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The Scotch
Malt Whisky Society celebrates its 40th
Anniversary Year with commemorative
bottles, special releases and much more.
There is no doubt that back in 1983
Edinburgh-based accountant Pip Hills
started a revolution in Scotch whisky
when he established The Scotch Malt
Whisky Society in Edinburgh.
Hills’s interest in single cask whisky
started in the late 70s when he
experienced an ‘epiphany’ trying some
whisky which had been siphoned straight
from a cask into an old lemonade bottle
while visiting a friend’s farm in
Aberdeenshire.
Hills discovered what whisky enthusiasts
now know today, ‘pure’ non chill
filtered, naturally coloured,
cask-strength whisky had more flavour
and character compared with that era’s
choice of off-the-shelf whisky, which
was often chill filtered,
artificially coloured and diluted with
water.
Hills sourced his first cask of whisky
from Glenfarclas Distillery in Speyside.
Driving from Edinburgh, he transported
the cask in the back of his 1937 Lagonda.
In the early 80s, the Scotch industry
was perceived as dull, in decline and
its brands were bland, but Hills and the
Society revolutionised this world by
adding a sense of fun and camaraderie.
Borrowing the evocative and entertaining
language of wine-tasters to describe
whisky flavours, Hills and the Society
helped establish the concept of
recreational whisky tastings, which are
now so commonplace..
The formation of the Society helped
drive a resurgence of Scotch whisky.
Several years after the Society was
formed, others in the industry took note
of interest in single cask whisky and
began to mention casks more in their
marketing to help promote their brands,
while others also began to sell whisky
at cask strength, explaining the flavour
advantages of that.
40 years on The Scotch Malt Whisky
Society is still going strong, now
approaching 40,000 members worldwide
spread out around 30 branches across the
world including China, Australia and the
USA, and the society s marking its 40th
anniversary with a year-long series of
special releases, events, collaborations
and happenings, all inspired by its
founder’s unorthodox outlook on Scotch
whisky.
Alongside commemorative bottles and
special releases for the 40th year, the
Society’s anniversary activities over
the next 12 months will include
innovative creations such as a
chilli-tinged whisky, collaborations
with a ‘thrill engineer’ and a
top-secret world-record attempt.
The Society will also launch a new
podcast series featuring maverick and
game changing characters from around the
world and assemble a first-ever
female-only tasting panel to select
future releases.
The Society’s year of celebrations also
include the release of a special short
film about its origins which documents
the whisky epiphany Hills experienced
when he first sampled single cask whisky
at an Aberdeenshire farm. Other plans
involve the release of more sherry-cask
matured whiskies, and new releases from
distilleries the Society has never
bottled from before.
Andrew Dane, CEO of Artisanal Spirts
Company plc which owns the Society
today, said: "They say ‘mighty oaks from
little acorns grow’ and that is true of
the Society’s story. It’s incredible to
think that a small gathering of pals
sharing single cask whisky in Edinburgh
has grown into this worldwide club. It
seems apt that in our 40th year, we are
closing in on reaching 40,000 members,
worldwide.
"As we enter our fifth decade, we’re
incredibly excited. Our Spirits Team is
hard at work seeking out incredible
casks and we continue to bring people
together to explore the flavours of
whisky and create new friendships. Our
members and adventurous whisky fans
looking to join the Society can expect
to see a few surprises during our 40th
anniversary year. Watch this space"
Society founder Hills, said: "I started
the whole thing for a lark. At the time,
most of the Scotch whisky industry was
very dull and most of the whisky wasn’t
up to much. I had had no great liking
for whisky, but when I first tried
whisky drawn straight from a cask, it
was an epiphany – this whisky tasted
astonishing and quite unlike any whisky
I’d drunk before. I shared some with my
friends and they loved it too, so it
seemed like a good idea to share it with
more people.
"When we started the Society and began
to share the ‘secret’ of single cask
whisky with others, there’s no doubt
that we began to alter people’s
attitudes, so that they came to see that
behind the branded sameness of Scotch
whisky there lay a world of variety and
interest, as well as a drink that tasted
a lot better than what they were used
to. The great thing was that we had a
lot of fun doing and people joined the
Society in their thousands to share in
the fun, as well as to get their hands
on the whisky."
Today The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
continues to bottle rare single cask and
single malt whisky as well as exclusive
blends and a range of other Single Cask
Spirits from 180 distilleries from
Scotland and beyond and it offers SMWS
members a new batch of around 20
different single malt whiskies every
month. Members have access to four
exclusive SMWS Members’ Rooms in Leith,
Edinburgh, Glasgow and London along with
a global network of 100 partner bars.
The SMWS offers a variety of membership
options that can be tailored to your
individual needs, for more information
about the Society and to join visit
www.smws.com
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