SMWS bottles first Cognac cask

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has bottled its first single cask Cognac, released, in Society style, only as ‘C1 Nectar céleste’.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is to release its first-ever Cognac bottling

Matured in a French oak barrel, the XO release has been bottled at a natural cask strength of 48.8%, with 480 bottles available from Friday 4 December.

The independent bottler and members’ club does not officially publish the names of the distilleries it works with, instead opting for a numbering system of distillery and cask number. C1 is labeled as a ‘Fine Island Cognac’, suggesting it is made from grapes grown on Île de Ré or Ile d’Oléron. The islands are situated off the west coast of France in Bois Ordinaires, the most westerly region in the Cognac appellation.

Camus Cognac is the house which most prominently advertises its use of grapes grown on Île de Ré.

C1 Nectar céleste tasting notes are: “magical intensity on the nose; wood smouldering through a magnifying glass, burning incense as well as curled-up treacle scones. The taste was creamy, sweet with a teasing spiciness. Add a drop of water; you might just get ‘un petit coin de paradis’.”

While SMWS is known for its single cask malt offer, in recent years it has also bottled single barrel Bourbons, single cask grain whiskies, and single barrel rums.

Last month, SMWS announced it had become a fully independent operation following its sale to a group of private investors.