Auchroisk 13yo 2009/2022

Auchroisk 13yo 2009/2022

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, red grapes, Demerara sugar, yoghurt, black pepper, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Molasses, burnt sugar, Demerara sugar, yoghurt, honey, black pepper, red grapes, orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Red grapes, orange peel, burnt sugar, yoghurt, hints of black pepper. 

Comments: 

Quite lactic, with burnt sugar notes that carry a hint of bitterness. Still plenty of sweet fruit notes though. It builds to a short but intense, spicy finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 12yo Oloroso Cask

Auchroisk 12yo Oloroso Cask

Collector Series, Caskshare
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber gold 
59% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, cream, vanilla custard, malted grains, orange peel, milk chocolate. With water, white grapes, strawberry jam, malted grains, hints of black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, syrupy, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White grapes, orange peel, malted grains, black tea, cream, hints of coffee. With water, white grapes, strawberry jam, black pepper, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Medium. Milk chocolate, cream, orange peel, white grapes, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Cask 22074024. Creamy and sweet, and with a notable lactic note (but not sour, like yoghurt). Lots of jammy fruit and pepper. I don’t normally comment on the mouthfeel, but this whisky is notably oily and heavy.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 14yo 2008/2022 Cigar Malt Edition

Auchroisk 14yo 2008/2022 Cigar Malt Edition

Single Cask Family Series, The Single Cask
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber red
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, molasses, toffee, butterscotch, strawberry jam, hints of sage, hints of camphor. With water, marmalade, butterscotch, honey, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Toffee, honey, strawberry jam, marmalade, sage, fresh cut grass, camphor. With water, marmalade, camphor, cooked rice, honey. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, toffee, marmalade, cooked rice. 

Comments: 

Cask 806008B. Oily, sherried dram, it would be perfect with a cigar if I still smoked. There’s some interesting cereal notes too. Still that lingering, earthy camphor, I had to double check that it wasn’t the previous dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Auchroisk Bourbon Finish Quarter Cask

Auchroisk Bourbon Finish Quarter Cask

Cask Craft, Murray McDavid
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale gold
44.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, yoghurt, fresh cut grass, cinder toffee, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cinder toffee, white pepper, sage, fresh cut grass, hints of smoke. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon zest, cinder toffee, white pepper, sage, fresh cut grass, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Cinder toffee, lemon zest, sage, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Cask BBN-02. Lightly smoky, a lot of toffee and herbal notes. I like stripped back bourbon casks sometimes, but more often than not, they tend to drive home how integral good wood is to good whisky. This one is ok, but could be better. .

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 37yo 1982 (bottled 2022)

Auchroisk 37yo 1982 (bottled 2022)

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark gold
48.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, fresh cut grass, sea salt, cooked rice, raisins, roast pork, hints of chalk. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, airy. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Leather, marmalade, sea salt, cooked rice, vanilla ice cream, maple syrup, roast pork, hints of orange peel. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, vanilla ice cream, fresh cut grass, Chinese angelica. 

Comments: 

Herbal and leathery old dram, with plenty of meaty fruity notes. It’s got a little tangy zing in the finish, but again, more herbal than citrus. Very good stuff, this old Auchroisk has been very popular.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 95.45 (Auchroisk 14yo 2006/2021)

SMWS 95.45 (Auchroisk 14yo 2006/2021)

2021, SMWS 
Single malt - Speyside 
Bronze
57.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, sandalwood, raisins, fresh baked bread, candied orange peel, cream, chamomile, hints of strawberry laces. With water, pears, dried apples, hints of mangoes. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Strawberries, candied orange peel, fresh baked bread, barley sugar, cotton sheets, dried apples, hints of malted grains. With water, pear drops, mangoes, dried apples, cream, hints of bubble gum. 
Finish: Short. Dried apples, malted grains, raisins, barley sugar. 

Comments: 

Red wine finished Auchroisk. It’s odd, even curious, with fewer of the traditional jammy notes but with more cereally and fruity notes. I had to wonder if I did like it, but in the end I decided that I did. It’s quite unbalanced, but, as every so often, it works. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 21yo 1995/2017

Auchroisk 21yo 1995/2017

Rare Select, Montgomerie's
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, lemon juice, clotted cream, gooseberries, white grapes, hints of cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns syrupy, sticky, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, white jasmine, acacia honey, butterscotch, lemon juice. 
Finish: Medium. Acacia honey, fresh baked bread, clotted cream. 

