A whisky tasting in Glasgow, with Scotch Malt Whisky Society

I have been fortunate to be able to surround myself with incredible whiskies since making Islay and Scotland my home. Living an island life, though wonderful in itself, requires a mainland fix sometime. Well, hello Glasgow – the largest city in Scotland! Even better when my mainland fix coincided with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society inviting me to a whisky tasting in Glasgow. Hello Glasgow, and hello whiskies!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a global membership organization, for whisky enthusiasts that gives members access to exclusive whiskies and tasting events.

When lockdown restrictions lifted, they began to host SMWS tasting events in person! While having done virtual tastings with them in the past, I was delighted to be invited to a SMWS tasting event at their Bath Street, Glasgow location.

That evening, their “It’s Alive!” society cask tasting meant we would taste five drams.  Or, specifically, three whiskies, with two of them having two different cask variations.  I was joined at the tasting with father and son duo, Bobby and Robert, who love their Johnnie Walker Black Label, and Alan, our host.  To say Alan is a whisky enthusiast slightly underestimates his enthusiasm for this nectar of life.  As with everything guided, when your host loves what they do, you enjoy yourself even more.

Don’t worry, you won’t be drinking multiple whiskies on an empty stomach.  We started with some Cullen skink croquettes to pad the stomach, and finished with a delicious supper.  If you don’t know what Cullen skink is, it’s a traditional Scottish soup, made from smoked haddock.  It has an incredible smoky, creamy flavour that’s perfect for those cold and rainy Scottish nights. 

Now, onto my whisky tasting in Glasgow!

Before we sampled the whiskies, there were a few things in front of us, that were not whisky.

1. an actual vanilla bean pod – to bring out the vanilla flavors of the whisky (particularly, #1);
2. a cup of roasted coffee beans – a nose palette cleanser to smell between whiskies;
3. a little glass of beer – we’ll get to that;
4. a pitcher of water, as well as a bottled source glass of water – scientifically, a little bit of water brings out the smells and tastes. Even though I drink mine neat with a tiny splash of water, you’re welcome to drink it however you want. The bottled source water is pure Scottish water, in case you want to use the best water there is for this endeavour.
5. a pipette – for said water.

Now, all ready for my first in-person SMWS tasting event!

1 – Scotch Malt Whisky Society: “society cask”

The first one we tried was a society cask.  When I say a “society cask”, that means that the Bath Street location has taken whiskies from a cask SMWS already owns, and then, put it in a different cask and matured it themselves.  (This is confusing, I know, but it’ll get easier). 

• The whisky started out for 24 years in a former Firkin-cask. 
• Then, the guys at Bath Street put a German, Dunkel (dark lager) beer into the barrel (from Glasgow’s WEST brewery), to let the flavors seep into the barrel.
• Then, the beer was taken out (see a wee glass of beer in the photo?)
• And the whisky went back in. 

For those who’ve been at the Bath Street location recently, that barrel is sitting on top of the bar, with an inserted-tap coming out of it.  Just turn the spigot, and drink it out of the barrel.  A lower ABV than your normal SMWS whiskies, at 46.1%.  Good, let’s take our time, shall we?

2 – 26.150 Zesty Lemon Macaroons

The second whisky was 26.150, Zesty Lemon Macaroons.  Lots of whiskies have a citrusy flavour, usually orangey, but for me, it was rare to have a lemony flavour.  Alan described this as being a waxy malt, and although I am definitely still in the amateur whisky phase, I don’t understand what waxiness is supposed to be.  A taste?  The texture of the liquid?  An overall feeling?  One does not know.  (Whisky experts, feel free to share your knowledge in the comments below!)

I thought this one was incredibly tasty, but not waxy.  I did like the slightly tart flavour, and maybe it was because I already had the smell and tastes of lemon in my mind.  I really don’t want to discount the way preconceived notions can influence your smells and tastes.  It definitely happens.  At 58.2% ABV, we are getting back to cask strength alcohol levels. 

