SMWS 149.1 Smoky, Salty And Malty Ardnamurchan 2015 5 Year Old

Starting Reserve $400

A 2015 vintage single cask expression of Ardnamurchan matured for 5 years in a 1st fill ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Originally founded in 1983 by a small group of friends in Scotland, the Scottish Malt Whisky Society has grown to be one of the world’s premier independent bottling companies. With branches across the globe and over 30,000 members, the SMWS has established itself as the go-to for quality single cask whiskies. The society began its journey when a group of friends purchased a cask of whisky from the Glenfarclas distillery, intended to be shared and drunk as they saw fit. When a portion of the Vaults building in Leith became available the friends decided to set up a membership only society in the premises. Bottling that very Glenfarclas cask and labelling it “1.1” referring to the 1st distillery they bottled and the first release of said distillery. They continued to purchase casks and release them month by month, later dubbed “Outturn”. In 1995 the society would open their Greville St premises in London and 2004 the Queen St location in Edinburgh. Also in 2004 the SMWS was sold to Glenmorangie who were then purchased by Moet-Hennesy shortly after. In 2015 the society was then sold to a private collection of investors, now known as “Artisanal Spirits Company”.

With almost 40 years of experience bottling whisky under their belt it's no surprise that the Scottish Malt Whisky Society has seen the evolution of the worldwide whisky industry. As of 2021, the SMWS has bottled 150 different distilleries/styles of spirits including bourbon, cognac, brandy, armagnac, rye and even rum from brand new distilleries to those closed many decades ago. In 2021 the Australian branch of the SMWS selected the first ever Australian whisky for the Society in the form of a two year old Apera matured single malt from the Archie Rose distillery in Sydney. Shortly afterwards a six year old, also Apera matured, whisky was selected from Starward distillery in Melbourne.