There’s good news for members of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society this week. The club has launched the fourth instalment in its sought-after Creators Collection: Tales Of The Worm Tub: Celebrating the Bold, the Rich and the Robust. The release brings together three rare Speyside bottlings that shine a light on one of the oldest, and arguably least understood, whisky making techniques.
The Creators Collection is a series designed to turn liquid into storytelling. Each chapter in the collection focuses on a particular production method, cask influence, or flavour narrative.
Tales Of The Worm Tub looks back when distilleries cooled spirit vapour using long copper coils submerged in cold water. Known as worm tubs, these condensers are rarely used today, but their effect is distinctive: bold, weighty spirits with a deeper character and a meaty edge.
The collection looks back to a bygone era, when distilleries cooled spirit vapour using long copper coils submerged in cold water…
Old school whisky making
Euan Campbell, Head of Whisky Creation at the Society, describes the trio as “a fascinating glimpse into the world of worm tub condensers,” offering fans the chance to explore how this traditional method can still deliver flavour diversity.
The three releases take their names from the twisting coils themselves. Cask No. 44.190: Unleash the Serpent (£165) is a 21-year-old, rich with Bramley apples, plum jam and black forest gateaux notes. Cask No. 76.157: Behold the Beast (£155), an 18-year-old drawn from a first-fill oloroso butt, offers bruised apples, treacle, funky rum, and chocolate orange biscuits. Finally, Cask No. 36.228: The Snaking Coil (£220), at 28 years old, is the most opulent of the set, delivering marzipan, dark chocolate, sticky dessert wine and hibiscus.
The collection is available as individual bottles and as a complete set. Members visiting the Society’s rooms can also sample a three-dram flight for £53.
What is worm tub whisky?
Worm tub whisky making is a traditional, and increasingly rare, method of condensing spirit vapours during distillation.
Picture a large vat (the tub) filled with cold water. Inside is a long, coiled copper pipe (the worm). During distillation, vaporised alcohol travels from the still, into the worm. As it winds through the cold water, the vapour condenses back into liquid form, flowing into the spirit safe, for collection.
With less copper contact, compared to modern shell-and-tube condensers, fewer impurities (that’s to say flavour-giving compounds such as esters, phenols, aldehydes and ketones) are removed, resulting in meatier, more robust flavours and a thicker mouthfeel.
Worm tubs have fallen from favour because they’re large and difficult to run, but some distilleries still preserve the art.
Tales Of The Worm Tub follows previous Creators Collection chapters exploring Scotland’s peatlands, the Society’s spiritual home in Leith, and a celebration of spring’s lighter notes. With more instalments planned, it’s a series that continues to reward curious whisky enthusiasts.
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The Luxe Review 
There’s good news for members of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society this week. The club has launched the fourth instalment in its sought-after Creators Collection: Tales Of The Worm Tub: Celebrating the Bold, the Rich and the Robust. The release brings together three rare Speyside bottlings that shine a light on one of the oldest, and arguably least understood, whisky making techniques.
The Creators Collection is a series designed to turn liquid into storytelling. Each chapter in the collection focuses on a particular production method, cask influence, or flavour narrative.
Tales Of The Worm Tub looks back when distilleries cooled spirit vapour using long copper coils submerged in cold water. Known as worm tubs, these condensers are rarely used today, but their effect is distinctive: bold, weighty spirits with a deeper character and a meaty edge.
Old school whisky making
Euan Campbell, Head of Whisky Creation at the Society, describes the trio as “a fascinating glimpse into the world of worm tub condensers,” offering fans the chance to explore how this traditional method can still deliver flavour diversity.
The three releases take their names from the twisting coils themselves. Cask No. 44.190: Unleash the Serpent (£165) is a 21-year-old, rich with Bramley apples, plum jam and black forest gateaux notes. Cask No. 76.157: Behold the Beast (£155), an 18-year-old drawn from a first-fill oloroso butt, offers bruised apples, treacle, funky rum, and chocolate orange biscuits. Finally, Cask No. 36.228: The Snaking Coil (£220), at 28 years old, is the most opulent of the set, delivering marzipan, dark chocolate, sticky dessert wine and hibiscus.
The collection is available as individual bottles and as a complete set. Members visiting the Society’s rooms can also sample a three-dram flight for £53.
What is worm tub whisky?
Worm tub whisky making is a traditional, and increasingly rare, method of condensing spirit vapours during distillation.
Picture a large vat (the tub) filled with cold water. Inside is a long, coiled copper pipe (the worm). During distillation, vaporised alcohol travels from the still, into the worm. As it winds through the cold water, the vapour condenses back into liquid form, flowing into the spirit safe, for collection.
With less copper contact, compared to modern shell-and-tube condensers, fewer impurities (that’s to say flavour-giving compounds such as esters, phenols, aldehydes and ketones) are removed, resulting in meatier, more robust flavours and a thicker mouthfeel.
Worm tubs have fallen from favour because they’re large and difficult to run, but some distilleries still preserve the art.
Tales Of The Worm Tub follows previous Creators Collection chapters exploring Scotland’s peatlands, the Society’s spiritual home in Leith, and a celebration of spring’s lighter notes. With more instalments planned, it’s a series that continues to reward curious whisky enthusiasts.
For more, visit smws.com.
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