Well, sort of.
I can not tell you how excited I am right now.
What you’re to read about is something that Jason Johnstone-Yellin (of guidscotchdrink.com), Seth Klaskin (our good friend) and I have been working on for about a year and a half (if not longer)…
If you’re been around the blogosphere you might have seen Peter from The Casks talk about it. Nathan, the ScotchNoob posted about it as did Lawrence who runs Whisky Intelligence.
What they’re talking about is the launch of the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society as a true whisky society and Independent Bottler for the US market. We had a quiet launch that lasted two weeks and brought in many dozen members.
Beginning today, the doors to the JSMWS are wide open to the first 250-300 members that sign on/buy in.
The Society is all about Whisky and we welcome you with open arms! To check us out and join in on the fun, click here!
The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society will now offer (exclusively) to its members a wide range of what we feel are the finest Single Cask, Single Malt, Natural Cask Strength bottlings under the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society Label.
See the product image below:
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The details of the press release are/were:
February 8, 2012
Announcing the launch of The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society (and their accompanying website, www.jsmws.com) as a US based independent bottler of the world’s finest single cask, single malt, natural cask strength whiskies:
Operated as a members-‐-‐only Society, founders Joshua Hatton (author of a blog by the same name, jewishsinglemaltwhiskysociety.com), Jason Johnstone-Yellin (author of guidscotchdrink.com) and Seth Klaskin conducted a quiet launch on February 8th, 2012, inviting 150 loyal readers of both whisky blogs and many people in whisky enthusiast circles, Jews and non-Jews alike. Public roll out will commence on February 20th, 2012.
With the initial membership drive in early 2012, the Society will be capped at 250-300 members. Later this year, the Society will have an initial release of up to 5 single cask whisky expressions. Soon thereafter, the Society will open its doors to another 250-500 members.
There will be three levels of membership available. Those that choose to join in on the base, or “White,” level can expect to enjoy the following for an initial $180 membership fee:
- 1 complimentary 750ml bottle of one of the Society’s single cask single malts (to ship in Summer, 2012) 2 Urban Bar tasting glasses bearing the Society’s logo
- 1 Society T-‐-‐shirt bearing the Society’s logo
- A one year subscription to Whisky Advocate Magazine, a premier industry periodical
- A laminated membership card – individually numbered
- The very low $36/yr. renewal fee (due on the one year anniversary of receipt of the welcome bottle) The ability to invite a friend to join the Society
Late 2012 - early 2013 will see the release of the second set of 5 exclusive bottlings and the introduction of the Society’s first non-Scotch single malt whisky.
While faithfully dedicated to independently bottling the finest and rarest single cask whiskies for their diverse membership, the JSMWS will aim to respect the needs of the religious, while also providing varied and new experiences for those who are less restricted in their Jewish expression. For example, they may release some bottlings of other spirits besides malt whisky in order to provide observant Jews with alternate fine spirits to accompany their Passover Seder, when malted grains are not permitted for consumption. (Many Jews observe Pesach Kashrut laws during Passover even if they do not observe Kashrut generally.)
At the same time, the Society will regularly offer whisky expressions that are aged in ex-wine casks so that members who are not restricted in their consumption can enjoy the full range of flavors and characteristics that the malt world has to offer. Because bottlings are inherently separate and self-contained, the Society will have the freedom to release some wine‐finished expressions without contaminating the kosher-styled expressions.
By managing this issue thoughtfully, the Society aims to support and maintain the widest range of Jewish and non-Jewish, and observant and secular-‐-‐minded whisky enthusiasts in their Society. The Society will always post detailed cask notes on the website and on the bottle labels. Members are urged to utilize these notes to make purchase decisions in line with their own dietary restrictions.
Members of the Society will enjoy members-only web content on www.jsmws.com. Such content will include, but will not be limited to, regular blog updates from Society founders detailing tasting notes, distillery visits and cask selections - all provided through both text – based blog entries and robust video content.
The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society is a genuine Society – with their website (www.jsmws.com) acting as a virtual space for folks to meet and advance their mutual affinity for finely crafted malt whiskies. It is a place for diverse people to identify with others who share an interest in the craft, the allure, the aesthetics, and the incredible depth of single malt spirits. Members will be able to learn new things and mingle in a virtual community with others in a supportive and fun environment. The Society is a place that welcomes everyone, and extends hospitality to all. It is a place where members can shed the stress of the day and achieve relaxation by exploring exceptional spirits among friends. It is a club that promotes social justice and consideration of others.
Furthermore, while primarily built upon a solid foundation of premium cask selection for their members, the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society pledges to enact its commitment to social justice and philanthropy by donating 1% of all profits from the sale of their exclusive whiskies and merchandise.
The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society invites members to enjoy their whiskies, their community and all of the growing programs it has to offer.
For more information, contact the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society here:
Phone: 203.689.5163
Toll-Free: 866.883.7528
Email at: info@jsmws.com