Independent Bottler Responsible For Rare Whiskey Raiders 10/10 Score is Releasing its 150th Whiskey This St. Patrick’s Day

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is launching its 150th release for St. Patrick’s Day — and it’s not a scotch. (Photo: Scottish Malt Whisky Society)

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is celebrating 2022 St. Patrick’s Day with its 150th release, a single cask bottling sourced from a distillery in southwest Ireland. This Irish whiskey will be SMWS’s first non-scotch release.

Cask 150.1 is seven years old and is exclusively available to SMWS members only through ballot entry for £75 (US$98).

The 58.7% ABV whiskey spent three years in a first-fill bourbon barrel and was further matured in a first-fill ex-rye barrel.

“For our landmark 150th bottling, we wanted to showcase the journey of our never-ending quest for quality and flavour. Choosing an Irish distillery to mark this milestone occasion truly shows the adventurous spirit of the Society – celebrating our vibrant spirit no matter its source,” Kai Ivalo, spirits director, said, according to Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News. “Our milestone 150th distillery bottling demonstrates how far the Society has travelled. Having bottled from distilleries way beyond our shores, we continue to explore a world beyond single cask, single malt Scotch at our core. We are celebrating both our beginnings and our future.”

SMWS also will host a livestream event to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and the 150th release. The event will consist of an evening of Irish music, whiskey chat, a pub quiz, competitions and more. The event will be streamed live 8 p.m. GMT (4 p.m. ET) Thursday. The stream will be accessible on SWMS’s YouTube channel and its Instagram account, @smws_uk.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was the bottler for Clynelish 29 Year SMWS 26.105 — Bumblebees By The Sea — one of two whiskies ever to receive a 10/10 rating from Whiskey Raiders.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 150.1 Tasting Notes from The Dramble

Nose: Opening with florals – juniper, rosehips and buttercups, before revealing blood orange juice, blondie biscuits, white chocolate and a selection of dried reeds and grasses. Water offers coconut macaroons, crackerbread and hay.

Taste: All on orange citrus – mandarin, tangerine and clementine – then desiccated coconut, toffee, vanillins and a selection of fresh cask-driven notes – dry oak, pencil shavings and wood lacquer. Dilution presents pepper and nutmeg together syrupy orange segments, paper bags and shaved oak.

Finish: Medium in length. Here the cask comes stomping in without any subtlety – liquid oak juice, freshly sawn 2 x 4 – rather tannic and incredibly dry.

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