Many of us will have a fond memory from a big night out, and the chances are if you’re reading this then you’re likely to have experienced a truly great whisky tasting at some point too. However, there can only one event that can truly be the biggest and now The Scotch Malt Whisky Society can proudly claim that title.
On Saturday 30th September, SMWS held an online whisky tasting that was attended by 447 members in over 15 countries. Guinness World Records have confirmed that this session has set the record for the largest number of participants in an online tasting event.
Over the course of the 45-minute event, drams were enjoyed simultaneously across the UK, the United States, Japan, South Africa and many more. It was an early start for the American contingent, with guests on the east coast sipping on their drams at 9am!
To add to the international feel, the drams were introduced by the SMWS directors for the US and Australia, as well as live from the SMWS’ spiritual home in Leith, Edinburgh by their master brand ambassador John McCheyne.
Three drams were showcased at the tasting: the SMWS blended malt Smokus Fruiticosus and two single malts from distilleries 39 and 55 (we won’t break from SMWS convention by revealing the distillery names, but we will say that one sounds a bit like ‘pink-hood’ and the other ‘loyal baklava’).
The SMWS recently reached its 40th anniversary and this landmark tasting was a central part of their celebrations. It’s no doubt a fitting occasion for such an iconic institution. Originally founded in Edinburgh in 1983, the SMWS has grown into the world’s largest whisky club with over 40,000 members worldwide.
This record-setting tasting is not just a testament to the SMWS’ status as a pioneer with regards to getting people engaged with whisky, but whisky’s ability to connect people from all walks of life, virtually or otherwise.