SMWS HISTORY
The world in your glass
International Whisky Day on 27 March is a celebration of whisky from around the world, and of the life and work of whisky writer Michael Jackson. At the Society, members have come to love our offering of global whiskies. But you don’t have to go back all that far to a time where the attitude was quite the opposite, as Duncan Gorman writes
Whether you’re new to the Society, or have been a member for decades, it’s always worth keeping up to date with all we have to offer. Despite the name, the Society’s offerings stretch much further than incredible Scotch. Over the last 20 years bottling unique whiskies from outside Scotland has become equally important to the Society’s identity. Our Whisky Team pride themselves in hunting down the most flavoursome spirits from all over the world.
PICTURED: The original bottling list introducing Japanese whisky
PICTURED: Not all members were delighted with the first release of whisky from Japan by the Society in 2002
If you include our range of Single Cask Spirits, which features one-of-a-kind rums, bourbons and cognacs, the SMWS now bottles from over 25 international distilleries. With a selection of whiskies and spirits from over 14 countries, it’s fair to say this is a popular offering with our members. But it hasn’t always been that way.
Although there wasn’t too much of an uproar in 1988 when the Society bottled from distillery 51 in Northern Ireland, the first non-Scotch in SMWS history, it didn’t stay that way. It wasn’t until 2002 that the Society released our next international bottling, from distillery 116 in Japan. Bottling an international whisky was an outlandish concept in the early 2000s, and the first cask from distillery 116 was widely criticised by members, as Tasting Panel chair Olaf Meier remembers: “Members sent us their membership cards in the post, cut in half, with a note saying ‘if you bottle s**t from Japan, we want nothing to do with you.’ Wind the clock forward a few years and we bottled another Japanese whisky, this time members queued around the block to buy a bottle as soon as possible.”
Thankfully over time people’s preconceptions began to soften, and members became more open to exploring the wide range of flavours international whiskies have to offer. Olaf continues: “Those early days are thankfully long gone, and since distillery 128 from Wales, there have been plenty of new distilleries outside of Scotland.
PICTURED: Society ambassador Olaf Meier remembers members cutting up their cards in protest at the bottling of whisky from Japan
A GLOBAL SOCIETY
We have now bottled whisky from over 50 international distilleries in 15 countries, including:
Australia: Distilleries 147, 148
Canada: Distillery 152
Denmark: Distilleries 141, 153, 154
England: Distilleries 137, 146
Finland: Distillery RW6
France: Distillery 157
Northern Ireland: Distilleries 51, 150
India: Distillery 134
Ireland: Distilleries 117, 118
Israel: Distillery 155
Japan: Distilleries 116, 124, 130, 131, 132, 158, 159, 160, G11, G12
Sweden: Distilleries 144, 145, 151
Taiwan: Distilleries 138, 139
US: Distilleries 133, 140, 142, 143, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, RW1, RW2, RW3, RW4, RW5, RW7, CW1, CW2
Wales: Distillery 128
“I always say to members, just try the whisky, or indeed any spirit we are bottling, without any knowledge and therefore you won’t have any preconceived ideas. See what you think first and then get the information afterwards – you might be in for a surprise.
“The SMWS is all about keeping an open mind and trying different things. The idea of single cask or small-batch bottlings is very different to the industry mantra of a brand which lives on consistency.”
SMWS head of whisky creation Euan Campbell is also glad to see whisky lovers moving towards a more flavour-first approach. “Over the past few decades, non-Scotch whiskies have cropped up from all over,” he says. “The Society has always been open minded and has a history of championing these whiskies when the moment is right for us to add them to our offering.
“We taste many international whiskies over the course of a year, and not all make the grade, it's very competitive out there. Consumers are more adventurous than ever and enjoy exploring this side of the whisky world.”
PICTURED: Whisper it...we’ve even bottled whisky from England...
There have been a few special bottlings to pop up from overseas since the very first international bottlings, but Olaf still remembers the first bottling from Japan that changed it all: “There are so many highlights it is hard to recall them all, but Cask No. 116.1: Coconut peapods and tropical hothouses was special. I had the honour of being part of its Tasting Panel, and for me it was an absolute revelation!
“The Nordic countries surprise me as well, places like Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Not to forget the whisky from Brittany in France. Members who went to my 20th anniversary tastings last May might have been a little surprised that I chose distillery 157, but I had my reasons. One simple one is that it’s delicious malt whisky!”
So don’t be afraid the next time you hear of a Society bottling from further afield. As Olaf says, taste first and ask questions later!