- From one of the oldest casks at Chief‘s Son
- The first of the special ‘Family’ casks ever to be released
- Casks originally coopered in France and used for Red Wine then Sherry
- Re-coopered for whisky casks by none other than legendary cooper, Andrew Young from Seppeltsfield Estate
- Each individually numbered bottle is individually laser etched
Shop our premium range of single malt whisky online. Curated whiskies from our previous releases with expert tasting notes, distillery information and all ready for immediate delivery. Stock up today.
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After rave reviews from its initial release in 2021 and members wanting more, we have an Australian stunner of a whisky special release – the Chief’s Son ‘The Aiden 2016’ all the way from the multi-award winning distillery on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. With these credentials it will take pride of place in your collection. -
Made exclusively for the Single Malt Whisky Club, aged in Cabernet casks from a renowned Clare Valley winery and bottled at a premium 55% ABV for our members. This STRICTLY LIMITED viscous single malt is a rich journey into fig jam, vanilla, fresh tobacco, rice-pudding and Italian expresso. In 2021, we introduced members to the renowned Spirit Thief Distilling Co based in Tasmania. This introduction was one of their independently bottled whiskies – the spirit distilled at Belgrove Distillery and aged in Mataro wine casks. This month we are delighted to announce another Spirit Thief offering but this time a whisky made 100% by Spirit Thief. No indy bottling this one – one of their very own! This is one of those whiskies you bring out after a good dinner with good company. Then sit back and bask in the ‘wows’. It’s big and bold, but well behaved and with a finish that you’ll chew on with a smile. Be warned though. You are gonna argue about that sweet note on the nose. Just what is it? -
All the way from the Emerald Isle, a limited edition, 16 year old Irish whiskey and we have the entire Australian allocation of it. For all of our Irish whisky lovers out there – The Barr an Uisce 16yo Single Malt Whiskey. This whiskey is a limited edition (only 1803 numbered bottles), un-chill filtered, 16 year old cracker of a whiskey. Unusually for an Irish, the Barr an Uisce 1803 16 year old is double-distilled rather than triple distilled. It has been aged in first fill Kentucky Bourbon barrels and is presented at 46% abv. Not only that – as an added bonus, it’s in a 750ml bottle! Ahh… 750ml bottles… It’s been awhile since we featured a whiskey with an ‘e’ in it. As lovers of Irish single malt whiskey well know – they are not exactly in abundant supply in this day and age all the way down here!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Very fresh and fruity on the nose. Lot’s of pears and citrus-y notes first up, but then a distinct salted caramel swirl soon becomes apparent. Palate: The citrus and white fruits go through to the palate – as does that interesting salted quality. More vanilla and also some honey there. Nice and crisp, fruity with a sweet roundness. Finish: Honey notes roll around the vanilla and fruit as it slowly fades. -
IT’S A FIRKIN UNICORN! A 12 year old, Double Oaked Tawny Port matured, extremely rare Single Malt from the Scottish Highlands, finished with a bit of FIRKIN magic! Exclusive in Australia to the Single Malt Whisky Club and bottled at a perfect 48.9% for your drinking pleasure. This is FIRKIN great whisky! When whisky legend, Mike Collings (the guy that created Johnny Walker Blue and Green among many others), releases something new to the world – it’s wise to check it out. When he told me last year about an upcoming couple of his ‘double wood’ casks full of 2009 Teaninich I was all ears. Not only is any single malt bottling of Teaninich extremely rare (spirits giant Diageo uses most of it in their various blended whiskies), to get a bottling that’s been ‘touched’ by the Firkin magic is a bit of a unicorn. After a bit of too-ing and fro-ing – we managed to secure the entire Australian allotment of the aptly titled ‘Firkin Rare Teaninich 2009. A light, yet complex dram. A bit of a Firkin enigma, really. Dry and crisp, yet sweet and juicy. Fruity, yet malty. The 48.9% gives it sufficient kick, and avoids the heat. Nicely balanced all round! Nice one, Mr. Collings! -
