SEPTEMBER 2017
15
C E L E B R AT I N G
15 YEARS
OF THE SOCIETY
IN AUSTRALIA
ANDREW DERBIDGE REFLECTS ON HIS EXPERIENCE OF 15 YEARS OF THE SOCIETY:
15 YEARS OF THE SOCIETY I N A U S T R A L I A ? W O W, T I M E F L I E S W H E N Y O U ’ R E H AV I N G F U N .
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embers who’ve been introduced to the Society (and/or whisky in general) in just the last two or three years may not appreciate the journey we’ve been on and how the landscape has changed during that time. To understand the full impact and significance of the Society launching in Australia in 2002, you need to appreciate what the whisky scene was like at that time. It may sound foreign or unthinkable now but, at the time the Society launched here, single cask, caskstrength whisky was more-or-less unheard of in Australia – certainly in commercial circles. There were no whisky bars per se; very little whisky information available on the internet, and the best stocked bottleshops may have boasted a maximum of just 10 different whiskies! The vast majority of brands featured just two expressions, usually a 12yo and
perhaps a 15yo or an 18yo, and there were plenty of distilleries who didn’t bottle their own whisky and were thus unknown to the majority of consumers. Everything was bottled at 40 or 43% ABV, and the independent bottlers were not represented in Australia. We didn’t know it at the time, but – compared to today’s situation – these were the dark ages! It’s worth observing also that there was no social media in those days, no Facebook whisky groups, and we didn’t walk around with access to terabytes of whisky information on our phones. It was in this environment that the Society announced itself by holding a series of three public tastings in Sydney in November, 2002. I went along to the second of those three nights, and quickly found myself in a whole new world.
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he Society was founded in Australia by John Rourke and Andre Tammes, and – unlike some of the other international branches of the Society at that time that were essentially mail-order catalogue affairs – the Australian branch was conceived as being a social and convivial club; one that subsisted around regular meetings and tasting events for its members. State Managers were appointed across the country over the next 18 months, and each manager would convene and host tasting events and whisky dinners for their local members. The Society had no full time (or even part time!) staff, and everything was outsourced and administered through a professional business centre – with varying degrees of success, it must be said. It was under this set up that the Society sowed the early seeds and slowly grew in both membership and operations across the country in its first three years. Again, it must be appreciated that the Society was spruiking a gospel that was virtually unknown to the unchurched – that of single cask, cask-strength, single malt whisky. The scales fell off the eyes of many Aussie whisky drinkers as they encountered their own individual “road to Damascus” moment. However, by the end of 2005, the club’s business model needed re-structuring and sweeping changes were made. Having only just taken over as the NSW State Manager, I joined the Board as the Society’s Cellarmaster, and we appointed a full-time employee in January 2006 when
Suzy Tawse was appointed as General Manager. I’m sure all members would agree with me when I assert that Suzy’s presence and work has been the lifeblood of the Australian branch ever since. Over the next five years or so, the Australian branch of the Society significantly shaped the landscape of the local whisky scene. There was a general absence of brand ambassadors amongst the commercial brands from roughly 2006-2010, and the Society became the leading entity and organiser of whisky tastings across the country. Our locally-written and produced Newsletter publication, issued four times a year, became a major whisky publication in Australia (running to over 30 pages each issue) and was the leading source of feature articles, writings, news, and whisky updates. The Society rebirthed the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship in 2008 and started up our “Ultimate Whisky Tours to Scotland” in 2009. We also ran several Whisky Tours of Tasmania for a few years there. As interest in the category began to boom again, many of the commercial brands began once again to employ brand ambassadors. It did not go unnoticed that the brands sent many of their ambassadors and employees along to Society tasting events so that they could learn the ropes. The last three or four years have seen sweeping changes and developments across the category. There are now many excellent whisky bars in every capital city; there are now many other whisky clubs and groups; there are excellent
DESPITE THESE CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENTS, THERE HAS BEEN ONE CONSTANT THAT HAS REMAINED RESOLUTE: THE QUALITY AND RANGE OF WHAT’S IN THE BOTTLE.
