Whisky : Auchentoshan 18 Year SMWS 5.70 “In the absence of convention”

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland

ABV : 56.3%

Cask : First Fill Oloroso Hogshead

Age : 18 Years (Distilled 11 October 2000)

Nose : Antiques— a long closed curio cabinet, the nose is mellow and muted with wood lacquer and old dried papers.  The influence of the oloroso is hard to miss: dark chocolate, vanilla extract, and bright cherries promise a rich dessert.  A fine finale of roasted coffee beans and dried cherries covered in dark bitter chocolate round out the nose.

Palate : A light and refreshing body this dram is still remarkably full flavored.  Loads of sweet fruits— a Shirley Temple with a heavy handed pour of cherry syrup, a fruity gelato, and ripe pomegranates.  Delightfully chocolatey there are notes of rich fudge, old coffee grounds, and sweet milk chocolate. 

Finish : Medium to long, lingering cherry cordial— chocolate, cherry, and coffee all hang through the finish.

Score : 6

Mental Image : An obscenely large brownie ice cream bowl covered in cherry-pomegranate sauce.

Something Similar : Eigashima 12 Year Peated (similar Shirley Temple/cherry, more campfire/peat)

Something Worse : Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 Year (similar gelato/sherbet & fruit, much less intensity/body)

Something Worse : Kirkland Speyside 20 Year (less body/finish/complexity, similar fruit/cacao, more spice)

Notes : Like most triple distilled Lowland malts the body on this Auchentoshan is light, airy, and smooth.  While I prefer something a bit thicker, the dram is still jam packed with flavor and complexity.  It takes on a lot of rich sherry notes which combine well with some of the creaminess of the malt.  While there is a lot to love here, I do think the light body does hold the dram back a bit and the finish is just not quite long enough.  For those who prefer drams on the lighter side, this might be ideal— full flavored, but not so intense it smashes in your palate.

It was a joy to try an Auchentoshan bottled at cask strength, without chill filtering, and without its typical glowing neon orange color.  Well, that last bit is not entirely true.  This was still a rather mutant orange looking dram, at least in this case it was the influence of the cask rather than caramel coloring.  The dram really shows what Auchentoshan is capable of— what they can accomplish when not bottled and packaged to be an affordable, inoffensive, mass-market dram.  There is always a place for drams that work best in cocktails or highballs, but every distillery should have some unadulterated— maybe unbalanced— singe malts to hang their hat on.