We asked one of Australia’s most popular ‘cult distillers’, renowned for limited edition releases and his dedication to craft distilling, for a ‘big’ whisky and something that showcased his style for our members and boy did he deliver – His very first Sherry Bomb – a 1st Fill Oloroso cask, bottled at a whopping Cask Strength 64.5% and its exclusively made for our members. Hold onto your hats and please welcome Craft Works Distillery’s ‘Some May Welcome Change’. A whisky dedicated to our little club (hint – look at the initials in the name!) and a new direction from Crafty – 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Matured whisky! His first bone-fide sherry bomb!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: For me it’s straight-up chocolate at first. But then some really difficult to pinpoint notes – some aniseed, some paprika and then just a smidge of nail polish remover is hiding there as well. Palate: At first it’s a rather dry mouthfeel. But it creeps around the inside of your cheeks with very little alcohol burn (surprisingly at this abv)… and then the fruit explodes! Plums, sultanas and mixed peel individually, then all stewed together with a real marzipan thing going on at the same time. Finish: Long and complex – so many flavours rolling around in there! The stewed fruit persists, but is overthrown by coffee and the aniseed makes a comeback just as the curtain start to draw closed. -
This is a cask strength 'ode to the Sherry-cask'…From the masters of the single cask, Signatory Vintage, we’re proud to present this 11-year-old sherry-bomb, The Signatory Vintage Mortlach 2010 Aged 11 Years. This is a limited edition whisky with only 705 individually numbered bottles worldwide. This single malt whisky was distilled in 2010 at the Mortlach Distillery before being placed in a refill Hogshead. It was then finished in a fresh Sherry Butt for 15 months and in 2021 it was bottled at 57.8% ABV as part of the Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection. Mortlach’s bold flavour profile has seen it dubbed “The Beast of Dufftown” and is said to exist somewhere in between mellow and smoky. In a region renowned for its mellower, gentler ‘whisky-vibe’, Mortlach stands out for it’s robust, muscular and rich character.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Rich, fruity and lush from the get-go. Dried fruits abound, but a deeper savoury quality lurks in the background. Palate: Big fruity sherry flavours galore here. If you’re missing Christmas cake already, then you’ll love this! All the fruitcake spices, rich red fruits, chocolate and coffee notes you’re craving! Finish: Lovely and lush, chewy and long. Those fruity notes keep going on the back of the peppery waves and the lovely oiliness keeps that finish all over the mouth. Most definitely the sherry ‘yan’ to our Malt of the Month’s bourbon ‘Ying’. All the red-fruits, fruit cake, coffee and chocolate you could ask for in a big sherry-d whisky. The rich base spirit really carries those sherry influences well! -
Now, the whisky business doesn’t get much more serious than the Remnant Whisky Co…An EXCLUSIVE follow up to one of our biggest selling whiskies of 2022 – A mix of 10 year old Port and Sherry Casks and we’re excited to be releasing another bottling from these absolute angels of Australian whisky – The Remnant Whisky Co. Black Spot ‘SMWC #02’! This is the second release we’ve partnered with Remnant Whisky Co to bring to the Club. The first Remnant Black Spot we featured back in 2022 was an INSTANT SELLOUT and we have no doubt this one will follow suit. It’s a simply sensational 10+ year old Tasmanian whisky in a 700ml bottle at a better price than a 500ml Black Spot normally sells at! This month’s Remnant Whisky Co. Black Spot SMWC02 is blended from a selection of port and sherry casks all over 10 years old. Their abv’s at disgorging ranged from 66.2 to 42.1%abv but this whisky gem is bottled at 48.1%abv. -
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Get ready for a very serious, peat forward, extremely limited edition, powerhouse of a whisky from legendary cult distiller, Dan Wooley and his highly sought after Highwayman Whisky. Our November Members Extra is the sensational Highwayman Batch 3.5 Torn and Velvety - It’s peated and it’s proud and it certainly pulls no punches. The Highwayman Whisky Batch 3.4 ‘Torn and Velvety’ was hand selected by Brad and Dan specifically for the Club and it’s so limited we are limiting it to members who also purchase the Malt of the Month. A double Tawny cask matured blend of peated and unpeated whisky from the Highwayman still located in beautiful Byron Bay. We are indeed fortunate to have been able to secure this exceptional whisky as Dan Woolley’s Highwayman Whiskies are in high demand all over the country and fast becoming a cult favourite. ‘Torn and Velvety’ is made from a blend of two casks. A first-fill, 100L French Oak Tawny cask filled with unpeated spirit – just shy of 3 years old, and a 50L Tawny cask filled with peated spirit and matured for around 2 and a half years. The result is a spectacularly fruity whisky with a peat hit to match! This is going to make our peat-freaks extremely happy. No ‘subtle wafts’ here.