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| WHAT ARE THE TASTINGS ABOUT... |
| As a whisky enthusiast, no doubt your palate is attuned to the subtleties of many single malts... but... how well do you know the differences between a highland malt or an island malt, or perhaps a lowland malt?
Come along to our next tasting and test your skills on some of the latest exclusive single malts to arrive on our shores. Finger food, specifically chosen to accentuate and compliment the different flavours in the various whiskies will be served.
The evenings are designed not only to stimulate the palate but also to answer your questions and for general discussion. Come along, practise your nosing and tasting skills and learn more about this fine drop!
Please go to our Calendar of Events page for more information |
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News Library
Some Whisky Trivia
(Extract from “The Essential Guide to Scotch Whisky”- Michael Brander 1990)
“Although by the 1890’s most of the big brand whisky brands were selling well throughout the world there were many dubious “fly by night” firms cashing in on the boom by selling whisky of a very low standard at inflated prices. One of the more flamboyant and dubious firms , blending and selling their own whisky at this time were Pattison’s Ltd, controlled by two brothers, Robert and Walter Pattison, who had started as dairy wholesalers and graduated to dispensing whisky because they felt there was more profit in that than in selling watered-down milk.
They found they could buy cheap grain whisky at under a shilling a gallon and by adding a minute quantity of malt whisky, could sell it at 8s 6d a gallon, describing it as finest “Glenlivet”.
One of their more bizarre attempts at advertising included distributing to their retailers some 500 parrots which were allegedly trained to say “Drink Pattison’s Whisky”
Despite, or because of, such sales practices, they went bankrupt in 1898 to the then almost unheard of sum of 82,000 pounds.
Investigation soon revealed fraud on a massive scale as well as making the public aware of the more deplorable methods of blending used by the disreputable end of the industry.”
The trial of the Pattison brothers, together with the outbreak of the Boer War brought to an end the whisky boom of the 1890’s.
It also brought before the public the differences between pot-still whiskies, the source of our single malts, and continuously distilled grain whiskies."
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MATCHING THE NUMBERS TO THE DISTILLERIES |
| A frequently asked question is "How do I match the numbers to the distilleries?"
Under the arrangement the Society has with distillers the Society undertakes not to put the distiller's name on the bottle, and not to publish a list which matches the numbers to the distilleries. However the Society map, together with the tasting notes, allow members to identify where the whisky comes from, without too much effort, and is a good way to learn a bit about Scotland.
A private whisky web site in Denmark (Whisky Portal), however, has published this list, and as the site contains useful whisky information for our members we have created a link to it off our own web site.
To find the site do the following:
Select "Links" (in the green area at the top of the page, second line, last word)
Under the heading "Whisky Sites" click on "Whisky Portal"
This brings up the Whisky portal disclaimer page. Click on the underlined words "Whisky portal"
On the left hand side of the page which then appears is a list. Click on "SMWS Codes" and the list of distilleries and codes will appear.
If you need any further assistance, please contact the Society direct.
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