‘A Great Example of What We Are All About’: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Sets Guinness World Record For Largest Online Whisky Tasting

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society set a Guinness World Record by hosting the world’s largest online whisky tasting. (Photo: Scotch Malt Whisky Society)

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society set a Guinness World Record for the largest online whisky tasting, the organization announced Monday. The tasting was a celebration of the organization’s 40th birthday.

On Sept. 30, 447 members from the following 15 countries participated in the tasting: the United Kingdom, Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, China, South Africa, Hong Kong, Denmark, Switzerland, New Zealand, Mexico, Taiwan and Korea.

All participants tasted their three drams at the same time, which meant participating New Yorkers took part in the tasting at 9 a.m., while Australians in attendance at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s tasting enjoyed their whiskies at midnight.

The event was live-streamed from The Vaults, and the first whisky in the lineup was introduced by the Society’s Master Ambassador, John McCheyne in Edinburgh. The second whisky was introduced by Tom Smith, the Senior Director of the American chapter of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and the third was introduced in Melbourne by Matt Bailey, the director of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Australia.

“It’s amazing to see how far the Society has come since the club was founded in Edinburgh by Pip Hills and a group of friends in 1983. With the Society turning 40 years old, we felt this would be the perfect way to share in a very special simultaneous tasting,” stated the event host, social media and community manager, Madeleine Schmoll.

The three whiskies tasted were Cask No. 55.78 “What a Spread!”, Cask No. 39.244 “Tutti Frutti in a Wooden Bowl,” and Batch 15 “Smokus Fruticosus.”

The brand described “What a Spread,” as a 13-year-old rich bottling with dried fruit aromas from Speyside. Tutti Frutti in a Wooden Bowl was an 11-year-old whisky with plenty of juicy vanilla and oak. The last offering, Smokus Fruticosus, was a blended malt with whiskies from Islay and Orkney.

In early October, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society donated an offering to The Distillers’ One of One whisky auction that sold for $22,862.

It was a scotch whisky offering titled “The Only Drop,” which consisted of a rare offering of 33-year-old scotch from The Macallan. The Only Drop was housed in a sustainable paper case that was made by local artisans James Cropper and STCKMAN.

While many whiskies donated to the auction were housed in elaborate sculptures, the SMWS chose to focus on the liquid itself.

“We are pioneers of cask strength, full-flavor whisky that creates conversation — that’s why people become members — and the world record tasting worked across time zones and countries to bring our members together,” Schmoll continued. “It’s a great example of what we are all about.”

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