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Unmistakable peat influence on the nose sets the tone up front. There’s Charcuterie savouriness with some sea-salt and a few dried sweet dates around the edges Palate: Sweet, Tawny fruit notes really cut through the savoury smokiness beautifully creating a very well balanced palate. Loads of sweet fruit mince, caramel, coffee notes whilst the smoky peat provides real shoulders for them all to climb on. Finish: BIG, Long , Chewy and Robust! A real ‘peat-freak’ type of finish - the smoke swirling all around, but cut through by brilliant streaks of sweet, savoury, salty and umami in perfect harmony. -
WHISKY + WINE! In a first for the Single Malt Whisky Club you get a rare chance to experience not only a sensational Tasmanian Whisky but also the fantastic Tassie Pinot Noir that seasoned the cask that the whisky was matured in. So, get your set of glasses out, impress your friends and share the joy of both the Tasman Whisky Port Matured Pinot Finish Cask and the Iron House Vineyards 2018 Pinot Noir, all made on site on the East Coast of Tasmania. This whisky is absolutely superb! The Tasman Pinot Finish Cask was distilled in Iron House’s still in Tassie in August 2017. Initially matured in 100L Portuguese ex-port casks, then to further instil the ‘Iron House Touch’ those casks were disgorged into a 200l Iron House Vineyard French Oak ex-Pinot Noir cask to finish for 8 months…and its delightfully exclusive to The Single Malt Whisky Club! But this month, we are not content to offer ‘just’ an amazing whisky…no, this month we want you to taste the whisky AND we want to give you more than just a glimpse of ‘where it came from’. This month we give you the very rare chance to try the actual wine that seasoned the barrels that the whisky was made in! The Iron House Vineyards 2018 Pinot Noir is a superb example of ‘farm to bottle’ production. This wine is completely produced at Iron House – from growing the grapes to crushing, fermenting and ageing. Aged for around 12 months on the wood and then bottled and laid to mature until it’s ready to drink.A delicious whisky in it’s own right (with a seriously chewy finish) – but its made even more interesting when drammed side-by-side with a glass (or two) of the Iron House 2018 Pinot Noir that ‘seasoned’ it. The dark cherry notes and white pepper are – for me – especially notable as being common notes between the two. -
This 16 year old Pedro Ximinez finished whisky from BENRINNES is perfectly accompanied by the 12 year old Oloroso finished GLENROTHES. Normally, the Darkness releases are finished for around 6 months in their specialist casks but this amazing dram has been aged in ex-bourbon casks for the initial 15 years of life but ‘our’ Benrinnes 16 year old has had a full YEAR of finishing to take on the intense sherry characteristics from the Pedro Ximinez Casks. What makes Darkness so special in the whisky world? Well, their flagship bottling – Darkness 8 Year Old – has won HUGE accolades since launching in 2019, including Double Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medals at the 2020 and 2021 World Whiskies Awards, and 96 points from the IWSC in 2021 and 2022…so imagine how good a 16 year old release (or a 12 for that matter) is? -
Get ready for one of the FIRKIN greatest whiskies we have ever released! With spirit from the Tullibardine Distillery, aged in Firkins own custom casks that are made of alternating staves of American and French oak seasoned with both Amontidillado and Oloroso sherries and individually numbered and bottled exclusively for The Single Malt Whisky Club – the Firkin 49 Tullibardine 2012 is a Firkin awesome whisky from the whisky legend that is Mike Collings. This month we are so firkin happy to FINALLY be able to offer a Firkin Whisky Co. release as our ‘Malt of the Month’. I say finally as we’ve featured Firkin releases in the past as our ‘Members Extra’ (and they’ve sold out every time!) – but there’s never been enough brought into Australia to be able to offer it as a ‘Malt of the Month’. This is a delightfully different whisky – nutty, sweet, floral and even savoury to boot! Easy and delightful to drink strait up, but adding a dash of water separates the flavours somewhat – and certainly doesn’t lessen the impact very much at all. You won’t be ready to rinse out your glass after just one, that’s for sure. -
