The
Scotch Malt Whisky Society
The Vaults,
87 Giles Street
Edinburgh, EH6 6BZ Scotland
Tel: 0131 554 3451 / Fax: 0131 553 1003
"Freedom
and whisky gang thegither" wrote Robert Burns over two
hundred years ago. It's a sentiment we uphold.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the world's leading
specialist in single malt, single cask, cask strength whiskies.
Established more than 20 years ago by a group of friends who
clubbed together to buy a single cask of fine malt whisky,
the Society retains to this day the same air of camaraderie.
Today the Society has three superb venues and over 20,000
members worldwide.
With the world's widest range of single cask, cask strength
malt whiskies selected from over 120 distilleries, a UK-wide
programme of whisky tastings and a warm welcome in Members'
Rooms in Leith, Edinburgh and London – wherever you
travel you can be sure to find a friend with whom to raise
a glass.
The
Society's traditional home is in one of the oldest commercial
buildings in Scotland - The Vaults in Leith, Edinburgh's bustling
old port area. It also has Members' Rooms at 28 Queen Street,
Edinburgh and 19 Greville Street, London, right in the heart
of The City.
The Range As a Society member you have access
to one of the widest selections of single cask, cask strength
malts. We are currently bottling between 150 and 200 casks
a year from over 100 distilleries the length and breadth of
Scotland.
Society
Bottlings The Society exists to celebrate variations
from the norm, so members can enjoy the individual characteristics
each cask has to offer in terms of distillery, age, finish
etc. Once the Society has bought single casks from the range
of distilleries, the respected Tasting Panel is responsible
for quality control and takes the decision as to which casks
should be bottled and when. From there, the Panel writes the
Society's lyrical and often humourous (even controversial)
Tasting Notes.
Remember,
Society whisky is available to members only. Read about Society
membership To find out more.
The
Distilleries The Society enjoys the confidence and
goodwill of the whisky industry and supports it in any way
possible. Sensitive to industry policy and to maintain an
element of intrigue, the Society does not mention any distillery
by name.
With
this in mind, each bottle features two numbers: the first
represents the distillery, the second the number of casks
we have bottled from that distillery. The first cask the Society
ever bottled was given the number 1.1. Our stocks and range
of distilleries have increased over the years and to date
we have over one hundred. So, for example, a bottle of 110.4
would mean that the Society has bottled its fourth cask from
distillery number 110.
The
Strength The Society bottles all its whiskies direct
from the cask, at full strength (around 60% alcohol). Whiskies
bought in shops tend to be diluted and bottled at about 40%
alcohol. Because dilution sometimes produces a slight cloudiness,
the whisky is then chilled and filtered - a process which,
while it leaves the spirit clear, can remove some of the constituents
which give it taste and character. The Society does not chill-filter
its whiskies.
The
Cask The type and quality of the casks used for maturing
malt whisky have a profound effect on the flavour of the final
product because each cask imparts individual characteristics.
In commercial bottlings a number of casks are mixed together
to combine these characteristics and achieve a uniform product.
The Society does not vat its casks.
"Catch
the Joy as it Flies!" By contrast, the Society
exults in diversity. Each of our bottlings are from a single
cask (yielding between 200 and 700 bottles only - depending
on type of cask, its age and tightness). Thus the wonderful
variety of aromas in malt whisky can be experienced to the
full. It is important to remember that once a cask is finished
it is gone forever and will never be replicated.