Claudia Järmann | member since 2022
At the Springbank Whisky School, I was completely captivated by the world of single malt. That week of hard graft at the distillery sparked a real thirst for knowledge in me. Back home, I immediately became a member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Since then, I’ve hardly missed a whisky festival and attend tastings whenever I possibly can.
In these three years, a lovely tradition has already taken shape. My trips to Scotland always begin in Glasgow on Bath Street, where I meet my «Glaswegian» colleagues from the Whisky School for a few drams in the Society’s Members’ Room. The sight of the countless green bottles is simply overwhelming every time. And first things first – haggis! This summer, a Japanese whisky tasting was on the programme – sadly sold out. But thanks to my colleague’s good contacts with the manager, I was allowed to join anyway. I did feel a little guilty, mind you, because two people had to sit at a separate table on my account. Kris Grimes, a true expert in his field, guided us through the whiskies from the Land of the Rising Sun.
No trip to Scotland would be complete without a visit to The Vaults. In the historic former warehouse, I marvel at the very first SMWS bottles numbered 1.1, 2.1 through to 6.1.
Before boarding the Caledonian Sleeper, there’s still time to browse through the current Outturn. And suddenly, a date leaps out at me: 27 May – my birthday! The bottling is a “Wood-Smoked Walnut Gâteau” from Distillery No. 66. A crowning finale to my four-week whisky tour.
