Auchentoshan Distillery Exclusive, Bordeaux Cask #205 (56.5%)

With Passover finally over, lets get back to the enjoyable business of reviewing some whisky.

Few distilleries have been a constant source of so much consternation to me as Auchentoshan (well, and Jura). It’s a distillery I want to like, but have just not been able to enjoy any of the regular bottlings I have tasted. I don’t really like triple distilled whisky, and at 40% ABV and chill filtration, the standard bottlings are just not interesting in any way.

A Typical Day at Auchentoshan © Malt and Oak

A Typical Day at Auchentoshan
© Malt and Oak

Older, cask strength bottlings are another story, and from time to time I come across one that I can actually enjoy, like the 22 year old bottled by the Glaswegian Good Spirits that I was invited to taste by the great guys at the Glasgow Whisky Club, incidentally, the evening before my visit to the distillery.

At the distillery tour, the participants (it was myself and two young ladies, one from Australia and one from Italy who were “taking the morning off” from a professional conference they were attending) were invited to taste this distillery only bottling, aged 9 years in a Bordeaux cask, and it was REALLY good. Cask strength, unfiltered the liquid really showed what Auchentoshan is actually capable of, triple distillation or not.

Photo Credit: whiskyauctioneer.com

Photo Credit: whiskyauctioneer.com

Auchentoshan Distillery Exclusive, Bordeaux Cask #205, Distilled 15.2.2006, Bottled 30.9.2015 (56.5% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Deep Copper, long lasting residue.

Nose: Bittersweet chocolate, red berries, almost port like, it has depth, wine dryness, gummy drops. You can spend some real time with this one. A drop of water brings out a minty freshness. Some cereal

Palate: Here’s the wine, with dry spices, pepper and clove, with a hint of the triple distilled initial tang of bitterness.

Linger: White pepper, a dryness inside the cheeks, clove and a slight sweetness. Light spice on top of the gullet.

Conclusion

Why can’t all Auchentoshans be like this?

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