Highlights online this month include:

  • The SMWS at 40 – Endless epiphanies: As we head into the Society’s 40th anniversary year, chief member champion David Ridley celebrates the landmark by looking at how the SMWS is bringing members even more ways to develop their passion for whisky and their shared experiences as prized members of our amazing whisky club.
  • Xmas extravaganza: Mads Schmoll wraps up …
  • Cask of the month – Quercus Robur: For a variety reasons, American oak is by far the most used material for the coopering of casks in the industry. But that hasn’t always been the case. Join SMWS ambassador Lee ‘Connas’ Connor as he examines the role and effect that the use of European oak has on Scotch whisky.
  • Euan’s big sherry Q&A: The Society’s head of whisky creation, Euan Campbell, was on a sherry cask mission to Spain recently. He took time to answer some questions from SMWS members from around the world, about how the Spirits Team works with sherry casks to mature our whisky.
  • Where flavour comes alive – Old & Dignified: Julien Willems shares…
  • Knowledge – hangover advice: Timely advice from Tom Bruce-Gardyne about how to avoid a festive hangover, with input from experts on the subject including Charlie MacLeanand Richard Paterson.
  • Distillery profile – Rademon Estate: Ireland’s renaissance as a whiskey-producing nation has been impressive to witness. Another recent addition to the Irish ‘whiskey map’ is Rademon Estate distillery, set up by husband-and-wife team David and Fiona Boyd-Armstrong in the town of Crossgar, County Down in Northern Ireland. SMWS ambassador Lee ‘Connas’ Connor caught up with David to find out what makes them tick.
  • Member profile – Tamara
  • Whisky History – The Distilleries of Great Britain and Ireland: There was widespread rejoicing among whisky enthusiasts this summer, with the publication by James Eadie Ltd of The Distilleries of Great Britain and Ireland. This lavishly illustrated volume stretches to 617 pages, featuring articles on 124 Scottish, Irish and English distilleries which appeared originally in the monthly The Wine and Spirit Trade Record during the 1920s. Iain Russell delves into the publication to find that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
  • Partner Bar – Hotel Bristol, Salzburg, Austria: Jutta Unterguggenberger, SMWS country manager and ambassador for Austria, finds out more about Austria’s latest partner bar with general manager Christian Lackner.
  • Share a dram with… Kyle Gow, SMWS ambassador and assistant venue manager, 28 Queen Street, Edinburgh.