The SMWS or Scotch Malt Whisky Society as it is officially known, started out as a group of friends sharing a love of scotch whisky in its purest form: single cask, cask strength, uncoloured and not chill-filtered. For modern scotch fans that seems like a normal request, but in the 1980s single malt scotch was a niche, and cask strength independent bottlings even more so.
These days SMWS doesn’t just release scotch, or even just single cask whiskies. From scotch to American single malt and blends to bourbons, they estimate they’ve released around 230,000 bottles from 150 different distilleries around the world. The distinctive bottle and label are well known with whisky fans, but here are five things you might not know about this independent bottler.
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The SMWS Bar Has Over 1,000 Open Bottles To Try
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was created as a way to get interesting whiskies in front of whiskey lovers. But let’s face it, trying new things, even when it’s within a genre you love, can be daunting. As well as monthly outruns of different spirits for their members, the SMWS also has a number of member bars with 100s of open bottles for you to try.
The Vault’s in Leith, Scotland is their flagship venue and the historic home of the society. As the original members club it boasts over 1,000 open bottles available to try. Drams in the bar are all priced in categories from around $8 through to $44. You do need to be a SMWS member to get in-most of the time, but don’t dismiss a trip entirely if you’re not a member as they do have day passes available sometimes. It’s always worth a try if you happen to be in Edinburgh, Scotland, as it’s arguably the most breathtaking bar in the city.
If Edinburgh isn’t your local city, then don’t despair. They have around 100 partner bars globally, which offer a selection of SMWS bottles. “Our Partner Bars are very high quality bars that stock a selection of Society bottles. These bars allow people to have a taste of the Society whisky experience in locations where the Society doesn’t have bricks and mortar venues like it does in the UK in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London for example,” said Julien Willems over email to me.
You Can Own And Bottle Your Own SMWS Cask
The SMWS will turn 50 in 2033 and for the runup the SMWS has launched the 50th Anniversary Cask Club. Owning your own cask of whiskey is often the stuff of dreams for fans of single malt single cask whiskey, but do be clear that this is not advertised in any way as a cask investment. It’s the chance to own your very own cask of whiskey, which will be matured by the SMWS and then bottled for you at ten years old with bespoke labels.
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The SMWS cask programme launched last year and a number of cask styles/distilleries sold out last time. This time they have added a small selection of casks from distilleries 10, 11 and 123 alongside remaining casks from distilleries 8 and 42 (and if you’re not fluent in SMWS code, that’s Bunnahabhain, Tomatin, Glengoyne, Tamdhu and Tobermory).
If you think that’s something you’d be interested in then make sure you’re quick. The official press release says there are less than ten available from some distilleries. Just remember you’ll be liable for the duty and VAT due when the cask has to be bottled in 2033.
The SMWS Has Their Own Sherry Solera
The origin story of the SMWS begins with one of the founder’s receiving a lemonade bottle worth of sherry cask matured single cask Glenfarclas from a farmer. He loved the whisky too much to keep to himself, so he shared it with a few friends. Those were the founding moments that led to the release of the society’s first release in 1983. SMWS 1.1 was a sherry cask matured scotch from their distillery no.1, which is Glenfarclas.
Today the SMWS and their members are still big fans of sherry finished whiskey. They recently released a short documentary film Scotch & Sherry: A Flavour Odyssey, which delves into the relationship between Scotland’s iconic dram and Spain’s Sherry, from the wood used for the casks to the sherry seasoning.
“Everything the Society does is about flavor and giving whisky fans interesting whisky tastes experiences,” explains Julien Willems. For an independent bottler like the SMWS cask selection is an important part of their job in delivering exceptional whiskies and something that you wouldn’t expect directly from the distilleries themselves.
Experimentation is also part of pushing the boundaries when it comes to creating flavor. That’s why they have also begun experimenting with a small solera system. “For us, creating a small-scale solera system is a fun way to play around and experiment with getting new flavors inspired by our heroes in the sherry region,” explained Ed Furmston-Evans, Cask Operation Planner at the SMWS in an exchange with me over email.
It’s Not All About Single Cask Whiskey
Official releases from distilleries across the world tend to be vattings of multiple casks to create a consistent product. If you’re a big whiskey fan, single cask releases present a distinctive opportunity in that you can try a “purer” example of your favorite distilleries whiskies. And just as importantly, each one will be slightly different.
The SMWS Naming System Isn’t That Complicated
Distillery names are usually trademarks. This creates an interesting dynamic for independent bottlers who want to release their own product, but also often want people to know what distillery it is they are sampling whisky from. For early independent bottlers this issue was solved by using the geographically correct term “distilled at the XX distillery,” which doesn’t infringe trademark laws because you cannot trademark a place. The SMWS went down a different route.
For SMWS releases each distillery was assigned a number, and every cask bottled from that distillery was a decimal point. I’m sure there are society members who know all the numbers, but even after years of working with them on the secondary market I still have to refer to a list.
As well as a number, the bottles are also assigned a short name that is supposed to epitomize the particular release. This has given rise to some iconic names like “Darwins Beard Oil” or “A Study In Pink” or “Supernaturally Sweet Smoke” from the 2024 Winter Series.
So there you have it, five things you might not have known about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. It’s amazing to see the evolution of their bottling style over the years as they shift with the market and their loyal members. With their 50th anniversary approaching I look forward to seeing what else they have in store, and enjoying the incredible selection of names that their tasting panel comes up with.
A version of this article was originally written by me for Forbes.com
