Overview: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has introduced a limited-edition 18-year-old blended Scotch whisky, marking the first time the organization has ventured into blending. This release belongs to the Heresy range and represents a significant departure from the society’s traditional single malt focus.
The Full Story
The Blender’s Notebook is Batch 44 in the Society’s award-winning Heresy range. Launched in 2017, the small-batch label gives the SMWS whisky team licence to experiment with blends, cask combinations and spirits from outside Scotland. The range won Gold with all three of its entries at The Spirits Business’s Scotch Whisky Masters 2026.
At the heart of the blend is a single sherry butt which held a long-discontinued blended Scotch that has been maturing at batch strength for around 20 years. The Society’s Whisky Team combined this with 27-year-old grain whisky and malts of around 18 years old, matured in bourbon casks, American oak PX casks and Spanish oak oloroso barrels and hogsheads.
Production & Profile
The bottled blend is around 70 per cent malt, with a 60/40 split in favour of sherry casks. Tasting notes include linseed oil, apricot jam tarts and greengage plums on the nose, honeyed melon, Madeira cake and candied pecans on the palate. With water, vanilla fudge and old-style sherry wood come through, before a drying finish.
Brand & Industry History
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society launched in 1983. Heresy was launched in 2017 as a small-batch label giving the whisky team licence to experiment with blends, cask combinations and spirits from outside Scotland.
What This Means
Kai Ivalo, outgoing whisky director, said: “If you’re going to create a Society blended Scotch, you’d better go big…”. Julien Willems noted Heresy is the team’s playground. The release signifies a major shift for the club which launched in 1983.
Consumer Takeaway
Priced at £80. One-off batch of 1,092 bottles. On sale now to members. Anyone can join the Society.
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