The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is launching Diptych – the final instalment in its premium Creators Collection series for 2025 featuring two exceptional 30-year-old single cask whiskies that explore how wood shapes whisky.
Launching on Wednesday 3 December, the Diptych collection brings together two single casks from the same distillery, distilled on the same day in 1994 and matured for 28 years in oloroso sherry butts before being additionally matured into first fill Pedro Ximénez casks – one American oak, the other Spanish. The result is the ultimate flight in symmetry and contrast.
Cask No. 96.41: The ‘Iberian’ showcases the influence of Spanish oak, delivering an intriguing mélange of sandalwood, cedar and well-brushed leather boots on the nose, followed by layer upon layer of dark fruits – blackcurrants and blackberries – spiced with cloves, ginger and star anise. With water, toasted stollen with butterscotch sauce emerges alongside spiced sultana griddle scones, finishing with damson and sloe gin jam and maple syrup on thick American pancakes.
Cask No. 96.42: The ‘American’ presents a remarkably balanced expression where the sherry influence is beautifully integrated rather than overstated. The whisky takes you through ‘a day in the life’ – from breakfast of mango slices and cinnamon buns, through a walk in the country with earthy notes and distant wood smoke, to an opulent dessert of chocolate cake and pear frangipane tart, rounded off with calvados and tobacco.
Euan Campbell, Head of Whisky Creation at the SMWS, said: “Diptych is a celebration of how different oak types can transform whisky in fascinating ways. These two casks share the same DNA – same distillery, same year, same initial maturation – but their final chapter in American versus Spanish oak PX casks has created two distinct personalities. It’s a rare opportunity to explore the profound influence of wood on whisky, presented as a work of liquid art.”
The collection will be available on 3 December for £900 together and £450 each.
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The Creators Collection is a series that brings liquid storytelling to life with the rarest SMWS whiskies, curated to create the ultimate whisky flights. Each release takes inspiration and imagination from the whisky makers and creative collaborators to celebrate unique flavour stories, presenting whisky as a creative work of art in beautifully designed one-of-a-kind bottles.
For more information see here: https://smws.com/all-whisky/the-creators-collection/
