Auchentoshan 17 Year Old 2000 The Ultimate 850th Cask

The Ultimate barely needs introduction, I think. The Dutch independent bottler van Wees releases single casks under this banner, often at cask strength. Meanwhile, there are more than 1000 and in the run-up to that they released some special bottles and this one belongs in that list. This was the 850th single cask in The Ultimate, a 17-year-old Auchentoshan at 60.2% ABV. That's why it was released in a nice box.

The nose is like coming home. Textbook example of an Auchentoshan on a bourbon barrel. I get citrus, freshly cut grass and something floral, but that is nicely complemented by a little vanilla and quite a few green apples and a hint of pineapple in farmer's butter. Delicious.

Despite the high ABV, it definitely does not bite. The alcohol is perfectly integrated and the malt, in addition to the obligatory citrus, now also offers some green grapes, Reine Claude plums and mirabelles, a lot of apple and soft spices. Think white pepper and liquorice.

Sweet and sour, long finish that puts a smile on my face.

Very nice Auchentoshan, again. It's not hard to figure out why this got such a prominent place in the series The Ultimate. Fits perfectly. Thank you, Gwen & Richard, for the generous sample!

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