Around the world

So are you ready to make the trip of a lifetime to Islay to experience the magic of Fèis Ìle for yourself? It’s amazing to make the pilgrimage to this whisky island, and meet people who have travelled from the farthest corners of the world to join the fun.

Unfortunately I can’t make it this year, but like many others I’m ready to experience the joy of the festival from a distance, with one of the Society’s small-batch bottlings released to celebrate festival season across Scotland.

You can read much more about how our Spirits Team created these special drams in this month’s Unfiltered, while Julien Willems tells us more about our history of working with experimental casks over the years in our pursuit of variety and intriguing flavours.

As the Society gets well into its 40th year, it’s always worth reflecting on some of the key milestones in our history, so we’ve pulled together a timeline of notable dates from the past four decades. When do you date your membership back to?

Some lucky members may have got their hands on the first bottling from one of the latest distilleries on the SMWS roster, with Cask No. 155.1: The rye pretender. It sold out pretty quickly, but we are assured there will be more coming your way in the future, so we wanted to get the lowdown on this Middle Eastern distillery and its intense form of maturation.

Elsewhere we visit a fantastic new partner bar in Nuremberg, Germany, and catch up with our national ambassador for the United States, Jenna Elie. And if you’re in any doubt about just how international in scope The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has become in its 40-year history, we reflect on the growth of a global Society of kindred spirits – sharing good times, no matter where we are, what’s in our glass, or what language we speak.

Cheers!

Richard