Whisky: Auchentoshan 21 Year (1983), Scott's Selection

Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland

ABV: 52.4%

Cask: Oak

Age: 21 Years (Distilled 1983, Bottled 2004)

Nose: Grass, herbs, and subtle tropical fruits, matcha and white chocolate, hints of nuts and spice, pastries, over time more subtle notions of leather polish, motor oil, metal, and grass.

Palate: Medium-bodied, herbal, grass, musty and dank, petrol, wood oil, maple syrup, coffee, hints of rust, cigar box, slightly sour herbs.

Finish: Medium-length with herbs, grass, and hints of fruit.

Score: 7+

Mental Image: Trusty Lawn Mower’s Holiday Vacation

Narrative & Notes: The aroma drifted between dried grass, herbal tea, and subtle tart tropical fruit jam-filled pastries. Dried grass and earth turned into matcha and white chocolate with a touch of whole nutmeg and pecan. A delightful pastry spread emerged with maple pecan scones, white chocolate and matcha cookies, sour plum turnovers, and pineapple jam-filled danishes. Hints of leather shoe polish and motor oil-stained rags lingered in the background, with a gentle lawn mower mustiness. Medium-bodied, the profile was dank and musty with grass clippings, petrol, wood oil, and dirty garage rags. The impression of a trusty old lawn mower slowly settled so that maple syrup and cheap coffee could come through, though a damp grass note carried on throughout. Cigar box and polished wood developed at the end as a musty herbal quality, sometimes hoppy and sour, lingered with hints of plum. The finish was medium-length with herbs, grass, and hints of fruit.

A funky little lowland malt, this Auchentoshan bore some semblance to the 1984 Signatory Vintage bottle I recently reviewed. However, I thought it had more in common with the Glenury Royal I tasted earlier this past summer. It had some of the earth and matcha of the other Auchentoshan but an even more potent version of the lawn mower petrol and grass notes of the Glenury Royal. I rather enjoyed the old-school profile of the malt, though I did not care for the musty, slightly sour, herbal turn at the end.

It is incredible how much character some of these older Auchentoshan have; they are nothing like the mild lowland profile I associate with the distillery today. Maybe that is selection bias, and I need to try more Auchentoshan, but more likely, it is also changes to production and the goals of the distiller.

Image Credit: Whisky Hammer