This Auchentoshan is also 'old style', as they say. It's a vatting of 13 casks (numbers 2952 to 2957 and 4365 to 4371), of which 6 were distilled on 4/9/1978 and 7 on 21/11/1978. It was bottled at the age of 18 years in 1997.
The nose is very sweet and malty. Gooseberries (the sweet variety) and almonds. Also slightly floral like the 31 Year Old from 1966). I'm thinking violets and daffodils. New leather. Obviously the same style, although a little less complex. I also get some butterscotch and caramel and a hint of baked banana.
The attack is very spicy and gives you quite the kick to the teeth, if you know what I mean. Very creamy with orange zest, vanilla, toffee and honey. The second sip offers nuts and citrus. Again a whiff of smoke, that seems to be only evident in old style Toshans. This one does not need water, despite the high ABV.
The finish, that lingers quite a bit, continues primarily on citrus.
A very good Auchentoshan, that easily surpasses the current 18 Year Old. Older and better, it seems.
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