There are many forms of whisk(e)y from around the world with their own rules or lack thereof to compare with ”Scotch” and a plethora of other spirits completely different in manufacture and intent. We will present a selection of 6 to broaden all our horizons……….
The most obvious place to think of non-Scotch whiskies is the USA, famed for their bourbons & ryes.
Every populated continent on earth produce some kind of whisky from Mexico to Argentina (even maturing one of theirs in Antarctica!), South Africa, Europe e.g. France
Date: Friday 14th November 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Hall, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Our Michaelmas opening event continues with 6 more whiskies, again 2 each from another 3 regions: Campbeltown, The Islands & Speyside.
And because it’s Halloween, we can tell you some ghost stories related to the whiskies…….just think of a huge 🏰 or manor house with a roaring fire to set the scene!
Date: Friday 31st October 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Hall (Downstairs), NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
Our Michaelmas opening event for 2025/2026 sees us welcome new members, established members and any interested party to experience a total of six whiskies, 2 each from 3 different regions: The Scottish Highlands, The Scottish Lowlands & Islay – whether they’re completely new to the spirit or a connoisseur.
This is the first part of a two-part series designed as a whistle-stop tour of the modern “Scotch” market.
Date: Friday 17th October 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Hall (downstairs), NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
A relaxed introduction to what we do as a society in our current home – it makes us easier to find again 😉 – led by our current President Nicholas whom you’ll have probably met on the stand.
We will have several different whiskies to buy tasters of representing a range of styles as an idea of what is out there. It’s a drop in an ocean of possibilities, a great place to start or continue the journey!
Date: Friday 10th October 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio Room (upstairs), NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL (open Google maps in new tab).
The CUWAS presidential seal is about to change hands once again and – for the first time since 2022 – the role will be passing to somebody who isn’t a historian. To find out whether this is a good thing or not, we’re hosting a ‘Presidential Handover’ tasting where Dan (outgoing) and Nicholas (incoming) will compete head-to-head across three exciting themes selected by the committee, with attendees voting on the winner of each theme.
Will Dan triumph and cement the History Faculty’s position as the true home of Cambridge whisky aficionados, or will Nicholas buck the status quo and herald a new era of Chemical Engineering dominance? Join us to find out!
Date: Friday 26th September 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio room, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
We tend to try and do something a little different with our events over the Summer, and this tasting will certainly be a first! Some of you reading this, may be aware of the wonderful people at Thompson Brothers and of their Mystery Malt series. The premise is simple: they’ve bottled whiskies from a limited number of barrels from some carefully selected distilleries and presented them entirely anonymously, at first approach. Once you open a bottle, you can see a small label describing what you’ve been fortunate enough to receive for your money. All bottles are priced the same, and even the ‘cheapest’ whisky is good value for it.
The first release of Mystery Malt bottles was May this year, the second was July. We bought six bottles in the July release and most of the committee will not know what they’re presenting. We do know the entrants into the series though…
So, they range from 4 years old to 29, cover sherry, sauternes, bourbon, refill & virgin oak, and pretty much represent all of Scotland. Exciting! Come and join the experiment, the experience, the exploration.
Don’t worry if you don’t think you’ll be able to match unmarked whisky to one of the rows in the table – our aim is to enjoy each whisky, focussing on what we’re tasting, with the challenge of guessing being optional for the nerds 😜 We’ll make sure everyone knows what they’re drinking, and try to ensure everyone enjoys the evening!
Date: Friday 29th August 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio room, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
Whilst most CUWAS themes tend to be defined by the spirit that’s in the bottle, the focus for this tasting is on the companies that fill them.
Almost every one of our tastings features at least one bottle from one independent bottler or another, but it has been a while since we’ve taken a step back to highlight these companies and explore the important role they play in the industry. This tasting will right this wrong, and in doing so give us the opportunity to sample some of the most interesting bottles on the market.
Date: Friday 20th June 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio room, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
After the unprecedented demand for last term’s ‘Premium’ tasting, CUWAS have decided to go even bigger this term and host an event that goes well beyond anything we have done before.
Our goal for this special Super Premium tasting is to give attendees a truly incredible whisky experience, and the plan for achieving this is simple: spend even more on the whisky, and offer attendees even better value. The line-up for this tasting will be the most expensive that we have ever put together in our 11 year history by a country mile and will feature some truly ridiculous bottles so, although ticket prices will be higher, it promises to be a real highlight of the CUWAS year and history. We hope that lots of you will be able to join us.
Date: Friday 6th June 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio room, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
Having first appeared on the CUWAS calendar last year, our Women in Whisky theme returns this year with a bang.
Whisky has often been portrayed as a ‘man’s drink’ – both in terms of the distillers who make it and the punters who drink it – but this depiction is both outdated and inaccurate. From female distillery owners and managers like Bessie Williamson in the 20th century to master blenders like Emma Walker, women have been integral to the whisky industry for years in all areas of its production and promotion. This tasting seeks to highlight some of the women making their mark on the whisky industry, from founders of innovative distilleries to master distillers at established giants.
Date: Friday 23rd May 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio room, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
We’re kicking off Easter Term in style this year with a visit from The Heart Cut, winner of ‘Independent Bottler of the Year’ at the Global Icons of Whisky Awards 2024.
The Heart Cut collaborates with whisky distilleries around the world to release one-off single-cask bottlings. From small innovative producers in unexpected locations to internationally renowned brands, each carefully selected cask has been picked in collaboration with the partner distillery, telling their tale of people, provenance and the pursuit of crafting distinctive flavours through the art of production. This promises to be a really special tasting, so we hope that lots of you can join us!
Date: Friday 9th May 2025 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm Venue: Studio room, NCI Centre, 1 Holland Street, Cambridge, CB4 3DL. (open Google maps in new tab)
Important Information Refund requests must be made more than 48 hours in advance of the tasting to be guaranteed. Any requests made with less notice will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Buying your ticket early helps us plan for the right numbers and reduces the chance of us having to cancel. If we have to cancel or reduce the scale of an event, due to ticket-sale forecasting, we may have to refund some or all tickets.
