The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), has announced the launch of a limited-edition blended Scotch whisky, marking a first for the whisky club, best known for its single-cask, single-malt releases.

SMWS – The Blender’s Notebook (50% ABV) is an 18-year-old blended Scotch whisky built around a 20-year-old single Sherry butt whisky, combined with 27-year-old grain whisky and malt whiskies aged around 18 years. The blend draws on whiskies matured in Bourbon casks, American oak Pedro Ximénez Sherry (PX) casks, and Spanish oak Oloroso Sherry barrels and hogsheads.

The latest release, is Batch 44 in the society’s award-winning Heresy range. Launched in 2017, the small-batch label gives the SMWS Whisky Team the freedom to experiment with blends, cask combinations and spirits from outside Scotland. The range won gold medals for all three of its entries at The Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters 2026.

SMWS – The Blender’s Notebook, is said to offer aromas of linseed oil, apricot jam tarts and greengage plums, followed by notes of honeyed melon, Madeira cake and candied pecans on the palate.

The bottle’s label follows the same old-school approach, with a design inspired by blended Scotch labels of decades past, complete with thistles and period-style wording in the small print.

The idea for the blend came from the Society’s outgoing Whisky Director, Kai Ivalo, before his retirement. He said: “If you’re going to create a Society blended Scotch, you’d better go big, or go home! It should be a high malt content blend with an old-school character and pedigree.”

Commenting on the launch, Julien Willems, Whisky Quality and Sensory Panel Manager at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, said: “Heresy has always been the Whisky Team’s playground, the space where we can have some fun and wander down the paths not taken, and it doesn’t get much more out there than the Society releasing a blended Scotch.”

“Coming up with the label for something so unique certainly was barrels of fun, but as flavours go, there’s nothing light-hearted about what’s in the bottle. That well-aged sherry butt and PX influence bring real depth and character, the added bourbon casks and American oak add a silky lift for the malt core, all neatly tied together with grain nearly three decades old working as the mortar that keeps it all together. But ultimately, it’s the quality of the whiskies and the way their flavours intertwine that makes this blend so special, more than the sum of its parts, and that’s what the Society has always been about.”

Limited to 1,092 bottles, SMWS – The Blender’s Notebook, is available now from the SMWS website, for a RRP of £80.00.