Another ‘Waratah Wonder’ – this time from the wonder-ful Mr. Martin Pye and his Riverbourne Distillery - The Riverbourne Identity #9, a Limited Edition, French and American Oak matured whisky with delicate citrus and floral notes. The Riverbourne Identity #9 was made from NSW grown ‘Compass’ barley fermented using three different yeasts. The wash was distilled at Riverbourne Distillery, then aged in Cask #108 - a shaved and re-charred French Oak barrel with American oak lids - before being cut to 48% with Molongo River water then bottled. There is only 220 bottles of this whisky magnificence. This is the 9th Edition of ‘The Riverbourne Identity’ and it’s a completely different whisky than our peated Corowa Malt of the Month from Barrelhouse 28.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: An initial marmalade hit on the nose, followed by fresh-cut grass, apples and pears strait off the tree and (despite Martins claims to the contrary) I do get a subtle leathery note. Palate: Wow – a real unexpected custard-y creaminess at first, but then a rich and sweet fruitiness takes over. The sweetness of the fruit provides a nice contrast to the overall dryness of the spirit. Finish: Finish is long and sweet. A big malty surprise comes out of the whisky in the final stages. Very milk arrowroot bisquit-y. -
With our Milk and Honey/Westward collaboration as the Malt of the Month for September, we thought it a perfect opportunity to introduce Westward Single Malt Whisky to our members...and we don’t know a better way to get to the heart of a distilleries product than to try a cask strength bottling…which is exactly what we’ve done. As the name suggests, this is the Cask Strength release of Westward’s flagship ‘Original’ single malt whiskey. Distilled from a locally grown and malted barley mash, fermented using a craft ale yeast. Double pot-distilled and then matured in heavily-toasted, lightly-charred virgin American oak casks. This is a superbly rich and complex whisky for sure. The unburnt tobacco notes - that present all throughout this whisky - really bolster it’s huge and immensely satisfying flavour profile...but does so without making it formidable on the palate. There’s just no harshness at all in this 62.5% whopper of a whisky. -
EXTRA! EXTRA! – READ ALL ABOUT IT. PENDERYN THE HEADLINER LANDS ON AUSTRALIAN SHORES! GET YOURS NOW…ONLY AT THE CLUB! Last year we secured the ONLY Australian allocation of the Penderyn ‘Rhiannon’ and it SOLD OUT (actually some members missed out)! To back it up we have EXCLUSIVELY the 9th whisky in the ‘Icon of Wales’ series…a Jamaican Rum and Ruby Port Cask Matured Whisky, in celebration of Welsh British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George – The Penderyn Headliner. So it’s no wonder Penderyn has chosen to further immortalise such a magnificent Welshman by naming their latest ‘Icons of Wales’ expression in his honour. What a sensational whisky this…made from fermented Welsh barley (malted in Cardiff). Distilled in Penderyn’s Faraday pot-still and aged in Jamaican Rum and Ruby Port casks for an undisclosed time before being married together, rested then bottled at 46% ABV with absolutely no colouring added, nor chill-filtering. -
Snowy Mountains Whisky? Make way for a super small-batch, cask strength, independent bottling of one of Tasmania’s finest distilleries aged and bottled in the highest altitude of any whisky in Australia – The Snowy Mountain Spirits Tawny! Now Mark Newton is a man who enjoys doing things a little… differently. Not only does he independently age and bottle whisky in Australia’s highest location, he brings the new-make all the way from Tassie to do it. The Snowy Mountains Spirits Tawny was born in Tassie, at the Old Kempton Distillery in fact! For those members who don’t know, Old Kempton is a well-awarded small batch distillery located just north of Hobart. So how highly regarded is Old Kempton – well they took out ‘Best Australian Small Batch Single Malt’ at the World Whisky Awards in 2022, and have just won a silver this year!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Lots of sweet spices up front for me – cloves, allspice and cinnamon over dried fruit and tinned apricot nectar. Palate: Lovely viscous mouthfeel (almost liqueur –like), and initial burst of pepper but all the big stewed fruit comes right through like a wave. Finish: Warm, chewy, lush and lingering. Coffee and dark chocolate, sweet spiced fruit mince and just a perfect cheek pinching citrus-like astringency. This is a small, and let’s face it, high priced package, but it won’t disappoint once you taste it. The ‘Tassie distillation - Snowy Mountain maturation’ makes it hard to put a flag on, but I do know it’s a fantastic example of a Tawny matured whisky. Nicely warming, big and round and sweet – but with a lovely dry back edge that makes you pour just one more dram. Ok, and maybe one more after that… -
