Whisky: Aurchroisk 27 Year (1994), Thompson Bros.

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 51.9%

Cask: Refill Hogshead

Age: 27 Years (Distilled 1994, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Tropical floral hibiscus and plumeria, lemon, sponge cake, honey, roasted almonds, buttery pastries, a hint of salt and green tobacco leaf.

Palate: Medium-bodied and oily, lemon zest with drying pith, red ginger, cinnamon sugar pastry, hints of cola and crushed ginger toward the backend.

Finish: Long and lingering with candied citrus rind and ginger.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Spongecake

Narrative & Notes: Fragrant and floral, the aroma evoked a tropical garden of plumeria and hibiscus trees to lemon and honey sponge cake adorned with buttercream frosting and roasted almonds. Pastries with buttery croissants with hints of salt and green leaf tobacco remained near the fore. The palate was medium-bodied with a beautiful oily quality and immediate notes of sweet-tart lemon and slightly astringent lemon pith. Earthy-sweet red ginger emerged with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, crushed ginger, and hints of cola, which lingered through the finish. The finish was long with candied citrus peel, kola nuts, and crushed ginger.

I was told that if I were ever to like an Auchroisk, it would undoubtedly be this bottle. I am not sure I got there, though it was one of the best I have had. It reflected the efforts of a previous distillation regime and style, one described in the 5th Edition (2002) of Jackson’s Malt Companion as “very soft” with berry fruits, a potential aperitif. The Malt Yearbook for 2022 notes the versatility of the distillery, particularly its ability to adjust based on the needs of blending stock. The Yearbook reports that the current style emphasizes nutty-malty flavors. That is the profile I am most familiar with— a thick spirit loaded with buttercream and hints of citrus (not at all what I found here).

Overall, I thought this was a great dram to sit back with and sip, but I expected more (perhaps because I was told I would finally learn to love Auchroisk.) I had trouble coming up with any mental image for it— nothing about the dram was particularly striking or noteworthy— leaving it feeling more like a great blend than an intriguing single malt. There was not a ton of depth or complexity to the whisky, but it was very well balanced, and the flavor notes were crisp and clean.

Image Credit: Abbey Whisky