Auchentoshan 20yo

Auchentoshan 20yo

Whisky Craft, Solasta Holdings
Single malt - Lowlands
Yellow gold 
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marmalade, lemon zest, lemon curd, cream, magic marker, green tea, malted grains, hints of brown paper. With water, fresh cut grass, lemon curd, malted grains, ume. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, astringent, slightly chalky. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Green tea, lemon zest, marmalade, dried apricots, fresh cut grass, white pepper, hints of chalk. With water, fresh cut grass, green tea, ume, leather.
Finish: Medium. Lemon curd, marmalade, fresh cut grass, cinnamon, hints of dried apricots. 

Comments: 

Citrusy and bright, lots of grassy notes with pepper. Slightly chalky (both in body and on the tongue). Water burns out more grassy florals, with fermented ume.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Auchentoshan 8yo 2015/2023

Auchentoshan 8yo 2015/2023

Provenance, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Lowlands
Green gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, almonds, passionfruit, vanilla sponge, honey, hints of ginger. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Almonds, passionfruit, barley sugar, green apples, malted grains, green tea, hints of vanilla sponge. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, barley sugar, malted grains, ginger. 

Comments: 

Tart and light, lots of nice green apple notes. It’s got a bit of a tannic note hovering in the back, but this fades to sweet barley sugar on the finish. Rather pleasant.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchentoshan 10yo 2013/2023

Auchentoshan 10yo 2013/2023

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Lowlands
Straw
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, starfruit, malted grains, lemon zest, white grapes, gooseberries, white wine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, mouth coating, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peaches, gooseberries, malted grains, ginseng, white wine, coffee, hints of candle wax. 
Finish: Short. Ginseng, malted grains, candle wax, coffee, peaches. 

Comments: 

Cask DL18160. I find this slightly unusual, it’s sweet, sure, but also fruity and waxy. It’s fragrant as well, displaying a good level of complexity. It’s tastes quite young for its age.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchentoshan 13yo 2007/2021

Auchentoshan 13yo 2007/2021

Cask Series, North Star Spirits
Single malt - Lowlands
Buttercups
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, mangoes, dried blueberries, green tea, orange peel, passionfruit, sandalwood. With water, leather, green tea, ginseng, passionfruit, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, loosens, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Sandalwood, cinnamon, cedar, orange peel, ginseng, fresh baked bread, mangoes, peaches. With water, candied oranges, ginseng, cedar, passionfruit. 
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, cedar, mangoes, dried blueberries, hints of passionfruit. 

Comments: 

One of those whiskies where being weirdly unbalanced somehow enhances the overall experience. Lots of fruit, bitter herbal notes, and something very like Mortlach meatiness. Quite lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Auchentoshan 22yo 1998/2021

Auchentoshan 22yo 1998/2021

Celebration of the Cask, Carn Mor
Single malt - Lowlands
Dark gold
48.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, black tea, green tea, lemon zest, ink, raisins, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slightly watery around the edges, slightly warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, green tea, sea salt, lemon zest, ink, honey, hints of malted grains. 
Finish: Short. Ink, orange peel, honey, white grapes, cloves, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Cask 100696. It’s been a while since I’ve had an Auchentoshan. This one is rather unusual, quite bitter and iron-laden (irony? Ironic?) on the tongue, but fades quickly to a sweet spicy finish. Excellent Lowlands lightness on the mouthfeel too. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Auchentoshan 21yo 1997/2019

Auchentoshan 21yo 1997/2019

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale gold
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marmalade, buttered toast, honey, sea salt, vanilla fudge. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Orange curd, honey, white grapes, vanilla fudge, butterscotch, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Short. White grapes, marmalade, vanilla, honey, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Cask DL13130. This is a gentle, buttery, fruity dram, like a warm, satisfying hug. It's sort of like the ultimate Auchentoshan, even if it's got a few individual characteristics. I always found Auchentoshan to have more citrus, less jam. But this is excellent.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Auchentoshan 12 yo

Auchentoshan 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, orange peel, leather, raisins, coffee, hints of mint. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slippery, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Orange peel, lemon zest, dark chocolate, mint, hints of cola nuts. 
Finish: Short. Leather, chillies, dark chocolate, raisins. 

Comments: 

It's taken me a few years to try the 'new' Auchentoshan 12 yo, a replacement for the old 10 yo. It's more robust than what I normally associate with Auchentoshan, with strong vital notes of dark chocolate and coffee. There's only a light dusting of mint and lemon zest, some of the few hints that this is brother to the 10 yo.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 5.47 (Auchentoshan 14 yo 2000/2015)

SMWS 5.47 (Auchentoshan 14 yo 2000/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale silver
59.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, pineapples, green apples, peaches, cooked rice, hints of leather. With water, green tea, more green apples, grass. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, expands. 
Tasting:  Sour . Lemon juice, pineapples, green tea, toast, hints of cooked rice. With water, slightly sweeter, cooked rice, green apples, more green tea. 
Finish: Medium. Cooked rice, lemon juice, green tea, toast. 

Comments: 

Almost colourless, this whisky. Together with the cooked rice notes, this reminded me of nothing so much as a very good, very flavourful sake. It even has the slightly sour fermented flavour. With water though, the whisky came rushing back - tart, appley, herbal.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchentoshan Virgin Oak Batch One

Auchentoshan Virgin Oak Batch One

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, nutmeg, malted grains, cola nuts, prunes, vanilla, hints of jasmine tea. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, chewy, syrupy. 
Tasting: Sweet salty. Prunes, jasmine tea, dates, candied ginger, vanilla, honey, hints of leather. 
Finish: Medium. Leather, nutmeg, jasmine tea, orange peel, hints of grilled meat. 

