Auchentoshan 12 year | Whisky Lady

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?

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For those new to their whisky journey, miniatures are a great way to get introduced to popular brands with well-known expressions. However once you venture a bit beyond the standard fare, there aren’t too many miniatures screaming out “pick me!” Chances are you’ve already had the pleasure (or displeasure) of sampling already.

Auchentoshan Trio (Whisky Lady)

As I’ve not really explored much Auchentoshan, when a trio of miniatures came with a bottle of Auchentoshan’s Cooper Reserve 14 year, decided this was a duty-free deal I had waited for.

I didn’t have super high expectations as I’ve had “hit and miss” experiences with Auchentoshan. I enjoyed a couple cask strength whiskies I tried years ago at a now defunct whisky bar in Singapore – guided by their ever helpful staff – and I honestly don’t recall any details. Anything I’ve tried since hasn’t measured up – the perils of starting with the ‘good’ stuff!

That said, I’m always game to challenge my opinion and ‘free’ miniatures are the right price-point. After dragging the dregs of the Auchentoshan Cooper Reserve 14 year out of the whisky cabinet last weekend, decided this weekend was high time to give the wee ones a go!

So invited a friend to pop by and we dove into our tasting journey… Being May in Mumbai meant, as my companion nailed it with her comment “Holy *@*! It is hot. May sweet whisky stop the sweat!!” We also had on hand a mini platter of pita, gouda cheese and olives. Turns out the best part of the whiskies was actually the pairing.

Auchentoshan 12 year (Whisky Lady)

Auchentoshan 12 year 40%

Nose – Medicinal, then honey, vanilla, some subtle grass, with a little patience and persistence a bit of woodsiness, stronger vanilla when warmed
Taste – Woodsy and generally light, rather frivolous, bland. Think cucumber juice.
Finish – Dry, light and not particularly interesting
Comments – “The kind of whisky people think women want to drink.” “It is like the wine cooler of whiskies.”
Overall & pairing – The old biddie of whiskies… like the Harvard Boston Club of whiskies… Works as an accompaniment not the focal point. Pairs quite well with cheese such a gouda.

Auchentoshan Three Wood (Whisky Lady)

Auchentoshan Three Wood 43%

Nose – Raisins, nuts, nutmeg and cloves, like a brandy soaked Christmas fruitcake. As it aired plums joined the mix. Treacle and honey. After sipping, the nose took on pine quality with a flash of mint.
Taste – Woody! I daresay yes… three woods? Cinnamon and bitterness on the palate.
Finish – Lightly spice, then a dash of bitter.
Overall & Pairing – Finally a speck of character! However it is a bit like having Christmas in May – interesting but not the real deal. Again much better paired with light nibbles – especially cheese.

Auchentoshan 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Auchentoshan 18 year

Nose – Honey notes with heather and sage, as it breathes apples and pears join the mix, vanilla like the 12 year
Taste – Superficially woodsy, not fruity. After a nice break and some pita with cheese, faint walnut element
Finish – Slow to start with an odd spicy kick after a bit
Overall – While often 18 years is often a great ‘age’ for Scottish whiskies, in this case well… ok… nothing specifically wrong but also nothing distinctly right either

We found all of them went better with a little cheese. We also let all three air and found the 12 year simply became more sweetly bland with time, 18 year didn’t alter much and the Three Wood kept doing its little Christmas in summer routine.

So what’s the verdict on the trio? If you want an easy drinking whisky where the focus is on something else, heck one of these might do. If I had to pick, I found the Three Wood the most interesting whereas my friend thought the 12 year would do when your expectation was a ‘background’ whisky.

Would either of us be tempted to dash out and buy a bottle of these? Nope.

Auchentoshan Trio (Whisky Lady)

In closing, we also polished off the last drops of the Cooper’s Reserve 14 year just to see how all four expressions compared. I don’t mean to sound uncharitable, but the Cooper’s Reserve decidedly had the most character. Which given my overall opinion of it solo, isn’t saying much.