This is the very last expression ever of Spirit Thief’s independent bottlings…but what a whisky it is…a cask strength, double distilled, single cask finished in a French wine cask. The Spirit Thief Benrinnes Bordeaux Red-Wine Cask was double distilled at the Speyside Benrinnes Distillery in 2008. Bottled in 2019 it has spent 11 years in a first fill red-wine cask from Château Gruaud-Larose in the Bordaux region of France. Then bottled at a cask strength of 55.2% ABV with absolutely nothing added, and of course non-chill filtered. This is a superb example of wine cask maturation, hand selected from the Benrinnes bond-store by Tasmania’s own ‘wine-cask’ experts – Spirit Thief.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Sweet nutty nougat with a citrus twist but there’s also a slightly salty-savoury note behind the sweetness. Palate: A big spice burst first up but a solid creaminess of mouthfeel becomes apparent as the pepper fades. Big sweet red fruits cut through and there’s also crystallised ginger and custardy notes in there too. Finish: Finish is long and constantly evolving – pepper morphs to sweet fruit morphs to dry tannins. -
A 7+7 triple maturation (Apera, then first fill Apera, then maple syrup) release from an Indy Bottler who’s first releases have propelled the brand to near-cult status amongst lovers of Aussie whisky – The Whisky in Isolation ‘Magnificent Seven’ Now the ‘Magnificent Seven’ is a whisky from a distillery the Club is very familiar with – Chief’s Son. To date, our club has featured the oldest maturing cask of Chief’s Son on no less than two previous occasions with two of the ‘Family Casks’ (filled by the children of Stuart) – the Aiden and the Cameron. This Whisky in Isolation Magnificent Seven is now the THIRD time we’ve featured the oldest Chief’s Son ever bottled!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Absolute masses of stewed fruits that you’d imagine from an Apera aged, then finished whisky. Justin mentioned a ‘rummy note’ and I get what he means – there’s a little funk in this nose! (..and I always thought Justin was a metal guy!) But there’s also some bubble gum notes there, as well as a definite hint of unburnt tobacco and a bit of peanut brickle too. Palate: Just as thick and rich a mouthfeel as the colour alludes to. A peppery burst (but surprisingly little at 58%abv - almost none with a ‘bloop‘ of water added) at first – but then an absolute WALL of flavour explodes on your palate. BIG stewed sultanas, prunes and raisons. And the flavours keep coming in waves. Candied citrus rind and a creamy note transform into an almost savoury, charcuterie note which then morphs into nut-butter. Finish: So chewy and warming. It’s all of the above – but slowly fading out as they cry ‘another… another… ‘. At the very end there’s a distinct nuttyness. This is a big, layered and immensely luxurious whisky. So massive in colour, mouthfeel and flavour, with delicious fruit and cream and all those things we’d expect from an apera aged and finished whisky- yet with a ‘sweet and fat sultana-ey shoulders’ reminiscent of a botrytis cask aged whisky I recently tasted. -
skål! From the land of Ikea, meatballs and of course Roxette, we are super proud to continue our new world whiskies with the Australian launch of our first ever single malt whisky from Sweden! From Swedish distillery Mackmyra we have nothing short of their flagship product –The Mackmyra Svensk Ek! This is not a flat pack! It comes fully assembled from 100% Swedish ingredients and its even aged in Swedish oak (well – some of it is, read on!). Svensk Ek is the flagship of the Mackmyra core range. Originally called ‘The First Edition’, the new name translates as ‘Swedish Oak’. The whisky is aged partially in casks made from oak from the island of Visingsö, originally intended for use as ship building timber for the Swedish Royal Navy. We’ve spoken about ‘terroir’ in the past – the ‘taste’ of a region. Well, this whisky is all about Swedish terroir. It uses Swedish barley (malted onsite) from the nearby farms in the mash and ferments it with Swedish yeast. It is then aged in 200L ex-bourbon casks. The age of the casks used in the Svensk Ek range between 4 and 9 years old. Now, 10% of the whisky is then finished for 18 months in 30L Swedish Oak casks. You may wonder why only 10% of the whisky is finished this way – well, in the words of the distillers – “To use more Swedish oak the whisky would be too much of all and not a good balance. 10% sound little but it’s gives very much to the mix”. -