whisky shows and festivals; there are other independent bottlers operating and available in Australia; there are independent whisky “consultants” organising and running tastings; the local distilling scene has exploded; and social media platforms now seem to be the medium through which most whisky information is sought, exchanged, and discussed. In most of the capital cities, whisky enthusiasts have a choice of tasting events they can attend every week! To be frank, the Society now has some competition in Australia that wasn’t around when we kicked off in 2002. During this time, the Society has also seen some changes. In the 15 years that we’ve operated our branch, the Society at large has gone from being a co-operative, to a privately-owned company, to being owned by Glenmorangie, then by LVMH, and we are now back in private hands again. Our bottles and label designs have changed three times since we started pouring out our drams. We’ve had our own local tasting panel; our newsletter and Outturn have seen numerous forms and incarnations; and Unfiltered has grown to become an industry-leading glossy publication. We’ve had staff changes amongst our State Managers/Ambassadors and at Board level; and we’ve now had a National Ambassador, Matt Bailey, employed for the last two years. We’ve also seen the Society go in new and exciting directions with its bottlings, offering casks of rum, bourbon, Cognac, and Armagnac,
as well as the constantly growing range of Japanese, Irish, and Grain whiskies. And there are more exciting developments to come. And let’s not forget the development of the Society’s excellent Partner Bars across Australia. However, despite all these changes and developments, there has been one constant that has remained resolute and has not changed since the Society was founded in 1983: The quality and range of what’s in the bottle. We continue to bottle and offer the widest and largest range of whiskies and distilleries of any independent bottler, and our Tasting Panel ensures that only the best spirit gets to wear the Society’s label. I won’t lie to you: I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. I’m also tremendously grateful to – and would like to acknowledge – the many, many people who’ve worked for and with the Australian branch for 15 years to share our drams and spread the Society’s message to Aussie whisky drinkers. And, most importantly of all, I’d like to thank you, the members, for being the most integral and valued part of our wonderful club.
Cellarmaster, SMWS Australia
S E P T E M B E R ’ S M A LT O F T H E M O N T H H A S B E E N U P S TAG E D BY:
The long-AWAITED anniversary bottling commemorating our 15 years of the Australian branch is finally here. This cask is: • 15 years old for 15 years of our wonderful Australian membership. • A full 15 years matured in a refill sherry butt in our Spicy & Dry flavour profile. • A custom-designed name and label to celebrate the bottling, complete in our new livery. • The entire cask for our Australian members, minus a few for the Vaults. • Handpicked by our Cellarmaster, Andrew, for members to enjoy. • Is truly a milestone bottling and piece of Society history. • Priced very attractively so every member can access it at only $155. • We have 400 bottles available. • Limit of one bottle per Member for initial release. Subject to availability, Members may purchase a second bottle from midday AEST on Friday 22nd September.
SPICY & DRY
CASK No. 73.83 A N Z AC B I S C U I T S A N D C R I C K E T B AT S LOCAL AUSTRALIAN TASTING NOTES: NOSE: Danish pastries, perhaps some apple crumble, sweet orange cake, Kellogg's Frosty Flakes, and light hints of oloroso. Returning to the nose after tasting and a five minute break, there is now custard, sponge cake, some Indian spices and some fragrant timber - perhaps Huon pine? Way off in the distance lurks some lemon citrus, and the longer the dram sits in your glass, the more floral and complex it becomes. PALATE: A bright, shiny palate, there is at first loads of sweet malted barley and other cereal notes, then more orange cake, Arnott's milk coffee biscuits, and almond bread. With time, the dram develops into a savoury/sweet affair, offering caramel and toffee on one side, then toasted spices, nuts, and dried fruits on the other face. The mouthfeel is rich, chewy, and unctuous. FINISH: Extremely long, powerful, and pleasant. It shares traits with the palate, offering similar savoury/sweet contrasts. COMMENTS: A wonderful example that showcases the merits of a refill sherry cask - the malt and the distillery's house style have not been overwhelmed by the wine, and the cask has expanded the flavour profile and added subtle but glorious richness. Drinking Tip: A versatile dram, it works for both quiet contemplation, or for knocking back gleefully with friends.
15 YEARS
21 SEPTEMBER 2001
R E F I L L
Colour - Dull amber
B U T T
56.9%
SPEYSIDE DEVERON
1 of 522 bottles
P R I C E : $ 1 5 5 ( l i mi t of one b ot t l e p er memb er )*
* L im it o f o ne bo t t l e p er M em b er for i n i t i a l rel ea se. Sub j ect to avai l ab i l i t y, M e m be r s m ay p u rc h a s e a s econ d b ot t l e f rom mi d d ay A EST on Fri d ay 2 2 n d S e p te mb e r.