Comments: 

No Age Statement whisky. I must admit I miss the easy availability of aged whisky, but sometimes NAS is good too. This one is sweet salty, heavy on the tongue, not like the previous Auchentoshans I've had. That alone makes it worth drinking from my perspective. It's spicy, loaded with notes of dried fruit, covering (what is, for me) the typical Auchentoshan character of honey, vanilla and orange peel. The latter only really pops out at the finish.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Auchentoshan Distillery

Auchentoshan Distillery
Dalmuir
Clydebank
Glasgow G81 4SJ

Lowlands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Sweet and light, that's Auchentoshan for me. Some nice dessert flavours - raisins, honey, and vanilla dominate, but there's a whole host of other flavours too, floral, fruit and even vegetal. I especially like the slight hint of leather. It's proof that triple distilling doesn't take away all the interesting flavours!

Auchentoshan whisky tends to be light, almost airy on the tongue. It's a pretty good aperitif, and the flavours are ethereal, silky and tend to tickle the palate. The lightness of the whisky also lends itself well to wood maturation. That's certainly where the brown paper (almost brandy-like) comes from, along with the orange peel, and perhaps the lemons too. I suppose too much wood would drown the whisky's characteristics, but I've not found one like that yet.


All the Auchentoshans I've tasted so far are here.

Auchentoshan 10 yo - good
Auchentoshan 1973 29 yo (1973/2003) - very good
SMWS 5.22 (Auchentoshan 9 yo 1999/2008) - very good
Auchentoshan 21 yo - good
Auchentoshan Three Wood - good

Distillery history

Auchentoshan was granted its official licence in 1823, although it may be identical to Duntocher (first mentioned around 1800). It was founded by John Bulloch, passed through the hands of owners named Filshie and Maclachlan, and finally fell into the hands of Stanley Morrison, eventually the owner of Morrison Bowmore. Morrison Bowmore still own the distillery today. It is the only Scottish distillery still making the whisky by triple distillation (where the low wines are distilled twice before being passed to the spirit still for final distillation). The distillery was silent during World War II.

Auchentoshan was a major part of Rob Roy, although production these days is mainly for single malts. There are 6 expressions in the core range - Classic (no age statement), Select (no age statement), the 12 yo, the 18 yo, the 21 yo and the Three Wood (matured in bourbon, oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks).

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Loch Katrine
Washbacks: Four, Oregon pine, 38,000 litres each
Wash stills: One, constricted neck, 17,300 litres.
Spirit stills: One, constricted neck, 11,000-12,000 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: nearly 5 degrees descending
Production per year: 1,800,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sherry, raisins, orange peel, honey, brown paper, hints of camphor, hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, hot.
Tasting: Sweet. Sherry, orange peel, brown paper, malty beer, honey, red grapes, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Short. Orange peel, honey, hints of chillies.

Comments:

Matured in bourbon, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks. Sweet and rich - an unusual Auchentoshan. The three wood maturation has put back what triple distilling tends to take away, flavour and depth.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchentoshan 21 yo

Auchentoshan 21 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Copper gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mint, grass, apples, raisins, leather, wet stones, hints of hay, hints of wood smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, slightly watery, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Grass, raisins, mint, wet stones, photocopy paper, hints of toffee, hints of rose.
Finish: Medium. Honey, mint, raisins, rose.

Comments:

Light but punchy. Not too sweet, very pleasant and interesting. I think it's been made light to fit the Lowlands style, but it's managed to keep some complexity.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 5.22 (Auchentoshan 9 yo 1999/2008)

SMWS 5.22 (Auchentoshan 9 yo 1999/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale gold green
60% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, tablet, lemons, shortbread, vanilla, hints of leather, hints of grapefruit.
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, hot, spicy, thickens quickly.
Tasting: Sweet. Lemons, tablet, cookie dough, vanilla, chillies, leather, hints of peat, hints of white pepper.
Finish: Short. Tablet, lemons, leather, vanilla.

Comments:

Very young, and very strong. Yet very complex for such a young whisky. I detect hints of baking, citrus and Scottish tablet (always a favourite). Slight notes of peat and leather round it out. Very enjoyable indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Auchentoshan 1973 29 yo (1973/2003)

Auchentoshan 1973 29 yo (1973/2003)

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Dark amber red
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red wine, cognac, rubber bands, black pepper, peat, apples, rose petals.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, lightens up in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet. Cognac, red grapes, apple cider, black pepper, brown paper. With water, lots more orange notes - marmalade, orange peel, orange juice.
Finish: Long. Orange peel, watermelon.

Comments:

Cask #793, sherry butt. Full on sherry monster, this one. Very like an aged Glen Grant, but lighter, very smooth, and a little more floral. Very nice fruit and black pepper in the mouth, just like eating strawberries in Italy!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Auchentoshan 10 yo

Auchentoshan 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Golden
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Cool mint, grassy, hay, daisies, prunes, lemon, beer, hints of leather.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thin, a little watery.
Tasting: Sour bitter. Cream, milk, key limes, green apples, fresh cut grass.
Finish: Medium. Mint, quince, citrus.

Comments:

Auchentoshan is the only remaining Lowlands distillery (Scottish distillery?) that practices triple distillation as opposed to double distillation. This expression, previously the flagship official bottling, has now been discontinued and replaced with a no-age statement expression and a 12 yo. Shame really - this one is fruity, minty and light, quite enjoyable indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.