Weekend Brief: To the Lowlands with Auchentoshan and Bladnoch

At one point the Lowlands flirted with ignominy of fading away as a whisky region— in the early 2000s, Campbeltown faced the prospect of losing its regional status (a meaningless, yet meaningful designation), it was down to only two distilleries: Glen Scotia and Springbank. The Lowlands were barely on firmer footing as only Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie operated full time, while Bladnoch sat mothballed with only sporadic production in the early 2000s. Things have changed dramatically since, with nearly a dozen new distilleries having started operations, from behemoths like Ailsa Bay to small farm distilleries like Daftmill.

Auchentoshan 24 Year (1998), Shinanoya Cask 100388

NOTES: Picnicking— pineapple shortbread, herbal chamomile tea, ginger biscuits, picnic blankets, and plenty of fresh green grass. Gentle and friendly, the pastry parade continued with mango bread, honey, and green grapes. Medium-bodied on the palate, the whisky was juicy upfront and slightly tart at the end with green grapes, or Chenin blanc, dried grass, and more peppery wood providing an encircling spice. Lemon curd and shortbread arrived with more antique and old wooden furniture. The finish was medium-length and grassy with shortbread pastries and chamomile tea.

SCORE: 7 (84)

IMAGE: Idyllic Meadowland Picnic

THOUGHTS: A well-aged and composed Auchentoshan, this had a lovely, subtle and restrained sweetness that allowed more depth and complexity to come through— plenty of it grassy in nature. At times this reminded me more of more old-fashioned 1980s Auchentoshan than the sweeter and more fruit-forward modern malts (which are just fine and still tasty, but emphasize different elements).

Bladnoch 14 Year (2007), Cask 2021/02

NOTES: Creamy and sweet, like a mild soft cheese drizzled with honey or orange marmalade and served with sesame crackers. Fruits gathered steam in the background as ginger and pineapple jam marched with white haribo gummy bears on parade. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was all honey nut cheerios cereal with French vanilla and chestnut syrup in the background. Spirited and spicy at times with some peppery wood and pithy lemon peel. Gummy bears poked in from the background with honey comb cereal and waxy cheese rinds. The finish was medium to long and peppery with fruit skins and a kiss of salt.

SCORE: 7 (82)

IMAGE: Cartoon Bee Endorsed Breakfast Cereal

THOUGHTS: The aroma featured all of the weirdness I expect from Bladnoch with plenty of soft cream and fruits. I was then surprised at the palate, the flavors were fairly straightforward with tons of malty sugars, more restrained fruits, and some spirited spice. The chestnut and vanilla-almond elements were less common in combination, but the palate had little of the creamier, funkier qualities I expected. I had no idea that Bladnoch had done all of these single cask releases, it is not a distillery on my radar often, but I would like to try more.

Bladnoch 15 Year (2008), Cask 2024/04

NOTES: Apple pie kicked things off with chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and shortbread pie crust. More herbal elements lingered in the background with creamy butter as tarragon and slivered almonds arrived. Fried rice crackers and a hint of rancid mixed nuts lingered in the background. Medium-bodied and syrupy on the palate, the flavor profile featured cream and grain—like buttered corn— before more orchard fruits, vanilla, and almond swept in. Hints of hot plastic and linoleum lingered behind fruity marzipan as it developed. Woody and drying, especially on the back end with more peppery spirit that continued on for a medium-length finish.

SCORE: 6 (77)

IMAGE: Hot Pies and Old Diners

THOUGHTS: This was pleasant and enjoyable, but a bit less interesting than the single cask above. Funkier elements lingered mostly in the background and were occasionally less pleasant— I am not a huge fan of rancid nuts or iso peanuts. Overall, it was a slightly odd juxtaposition sometimes between straightforward Glen Grant-esque apple pie with some of the creamier qualities of Bladnoch. This was a freshly opened bottle, so I imagine some of these flavors may shift and come together in a more harmonious form, perhaps carrying this from just good to above average.