L I G H T LY P E A T E D
CASK No. 3.277 A P E R F U M E D , P E AT- S M O K E D GOODNIGHT KISS TASTING NOTES: The nose was primarily maritime – boat sheds, tarry driftwood, dried seaweed, beach bonfires and seafood barbeques – we also got citric and lavender perfume, slate, honey and savoury spice. The palate had intensely sweet and floral elements (sherbet straws, blossom honey) and citric smoke – then a balancing and acceptable bitterness of charcoal, pink peppercorns and sugary espresso dregs; herbs and salt in the finish. On the reduced nose, the beach barbeque was now being tended by a group of beauticians, while the palate held foamy shrimps, refreshers and toasted marshmallows – softer, sweeter and finely balanced – a floral perfumed, peat-smoked goodnight kiss. Drinking Tip: Romantic sunset moments on the beach. 16 YEARS
06 SEPTEMBER 1999
1 S T
F I L L
5 7. 2 %
I S L AY
1 of 222 bottles
B A R R E L
Colour - Shimmering old gold
PRICE: $225
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 39.139 A M O ST LU S C I O U S R E M E DY TASTING NOTES: At first the panel found a fresh character of menthol, lemon sherbet, tonic water and After Eight mints with apple tart. Then came the richness of tobacco, prunes, spices, dark chocolate, raisons, vanilla and sweet Sherry notes. Remaining fizzy there was sweet pink wafer with cinder toffee and a herbal edge with dandelion and burdock before orange and blackberry fruit and a woody finish of furniture polish on charred oak. After maturing for 19 years in an ex-Oloroso butt it was transferred to a 1st fill ex-Pedro Ximinez butt for the remainder of its maturation. Drinking Tip: To be contemplated with little distractions and a lot of time. 20 YEARS 1 S T
F I L L
0 1 J U LY 1 9 9 6
P E D R O
Colour - Warm honey
X I M E N E Z
58.2% B U T T
SPEYSIDE LOSSIE
1 of 594 bottles PRICE: $305
SPICY & SWEET
CASK No. 50.82 FEEL-GOOD DRAM TASTING NOTES: We found the nose heady, satisfying and ‘feel-good’ – beeswax polished wood, sherbet straws, honey, Danish pastries, buttered corn and delicate floral notes (honeysuckle, hyacinth, wild flower meadows). The palate was sweet and tart (toffee, honey-glazed wings), with a healthy spice kick (ginger cake, toasted hot-cross buns, onion chutney) and leather, tobacco and wood in the finish. The reduced nose had acacia honey, orange blossom, nectarines, dark chocolate, corn candies and cinnamon – ‘something of the Deep South’ (which, in a way, it is). The palate now seemed juicier – orange zest, ginger beer, sticky toffee, fudge and Gran Marnier – delicious and well-integrated. Drinking Tip: For moments of happy reflection – ideally, but not necessarily, in a summer meadow. 25 YEARS
1 5 M AY 1 9 9 0
R E F I L L
60.8%
1 of 84 bottles
B A R R E L
Colour - Marmalade amber
LOWLAND
PRICE: $429
S W E E T, F R U I T Y & M E L L O W
CASK No. 5.55 FLOWER MEADOW IN SPRING TASTING NOTES: The nose is as fresh as a flower meadow in spring – and full of sweet treats (orange fondant chocolates, coconut marshmallow tea-cakes, heather honey). The palate combines mouth-tingling spice (chilli, anise, liquorice) citrus and oak with exploding sweetness (strawberry, Hubba Bubba, orange muscat wine). The reduced nose is gentle but complex, with vanilla, coconut, barley sugars and fruit salad and Pimms served among summer foliage. The palate balances sweetness and oak – soft leather, strawberry laces, red fruits, pick-n-mix sweeties and cinnamon, with a satisfying, lingering finish. After 15 years in ex-bourbon wood we transferred this to a first-fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead. Drinking Tip: A dram to enjoy in the garden.
