New Year’s Resolution: More Whisky

You might think it is a bit too early for New Year’s resolutions since Christmas has barely begun, but I have thought this through, so bear with me. What if you let everyone know your New Year’s Resolution is… to enjoy more whisky – if that isn’t a hint for Xmas gifts I don’t know what is!!

I have been catching up on the old series of Mad Men recently and I am AMAZED at how often they reach for a drink. Oh the (g)olden days!  This has made me long to start drinking more Gibsons (a Martini with a pickled onion), but it has also reignited my interest in whisky overall; they just make it look so appealing.

Luckily I get to work around spirits every day, yet I am still relatively new to the field of the whisky drams. So I have decided to give what many consider the King of Spirits more focus in the New Year: Scotch, rye, single malt, blended, whisky cocktails, the whole lot! Who’s with me??

A great way to take such a resolution to the next level is to pick up one of the available ‘whisky memberships’ that will offer a chance to explore as many types of whisky as you can possibly think of as well as educating you on the finer points of whisky tasting and appreciation. They will invite you to special whisky events and all sorts.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is an international members club that bottles the world’s widest selection of exceptional and rare single cask, single malts for discerning whisky lovers from all corners of the world. They have a range of gift memberships with tasting sets, making it the dream Christmas gift for a whisky beginner and for devoted whisky lovers too. You can now get 10% off from all the membership packages until 31st Dec 2019. Simply use code INKA10 at the checkout.

UPDATE: INKA10 IS AVAILABLE UNTIL 31ST DEC 2020

Here are my New Year’s whisky resolutions in more detail.

1 Drink more whisky

I am ashamed to admit this, but I have unopened whisky bottles in my home bar… (I can hear you gasp!) But with the help of this resolution I am planning on sampling all of them, and hopefully I will get a few new bottles in the process.

2 Make whisky cocktails

I make cocktails all the time, just not with whisky. I love classic cocktails so it is about time I started drinking Old Fashioned, Boulevardier and Manhattans. Arriverderci, Negroni (not really, I will still be drinking Negronis)!

3 Visit distilleries

It is almost criminal that my last visit to a Scottish whisky distillery was over two years ago! I will change this next year and head over to Speyside!

4 Buy some unique drams

If no one buys me whisky for Christmas then I will need to buy a bottle or a few myself. Did you know The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has some unique bottlings? All their whiskies are bottled at cask strength and they even have whiskies from “silent” distilleries that are no longer in operation! If that doesn’t make you want to enjoy whisky I don’t know what will…

5 Take part in tastings

What better way there is to learn about whisky than take part in tastings? That way you get to sample a range of whiskies and understand more about what goes into the bottle. You’ll also learn about the history of the distillery in the process. SMWS offers its members access to tasting events around the globe.

6 Go to whisky bars

Oh yeah, I’ve been to a few of those and I’m happy to go back. There is something nostalgic about classic whisky joints. The Pot Still in Glasgow, for example, has over 700 whiskies, and they promise to find every customer their perfect dram.

As an SMWS member you can access the SMWS Members’ Rooms in London, Edinburgh and Leith (or if you aren’t a member yet you should find one as the members are allowed to bring up to three guests!) and you can choose from many partner bars around the world.

7 Read and learn more about whisky

There is always room for education in the whisky business. There’s so much to choose from, so how else can you know what to drink and where to drink it? There are some great whisky magazines (and books) out there to tell us what is hot in the whisky world.

8 Write about whisky

With my new-found passion for whisky, I will aim to share some stories with you. Whether it is a distillery visit or tasting notes, we shall share the journey together.

Win a whisky membership at SMWS  

I have teamed up with The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and together we would like to give one lucky enthusiast, new or old, an opportunity to find out exactly why the SMWS is truly one-of-a-kind.

They are kindly offering you the chance to win your first year’s membership at SMWS. Membership to the Society grants you exclusive privileges, including; the ability to purchase their unique whiskies (not available to non-members), access to four Members’ Rooms in Edinburgh and London, exclusive member events and tastings, as well as subscription to the award-winning Unfiltered magazine.

And that’s not all… You will receive a 5-dram SMWS Discovery Pack to kick start your membership, introducing you to a variety the whiskies that the Society has on offer!

Simply follow On the Sauce Again & SMWS UK on Twitter or Facebook (if you haven’t already), share this post and tag a fellow whisky lover.

Competition ends 21^st December 2017. COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

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Disclaimer: This post and giveaway have been created in collaboration with The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. All words and opinions are my own.