillery is open Monday to Friday 10 AM to 4 PM
SKU #1655470
$139.99
What could be better than an allocated bourbon with more awards than you can count? Two bottles of allocated bourbon with more awards than you can count! What’s even better than that? Add in a bottle of the classic version for just the price of the two allocated items! This ridiculous deal includes one bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof A122, one bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof B522, and one bottle of Larceny Small Batch for just the cost of the two bottles of Barrel Proof
Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
Built in 2012, Eden Mill is Scotland’s first combined brewery and distillery. In addition to their award winning gins and beers, Eden Mill produces tiny quantities of Single Malt Whisky, filling just a handful of casks each week. Production is set to increase in 2023 with construction of a stunning new distillery at the mouth of the river Eden, overlooking the historic town of St Andrews.
