Scotch Malt Whisky Society The Tar Pit

Tasting Notes

SMWS Tasting Panel's tasting note:  "The Panel's tasting experience was all enveloping. 'Wowza!' was the first reaction from one panellist. A strong waft of oily peat drifting across the moor towards the harbour. It conjured up images of tarred ropes draped in kelp. We could smell malt loaf and salted peanuts mixed with burnt raisins. Lobster boats and creels provided minerality and there were notes of dark rum and brandy. A splendid backbone of peat and medicinal flavours backed up by liquorice, banana, rosemary and a distant dunnage warehouse. We imagined the formation of a tar pit, enveloping all around it and creating the most fragrant smoke.

It's oily and medicinal with warming, spicy elements like bonfire oranges and gingerbread. Now an entire field of pineapple plants fell victim to the advancing tar, sending sweet tropical soot into the air. A touch of water gave notes of iodine and honey glazed peat. We cooked sweet glazed Chinese pork belly in the tarry heat as the pit consumed gorse bushes and fizzled as it was flecked with sea spray. The sweet sherry influence came through in the form of a peaty prune juice cocktail. Sweet and salty seaside vibes had us hearing gulls. The smoke gradually subsided leaving citrus smoked brine and ash in its wake."

Independent Bottler

As a member, you will join over 27,000 other members around the world who, like our whiskies, are altogether unique. Only members can purchase SMWS whiskies (please note we are not a Scotch-of-the-Month club); you'll join a family of whisky adventurers who appreciate that their whisky discoveries taste better when shared.

SMWS Canada offers a variety of whiskies, and sometimes other spirits, every month.  Our exclusive retail partners, including Kensington Wine Market, host tastings of our new releases every month, and members get advance notice and a discount on the ticket price.

Also available exclusively to members is Unfiltered, our award-winning online magazine that is guaranteed to provide you with fascinating insights into The Society and its events, and the world of single malt whisky.

Members also gain access to Members' Rooms in Edinburgh, Leith, London and elsewhere, and receive a discount at SMWS Partner Bars around the world.

A Club With Personality - Who Are We?

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other. Since we were formed in 1983, we've believed in doing things differently. We seek out whisky in its purest form, we prize flavour above everything else, and we're united and constant in our passion - to share the world's best whiskies, to bring them to life, and to make you proud to belong to the world's most colourful whisky club.

Our Beginnings

"The people who said it couldn't be done were so dull" - Pip Hills, Society Founder

Our Society grew out of a few individuals' irrepressible spirit of discovery and adventure, which still drives us today. Inspired by the unique character of a cask of single malt whisky, purchased over 30 years ago from a Speyside distillery, this pioneering group of friends founded the Society in 1983 to buy more casks and share their discovery with like-minded adventurers.

What We Do

Each of our whiskies must pass the uncompromising noses of our expert Tasting Panel – a secretive group of independent whisky connoisseurs from all walks of life – before being deemed worthy of an iconic Society green bottle. The exploration of flavour and sharing our discoveries is what we're all about. Our members enjoy exclusive access to our hand-picked whiskies from over 140 distilleries in Scotland and beyond. We bottle them at cask strength and offer a constant variety. How you drink them is entirely up to you.