3 – Society Cask (variation on) Zesty Lemon Macaroons

Whisky number three is the same as Zesty Lemon Macaroons, but the SMWS finished it in an ex-oloroso sherry cask.  And with this finishing, the ABV dropped a bit, down to 57.1%.  But the smell of alcohol kicked a bit harder than your 26.150.  The ex-oloroso cask changed the flavour a bit and was no longer lemony.  The suggestion of burnt orange peels was floated, and to me, it smelled and tasted like Christmas and spiced fruits.  Spiced drinks. 

I’ve talked before about how maturing the same whisky in different casks changes the flavors and tastes completely.  This one changed from lemon to burnt orange – a summery, refreshing feel to sitting around a fire during the holidays!

4 – 6.34 Boundless Intemperance

Whiskey number 4, is 6.34 Boundless Intemperance. A 12 year old Speyside, at 58.6% ABV. This one was by far, Bobby’s favorite. I think when he found out that distillery number 6 produces a lot of the whiskies in Johnnie Walker Black Label, he was hooked. Maybe it was the smoothness of a blended whisky that hooked him, or even perhaps, that fruity, oaky flavor. While there was a hint of toffee, I was getting more sweet, dark chocolate than anything. But, maybe that’s where I’m different from whisky aficionados.

Dinner break!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, though known for their incredible whiskies, also has really delicious food options. You all know I rave about the high quality of Scottish food. The SMWS is no different! During lockdown, they ran a weekly meal delivery (and whisky pairing) service to those living on the mainland. Sad for us islanders, but still. Grateful to be able to try their food at the whisky tasting in Glasgow!

For dinner, we had an incredible Scotch lamb Navarin, with pearl barley and mash. Navarin is traditionally a French stew, made of rich and tendr lamb neck, ours served with carrots, barley and cabbage. Being 4 whiskies down at this point, you need a hearty, rich meal to fill you up!

I took this dinner break opportunity to drink the wee beer and to polish off the whiskies I had only sipped during the tasting.

5 – Society cask (variation on) Boundless Intemperance

You don’t know what your favorite is, until they give you another one that’s better! This whisky was the same boundless intemperance as above, but filled in a first-fill sherry cask. And, if I’m not mistaken, it’s only been inside that sherry cask for 6 weeks!

Look at the incredible color that comes from 6 weeks in a first-fill sherry cask! This one was delicious, and the sherry cask really brought out the sweetness of this one even more! Alan called it like a Christmas cake, but for me just more dark chocolate. At 57.4% ABV, it was a little lighter than its normal bottling. But really delicious! I do love a sherry cask fill!

And then, with that, we are five whiskies down (or three, depnding how you count it), and the tasting is completed!

Parting Thoughts on my first SMWS tasting event

All in all, I had an absolutely wonderful time at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society tasting. The whiskies were absolutely incredible! I am still amazed at how interesting and multifaceted whiskies are. Alan was such a phenomenal host, and so enthusiastic about the whiskies and his job, too!

People always ask me to rank my favorites from the whisky tastings I do, so … my favorites were – the Zesty Lemon Macaroon (the original) and the Society Cask of Boundless Intemperance! Ironically, the two I took photos of!

In case you are wondering, these tasting events (and the venue itself) are only available to members of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. If you’re curious about membership, I explain all the benefits of membership in detail in my next post. If you’re already convinced, and my few tastings have inspired you to join, let me take you straight there to join! It will be the best 85£ you can spend!

And if you’re in Glasgow, and looking for great Things to Do, my travel blogging friend, Clazz, the Orcadian Abroad, has written a great post!

Until then, stay safe everyone, and slainte mhath!

And a big thank you to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for gifting me this tasting! The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not influenced by said gift. As an affiliate of the SMWS, should you choose to join as a member (from my links in green), I would earn a small commission from it.

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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