ADVENTURES IN WHISKY – BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE: Some whiskies hold your hand and lead you gently through an orchard of soft fruits and honeyed delights. Others might shove you into a bog, slap you round the face with a kipper, and set fire to your boots for good measure. If the latter sounds more intriguing than terrifying, then you’re in good company, as Kami Newton explains.
THE CREATORS COLLECTION – WHISPERS OF SPRING: Spring is in the air with the new release from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Creators Collection. As Duncan Gorman writes, this quartet of exquisite old whiskies captures the season when life stirs from its slumber, our senses are awakened through light and growth, and we are attuned to appreciate the delicate beauty of these four outstanding whiskies, left to mature to perfection over decades in refill wood.
ADVENTURES OFF THE BEATEN TRACK – TWO TO ONE: Ready to embrace your taste for adventure? That’s what The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is all about – and now our Whisky Team has created a series of Two to One ultra small-batch bottlings to take you on a flavour journey you won’t find anywhere else, as Richard Goslan explains.
DISTILLERY PROFILE – RAASAY REVISITED: This month sees the Society’s first release of single cask whisky from Raasay, so we thought it was time to dust down this feature about Raasay from Unfiltered issue 47, which landed in May 2020.
BITE-SIZED WHISKY ADVENTURES: In this first part of the year we’ve explored flavour through our origins, our Tasting Panel, cask maturation and more. But what speaks to the weird or wonderful whiskies we love more than a unique pairing? Here’s a bite-sized selection of some of our whisky snack pairings we’ve served up over the years, along with some new experiences for this month…
UNSUNG HERO – ARDMORE: When it comes to selecting the location for a whisky distillery, a reliable source of pure water is usually top of the list. But during the Victorian era another factor was almost equally important – the proximity of a railway line to the site in question. Gavin D Smith reports on Ardmore, the unsung hero of peated Highland whisky.
ADVENTURES IN WHISKY – TREASURE TROVE: A road-trip adventure has turned into a whisky treasure hunt after Kwabena Peprah and his friends were faced with a dilemma as they were about to drive from Iraq into Kuwait. What to do with their haul of Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottles? The answer, as Richard Goslan found out, was to bury their precious cargo in the desert, and save the GPS co-ordinates.
PARTNER BAR – SPIRITED IN BRISTOL: Nestled in the vibrant heart of Bristol’s Bedminster district, Spirited stands as a testament to the city’s thriving independent scene. Located on North Street – a hub renowned for its eclectic mix of local businesses, street art, and community events – this spirits shop and bar has quickly become a haven for both seasoned whisky enthusiasts and curious newcomers, as Anthony Delcros finds out.