A Firkin fabulous 10 year old Speyside dram that is Firkin’s very first Dailuaine release ever – the Firkin 49 Dailuaine 2012! What a Firkin fabulous way to get 2023 underway than a 10 year old dram from a legend in the whisky business – Mike Colling’s Firkin brand. This is the Firkin Whisky Co’s first Dailuaine release and Mike was eager for the SMWC to premier it to the world! We are pretty proud to have been chosen by this whisky legend to premier a new dram from this master whisky-man!This is truly easy-dramming whisky. Light on the palate, yet full and round and fruity. Big on the palate but in no way overwhelming or hot – just perfect, in fact. This latest offering from Mike and his Firkin Whisky brand is very possibly the best Firkin I’ve tasted. And that’s no mean feat let me tell ya! “That’ll do Mr Collings…. that’ll Firkin do!" -
From two absolute Scottish whisky legends – the Caol Ila distillery in Port Askaig and independent Bottler Signatory Vintage, this month a classic 11-year-old non-chill-filtered Islay spirit/bourbon single malt for the ages – From their ‘Un-Chillfitered Collection’ – The Signatory Vintage Caol Ila 2012! The Signatory Vintage Caol Ila 2012 is distilled in the Caol Ila distillery in Port Askaig, Islay. It is a blend of 5 ex-bourbon hogsheads, all laid down together in June 2012 and bottled (without chill-filtering) in July 2023 giving an 11 year old, sublimely peated whisky. Signatory Vintage is recognized as one of the world’s leading independent bottling labels. Their ‘Un-Chill Filtered Collection’ is particularly notable for its dedication to preserving the natural flavours and characteristics of whisky by avoiding chill filtration, a common process in the whisky industry. -
$99 FOR THE FIRST MONTH! The perfect Whisky Adventure for whisky beginners and experts alike! 11 of our most amazing whiskies over 3 months to take you on a journey of world whiskies - tastes, maturation, regions, strengths and ages – The Single Malt Whisky Club 'Adventure Series'! PLUS you get a Whisky Glass, Hip Flask and full tasting notes on each whisky and a water dropper.- Box 1 - 3 x 100ml sumptuous whiskies to start you on your journey, a Whisky Glass, Hip Flask and water dropper
- Box 2 - 4 x 100ml amazing whiskies to continue your exploration of whisky greatness.
- Box 3 - 4 x 100ml whiskies to round out your single malt whisky adventure. Expert level achieved!
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The perfect Whisky Tasting Gift Box for those whisky enthusiasts in your life – The Single Malt Whisky Club 'Members Favourites' Tasting Box! This specially-curated box of award winning deliciousness features 4 x 100ml bottles of our highest rating whiskies for your enjoyment! PLUS your Members Favourites Whisky Tasting Gift Box includes full descriptions of each whisky PLUS tasting notes. Enjoy -
Is it time for a 8 year old, limited-edition, cask strength Speyside malt from one of the very first distilleries to ever market single malts? Let us introduce you to the Glen Moray 2015 Rioja Cask. As the name suggests this is fully matured in exotic Rioja wine casks. Rioja is a renowned wine region in northern Spain, famous for its high-quality red wines made primarily from Tempranillo grapes. The Glen Moray 2015 Rioja Cask release is a limited-edition single malt whisky that showcases Glen Moray's experimentation with cask finishes. It is part of their limited edition ‘Warehouse 1’ series. Distilled in 2015 and aged for in ex-Rioja wine casks, this expression combines Glen Moray’s classic Speyside profile with rich fruit and soft tannin influences from the Rioja casks. Presented at a hearty cask strength of 59.8% this is a huge Speysider in any language. -
An EXCLUSIVE WORLD FIRST...a MATCHED PAIR from Tassie heavy hitters – Iron House. Both exclusive to the SMWC, both absolutely stunning in their own right, each one half of a world first – an Ocean Aged Matched Boilermaker! The Iron House Maverick Portside Single Malt Whisky and the optional matched Iron House Portside Red Ella Red Ale with the Red Ale being finished in the very same Portside whisky barrels! The Iron House Portside Ocean Aged Single Malt Whisky started its journey as ocean-side matured Iron House whisky – distilled in Feb 2019. A bit over a year ago it was decanted into some port barrels and strapped outside the port side of the wheelhouse of the Tasmanian abalone boat ‘Maverick’. For the next twelve months it braved over two-and-a-half thousand nautical miles of the worst that the Southern Ocean, Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea could throw at it. 6 metre seas, Antarctic storms, barometric range between 910 to 1040HPa etc. This isn’t just easy drinking whisky, this is easy-peasy drinking whisky. So many layers of flavours here to chew and cogitate on at length – fruits, spices, nuts, sweet, salt… even umami – but on the surface it’s just sooo damn easy to drink. Once again, the Iron House boys have really excelled with this novel, big-flavoured and muscular, yet genuinely easy-going whisky.