Comments: 

Cask 589060. Well, this is just like a continental breakfast while on holiday. No protein, lots of sweet, sweet fruit and baked goods. Lovely mouthfeel too, sticky and warm and luscious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Auchroisk 18yo 2000/2018

Auchroisk 18yo 2000/2018

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Bright gold
48.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, cream, white grapes, barley sugar, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Vanilla, cream, lemon juice, white grapes, leather, hints of soy milk. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, soy milk, lemon zest, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 12803. This Auchroisk is light and fragrant, perfect for a summer's evening. There is some complexity here, mostly in the background, interesting notes of soy and leather.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 27yo 1990/2018

Auchroisk 27yo 1990/2018

Cask Strength, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
53.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Caramel, white chocolate, lemon zest, milk, honey, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, mouth coating, slightly watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, orange juice, lemon zest, black tea, ginseng, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, black pepper, white chocolate, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Sweet and complex, with citrus and chocolate in abundance. There's tannins and other bitters on the tongue, which then fades ever so slowly on a sweet spicy finish. Signatory is always very decent.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 9yo 2009/2019

Auchroisk 9yo 2009/2019

Hepburn's Choice, Langside Distillers
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberries, sour cream, red grapes, white pepper, lemon zest, hints of cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, vanilla, cookie dough, strawberries, hints of cream. 
Finish: Short. White pepper, rolled oats, cookie dough, cream, vanilla. 

Comments: 

This whisky is sweet and luscious. It tastes like strawberries and cream (even slightly soured cream), with cookie dough. There's a cereally note in the background as well, like rolled oats. The combination of flavours is highly unusual, and very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 10yo

Auchroisk 10yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apple juice, lemon zest, oats, vanilla, hints of rhubarb crumble. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Lemon zest, vanilla, apple juice, fresh baked bread, rhubarb crumble. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, plum jam, lemon zest, oats. 

Comments: 

Flora and Fauna bottling. This is more heavy going whisky, it's a bit young even at 10 years old. It's as if the flavours are still sharp edged and slightly harsh, maybe they need a little longer to meld together better.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 16 yo 1989/2006

Auchroisk 16 yo 1989/2006

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
Beeswax
58.8% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Bananas, cream, custard, vanilla, leather, mint, hints of prunes. With water, sweeter, cookie dough, raisins, grilled pork, more leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, tingly.
Tasting: Salty. Bananas, lemon zest, prunes, apples, leather, vanilla, hints of cream, hints of bubblegum. With water, raisins, grilled pork, more leather.
Finish: Long. Leather, peanuts, lemon zest, prunes. With water, more lemony, fresh, hints of pine.

Comments:

Fruity and strong, almost bites the tongue when drunk neat. Opens up a great deal with a dribble of water, meatier and saltier, almost like good pork with a sweet sauce on top. Apparently, this whisky was aged in first fill sherry casks, although judging by the colour I'd have thought it would have been refill. Very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 95.11 (Auchroisk 19 yo 1990/2010)

SMWS 95.11 (Auchroisk 19 yo 1990/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
58.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange peel, marmalade, red wine, flint, molasses, hints of honey.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens.
Tasting: Sweet. Orange peel, marmalade, red wine, flint, brown paper, molasses, black pepper, hints of raspberry jam.
Finish: Long. Tingly, marmalade, raspberry jam, black pepper.

Comments:

A sweet and spicy sherried Speyside. Shows some minerally characteristics on the nose and on the tongue, which make it very pleasant indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Auchroisk 12 yo 1993/2006

Auchroisk 12 yo 1993/2006

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, brine, lemon zest, pears, magic marker, hints of camphor.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Pears, peanuts, raisins, flint, lemon zest, hints of plums, hints of camphor.
Finish: Pears, lemon zest, flint, walnut skins, camphor.

Comments:

Fruity, yet bitter. The bitterness isn't just the full rounded tempered bitterness of lemon zest. There's a slightly unpleasant harsh chemical bitterness, that is also a little spicy. It runs all the way through the whisky, making it harder to drink. Not the most pleasant of drams.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 95.7 (Auchroisk 9 yo 1997/2007)

SMWS 95.7 (Auchroisk 9 yo 1997/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Almost colourless
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, vanilla, sponge cake, oranges, honey, rosewater, hints of raisins, hints of strawberries.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens quickly, slightly watery still, astringent.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Sponge cake, vanilla, white chocolate, brioche, marzipan, butter, honey, hints of raisins. With water, bitter gourd, bitter almonds.
Finish: Long. Butter, vanilla, white chocolate, raisins. With water, even longer, more almonds.

Comments:

Heavy going, tends to overwhelm my palate. Very tasty though, and if I weren't paying attention, most of the complexity would just slip down and never be noticed.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 95.9 (Auchroisk 18 yo 1990/2008)

SMWS 95.9 (Auchroisk 18 yo 1990/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
54.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cookie dough, vanilla, lime, leather, oil of wintergreen, hints of garlic.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, quite volatile.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Vanilla, honey, lime, peanuts, hints of garlic.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, cookie dough, vanilla.

Comments:

A little like key lime pie, maybe eaten under some eucalyptus trees... until the hint of garlic. It's not unpleasant, just a little jarring. And that's enough to throw this whisky off slightly. I would drink it again, just not when there's so much else available.

Verdict:

Not bad.