Knock Their Socks Off With Membership To The World's Leading Whisky Club (SMWS)

Published Date: 1st November 2018

Slippers, socks and cardigans just won’t cut it. Sending a loved one on an endless journey of discovery with 26,000 fellow whisky fans will.

Unforgettable whisky moments are shared ones, which is why membership to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is a Christmas gift any whisky fan – whether newly interested or hardcore adventurer – will be overjoyed to receive.

Only members of the SMWS can access its constant supply of one-off single cask, single malt whiskies, drawn straight from the barrel and bottled at natural strength (undiluted) – whisky flavours at their most wide-ranging and intriguing.

Annual membership and renewal is £65, but the SMWS offers a range of options for new members up to and including its Pioneer Welcome Pack at £130. It’s the perfect Christmas gift, coming with a beautiful presentation box containing three 10cl sample bottles of Society whisky to get started, a £15 e-voucher, entertaining SMWS journal and a club lapel badge to start wearing with pride.

Being a member of SMWS not only offers members access to the SMWS’s revered single cask whiskies, exclusive tasting events, venues and unparalleled expertise; it means they belong to a Society with like-minded individuals from all around the world.

Meeting 26,000 fellow whisky fans is just the beginning of a journey of endless discovery that comes with joining the world’s most colourful whisky club.

Warm welcome

The SMWS is always welcoming, treating members new and old with the same warmth and respect as you would good friends. At member-only events you can discover intriguing malts with fellow whisky admirers. The SMWS is firmly of the belief that its unique malts are best appreciated when shared with friends.

One-off drams

Every individual cask of whisky matures in its own way, and if the name on the Society’s label seems unusual, it’s because the whisky is too. The SMWS bottles from a single cask when its Tasting Panel decides the whisky is ready, and each cask provides a finite number of bottles for members to buy.

Once they’re sold-out, they are gone forever, flavours never to be repeated. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind malt experience, the SMWS is the right place for you.

Venues and partner bars

In the UK, the SMWS has its spiritual home at The Vaults in Leith, Edinburgh as well as Members’ Rooms at 28 Queen Street in the city centre. In London, the SMWS has a members-only venue at 19 Greville Street and recently opened a new pop-up at 78 Northcote Road, Clapham, where guests can experience a range of single cask whiskies and other spirits as well as a selection of fantastic food.

SMWS partner bars are every bit as extraordinary as the Society’s malts. With nearly 100 worldwide locations, they’re the perfect place to share a dram of one-off single malt Scotch whisky.

Membership benefits

The core annual membership of the Society costs £65 and provides whisky lovers with benefits including discounted dram prices at SMWS partner bars; free subscription to Unfiltered, its award-winning members’ magazine; and savings on postage and packaging of bottles.

The full membership packages are:

PIONEER WELCOME PACK (£130): the most popular option - core annual membership PLUS a beautiful welcome pack containing three 10cl sample bottles, a £15 e-voucher, SMWS journal and club lapel badge

MEMBERSHIP & TASTING TICKETS (£125): bring a guest to enjoy the good company of fellow members by coming along to a regular whisky tasting event, up to the value of £64

MEMBERSHIP & BOTTLE OF THE MOMENT (£110): surprise and delight your senses by adding a specially selected bottle of the moment to annual membership

MEMBERSHIP & 35TH ANNIVERSARY TASTING BOX (£89): get to know SMWS

Whisky and discover your favourite flavour by exploring five 25ml single cask Society samples. An accompanying tasting hosted by master ambassador is available online to help you get the most out of these specially selected drams.

MEMBERSHIP & THREE DRAM SERVE (£80): perfect for getting to know each other, visit UK Members’ Rooms for a chat and an informal three-dram tasting

Commenting on new members joining the SMWS, Kai Ivalo, Spirits Director at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, said: “The SMWS started life 35 years ago as an unconventional and welcoming whisky club with a mission to unearth the finest single cask whiskies and crack them open with like-minded friends and curious whisky fans. That mission is unchanged, but we’ve added a few thousand members along the way – and we always offer a warm welcome to any new recruit to the single cask cause.”

To buy membership to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society as a gift this Christmas, visit: https://www.smws.com/whisky-club-membershi

<< View Scottish Single Malts on Planet Whiskies

<< Back to all the latest whisky news brought to you by Planet Whiskies