Our first dram in our “Surprise me!” evening was from the Scottish Lowlands – the entry-level Auchentoshan 12 year. We knew nothing about what we were sampling as the bottle was covered. Only that the contributor thought it would be a good place to begin our evening…
Auchentoshan 12 year 40%
- Colour – Amber (however we later learned it was likely enhanced)
- Nose – Wood, some sherry elements then they disappeared. Some vanilla, apricot pits, plums, subtle with some brown sugar sweetness… as it opened a hint of citrus which evolved into a lemon pineapple
- Palate – Nutty, with a sharpness, some more of that wood coming through, one described it as “feinty” (not a good thing) and another as “straightforward”, some tannins and a dry spice
- Finish – Not much to be found, on the bitter side
Overall we pronounced it not a bad place to begin our journey. With the reveal, several folks remarked on having mixed experiences with this lowland distillery.
Our whisky contributor had high expectations – particularly as it was touted as being unique for its triple distill approach – til a few of us started to explain it isn’t alone… And whilst it didn’t add anything significant to our whisky adventures, it was good to revisit a standard.
However, our contributor was a tad disappointed in her purchase. So when she wanted to be sure her next bottle was true to her palate preference, we went on a tasting quest to find something JUST right!
Which is all part of a whisky explorer’s path!
And what about my previous Auchentoshan explorations? They have fallen into two categories:
- Standard Auchentoshan expressions: 12 year 40%, 14 year Cooper’s Reserve 46%,18 year 43%, Three Wood 43%, Heartwood 43%
- Rare Auchentoshan bottles: 18 year (12/1998 – 02/2017) 48.3% (The Warehouse Collection), 40 year 41.2%, ‘Pure Malt’ 1980 40%
So what else did we try in our “Surprise Me” evening?
- Green Spot 40%
- Tullamore D.E.W. 40%
- Glendronach 12 year (2018) 43%
- Glen Scotia 10 year (2013-2023) 1st fill Ruby Port 46% (Whisky.de Clubflasche)
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