Whisky season now has an official start date, and unique drams to celebrate
Beer has Oktoberfest. Wine has Beaujolais Nouveau Day. Now whisky has a date of its own. Or, at least, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society would like it to.
“We wanted to mark that moment properly, and the autumn equinox is where it happens, the day the year tips towards its darker half.”
The Society has launched The Whisky Equinox, an annual occasion intended to mark the point in the year when cooler evenings arrive and whisky drinkers start reaching for more warming drams.
The autumn equinox falls at 1.06am on September 23, when day and night are of equal length and the year begins its turn towards winter. The Society is inviting whisky fans to raise a glass that evening, wherever they happen to be, and share the occasion using #WhiskyEquinox.
It is a neat piece of whisky marketing. There’s no ancient tradition behind the date. This one is being made from scratch.
Madeleine Schmoll, European Content Manager at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, says the timing reflects how people tend to drink whisky as the seasons change.
“Whisky is a drink for all year round, but it is in autumn and winter that people reach for it most,” she says. “We wanted to mark that moment properly, and the autumn equinox is where it happens, the day the year tips towards its darker half.”
The idea also fits the Society’s role as a club built around shared whisky experiences. “The Society has always been about bringing people together over a shared dram,” Schmoll says. “On 23 September we will mark it here in Edinburgh, and we hope that all whisky fans will join in wherever they are.”
The Society is inviting whisky fans to raise a glass that evening, wherever they happen to be, and share the occasion…
Two seasonal drams
To give the new occasion something tangible to drink, the Society has produced two 35cl bottles, designed as a light-and-dark pairing for the turning season.
Riesling Spritz in the Sun is a 12-year-old Speyside, while Spice It Up After Dark is an 11-year-old Highland whisky.
The half-size bottles are priced £39 each, or £75 for the pair, and are available from the Society here.
There’s an interesting change of approach here for the Society. Its bottlings are usually reserved for members, while these two Whisky Equinox releases are available to anyone.
The Society says it’s planning to release around 100 limited-edition whiskies before the end of 2026, including more peated and sherry cask expressions. Those richer, smokier styles tend to find a natural audience as the weather turns colder.
A whisky ceremony in Edinburgh
The Society is taking the Whisky Equinox beyond the bottle, too.
Its main launch event will take place on the evening of September 23, at its Members’ Room at 28 Queen Street in Edinburgh, where the club was established in 1983.
The evening begins with a meditative gong sound bath from Jo McCoy of Blissness. A short ceremony will follow, including the reading of a special poem marking the change of season, before guests move on to a guided whisky tasting.
There will be another event at the same venue on October 15. Light Side, Dark Side: An Autumn Equinox Whisky Journey will feature six drams and dinner.
The Society is also planning an extended seasonal programme across its four Members’ Rooms, with venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London hosting events through autumn.
The October releases will form part of a Winter Series covering Halloween, Christmas, Hogmanay and Burns Night.
Whether Whisky Equinox becomes a fixture in the drinks calendar remains to be seen. For whisky fans, there’s certainly no harm in having another excuse to open a bottle.
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