Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), the world’s biggest whisky club, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its London members’ room at Greville Street. Festivities included ‘The Gathering’ – a 25 Year Old whisky tasting with Ambassador, John McCheyne at 19 Greville Street.
In addition to rare whisky tastings, the society also released a limited-edition single cask bottling. ‘A Silver Darling’ was distilled in 1999 (the year in which the Greville Street rooms opened). It was then matured in an Oloroso sherry butt for 19 years before a five-year finish in a first-fill Pedro Ximénez hogshead.
Happy Anniversary, 19 Greville Street
The Greville Street premises opened 16 years after the establishment of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which began as a small whisky-drinking community that appreciated the subtlety and complexity of single cask bottlings. Soon, the Society grew in numbers, as did the demand for its single cask whiskies.
As numbers and popularity grew, SMWS opened up three new UK-based venues: Queen Street (Edinburgh), Bath Street (Glasgow), and Greville Street (London).
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Speaking about Greville Street’s success over the last few decades, General Manager, Simone Malavolta, said: “We have built an incredible community of like-minded whisky fans over the years, many of whom have developed life-long friendships over a few drams. We believe whisky brings people together, and invite anyone who is interested in what we do to join us as we celebrate this milestone, and toast the next 25 years of flavour discovery together.”
About SMWS
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 by Phillip “Pip” Hills, a whisky enthusiast from Edinburgh, Scotland. Hills’ journey began in the late 1970s when he discovered a love for single cask whisky during a visit to a farm in Speyside. Tasting whisky straight from the barrel, he was struck by its raw, unadulterated flavour—far removed from the mass-produced, blended whiskies prevalent at the time.
Recognizing the unique appeal of single cask whisky, Hills gathered a small group of friends to pool funds and purchase casks directly from distilleries. Their shared passion led to the formation of the SMWS.
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Today, SMWS has over 41,000 members worldwide and has international branches in Taiwan, China, and Japan as well as other countries. The Greville Street rooms were SMWS’s first location outside of Scotland.
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