The Scotch Malt Whiskey Society

[JamesW]

The Scotch Malt Whiskey Society of America (Website).

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a private membership club dedicated to the discerning appreciation and consumption of the most rare and unique of single malt whiskies; unfiltered, single cask, single malt Scotch whisky.

The Society's Tasting Committee selects individual casks of the finest malt whiskies from virtually every distillery in every region (Highland, Lowland, Islay, Campbelton and Island) of Scotland. We then take the contents of a particularly fine cask and bottle it at full cask strength, without the processes of dilution or chill-filtration. Each cask produces about 275 bottles (750 ml size) at an average strength of 120 proof. As no two casks taste alike, each bottle bears a specific code, which indicates to the member not only the distillery from which the whisky originates but also the specific cask.

Society whiskies are not commercially available to the general public, but rather to our members exclusively. Society members receive updated Bottling Lists every six weeks, which include complete descriptions of the whiskies offered. Members also receive Newsletters, special offerings, gift catalogs and invitations to regularly scheduled Member's Tastings throughout the year. Members also have access to club facilities around the world.

"If you don't belong, you may never taste the delights of a full-strength dram. For the malt whisky lover a subscription to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society might be the ultimate gift."

Is anyone here a member? Has anyone ever tasted their non-chill filtered cask strength bottlings? (Check out their fall listing here) Their stuff sounds great and I have been eying a membership for some time now but haven't had the guts (i.e. the cash) to pull the trigger. I may eventually "share" a membership with a friend just to get some of those bottlings.

[TomH]

I was a member for a couple of years. The bottlings I've opened have been very good, however I did not find them to be exceptionally different that other independent bottlings (e.g. Signatory, Cadenhead, etc).

Tom