The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Bottler
Edinburgh, Scotland

Whiskies (14,962)

14,962 The Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies are currently listed on Whiskybase.

Price ranges

7000
5600
4200
2800
1400
0
€0 - 49
(5546)
€50 - 149
(6605)
€150 - 249
(1370)
€250 - 499
(622)
€500 - 999
(375)
€1000+
(444)

Contact

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Address

87 Giles Street

EH6 6BZ

Edinburgh

Scotland

CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS SINCE 1983

An unconventional club has unconventional beginnings. The Society started when our founder Pip Hills stumbled upon the delights of whisky drawn straight from the cask – undiluted and unadulterated. That was in the 1970s, when the whisky industry establishment considered such a spirit too quirky and challenging for delicate palates. Overlooked and unappreciated, it had been left to languish in warehouses across the country, unknown to the wider public.

Pip shared his discovery when those experts said there was no demand for it and watched as word of mouth spread. In 1983 he and his pals formed The Scotch Malt Whisky Society to share whisky in is purest form, and unite those of you with a passion for flavour, for variety, for fun ... and for not always doing as you’re told.

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is a membership-based independent bottler founded in Edinburgh in 1983. It selects single casks from 150+ distilleries in Scotland and beyond, bottling at natural cask strength for members. Releases are identified by a numeric code (distillery number • sequential cask) rather than distillery names, reflecting the Society’s flavour-first approach and flavour-profile system. Members receive a new monthly Outturn and can taste bottles at SMWS Members’ Rooms in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, as well as at partner bars internationally.

Timeline

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is formally founded in Edinburgh

The Vaults (Leith) becomes its home

1983

Second Edinburgh venue opens at 28 Queen Street

In the same year SMWS is acquired by Glenmorangie plc

2004

Becomes fully independent

SMWS is sold by Glenmorangie to a private investor group

2015

40th anniversary

SMWS marks the milestone with special releases and programmes

2023

Member share scheme launched

Proceeds used to secure a London Members’ Room (Greville Street)

1996

25th-anniversary

Exclusive bottle redesign introduces full tasting notes on the front label

2008

Glasgow Members’ Room opens on Bath Street

2020

Timeline

1983

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is formally founded in Edinburgh

The Vaults (Leith) becomes its home

1996

Member share scheme launched

Proceeds used to secure a London Members’ Room (Greville Street)

2004

Second Edinburgh venue opens at 28 Queen Street

In the same year SMWS is acquired by Glenmorangie plc

2008

25th-anniversary

Exclusive bottle redesign introduces full tasting notes on the front label

2015

Becomes fully independent

SMWS is sold by Glenmorangie to a private investor group

2020

Glasgow Members’ Room opens on Bath Street

2023

40th anniversary

SMWS marks the milestone with special releases and programmes

50th Anniversary Cask Club (1983–2033)

Join this members-only programme that lets you develop a personalised SMWS bottling. Participants select new-make spirit from five contrasting Scottish distilleries. The Society fills and matures the cask, providing progress updates through to 2033. At that date, the whisky becomes eligible for bottling with a bespoke Society label. Suitable for individuals or small groups. A practical way to mark SMWS’s half-century with a documented single-cask journey.”

See also

Price ranges

7000
5600
4200
2800
1400
0
€0 - 49
(5546)
€50 - 149
(6605)
€150 - 249
(1370)
€250 - 499
(622)
€500 - 999
(375)
€1000+
(444)

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