16 YEARS
1 1 O C TO B E R 2 0 0 0
56.8%
1ST FILL PEDRO XIMENEZ HOGSHEAD
Colour - Yellow gold
LOWLAND
1 of 306 bottles PRICE: $248
L I G H T LY P E A T E D
CASK No. 66.100 RELAX IN A RECLINER TASTING NOTES: The sweet smoky scent of a Thai starter platter made us all feel very hungry. We could choose from prawn toast, spring rolls, curry parcels, spicy dumplings, crispy seaweed and smoky spicy prawn crackers with a sweet chilli dip. The taste neat felt like relaxing in a recliner chair or a warming massage with menthol and lavender oil. Water added a Smoky Grove cocktail using peaty whisky, vermouth, bitters and the twist of a flamed orange peel. On the palate now loose ginger tea with a hint of lemongrass and liquorice with a well-balanced sweet and smoky seemingly never-ending finish. Drinking Tip: A sort of any time, any place nightcap. 12 YEARS
16 MARCH 2004
R E F I L L
55.5%
HIGHLAND EASTERN
1 of 173 bottles
B A R R E L
Colour - Pine wood
PRICE: $180
J U I C Y, O A K & VA N I L L A
CASK No. 44.77 H AY- B A L E S I N A L E M O N G R O V E TASTING NOTES: On the nose, we found milk chews, coconut sponge and cereal bars; pot-pourri, a bouquet of flowers and ‘hay-bales in a lemon grove’. The palate evoked a healthy breakfast of cinnamon-flavoured cereal, coconut muesli and fruit, with flowers on a pine table. The reduced nose discovered vanilla slice sweetness, basketry, flower arranging, minty toothpaste and ‘snowfall in a forest’. The reduced palate – melon, apple and mango, toasted marshmallow and vanilla panna cotta, with a touch of wood spice – very easy-drinking and moreish. After 10 years in a bourbon barrel we transferred this to the refill port barrique that previously held 7.114. Drinking Tip: To celebrate the first fall of snow or to accompany a healthy breakfast.
12 YEARS R E F I L L
09 JUNE 2004
P O R T
56.9%
B A R R I Q U E
Colour - Crystal chandelier gold
SPEYSIDE SPEY
1 of 138 bottles PRICE: $180
AMBASSADOR’S NOTE
TWILIGHT W H I S K Y TA S T I N G
A TRUE MILESTONE FOR ME, F O R Y O U , F O R T H E S O C I E T Y.
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is indeed a milestone, but it is also something intended to be opened and shared with friends, and it’s priced accordingly. Truly a Dram of the Decade.
I met a member just last week who was 26 years old, had their first whisky just a year earlier, and their first ever whisky was a Society bottle at a friend’s house. It was Malt of the Month cask 82.20 ‘Big bold and beautiful’ from our July Outturn last year. Their first ever whisky was a Society single cask. That’s something to celebrate, and sure beats the pants off my first ever whisky which was something dreadful from my Dad’s cabinet as a teenager!
Let the good times roll. Happy 15th birthday!
still pinch myself every morning as I truly consider my role in the Society to be surreal and extraordinary. It’s not because of all the great single casks I get to present, or the places I travel to, but because of all the members I meet, all the stories I hear of their journey in whisky, and how everyone’s story in fine single cask whisky is different, yet unique and never ‘wrong’.
That’s all part of the ‘whisky fabric’ of this journey, which is why the milestone of our 15 years of the Australian branch is so important and exciting, both as part of our journey as a whisky club, but also as a cask we can look back on and say “we were part of that” and it meant something special for everyone. The cask that Andrew has picked out for our 15th birthday
In conclusion, we’re all on the journey of flavour, of great times, of great company, and being part of the world’s biggest whisky club. In the past two years I’ve been the Ambassador, I’ve met so many amazing members, and I’ve introduced new members to the wonders and full flavours of the Society’s single casks – casks that we’ll continue to bring in for our members. Cheers,
@smws_matt bailey@smws.com.au Photograph courtesy of Brooke Hayman. L to R: Owen Smythe (Vic Manager), Matt Bailey (National Ambassador).
15
C E L E B R AT I N G
15 YEARS
OF THE SOCIETY
IN AUSTRALIA
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Society whiskies are offered and sold through The Wine Empire Pty Ltd, Liquor Licence LIQP770010175.