Auchentoshan 22 Year Old 1996 Douglas Laing Old Particular Halloween Edition

On a blue Monday this Halloween edition from Douglas Laing was announced on social media, but by the time yours truly got home after a hard day’s work (yeah, right) it was already sold out. Darn. But I got lucky as a few days later Douglas Laing announced that a few more bottles would be put online. This time, I was ready, so I scored two bottles. Hurray! It was distilled on the 31st of October 1996, hence… Halloween!

Ha! Textbook release of my beloved aperitif style whisky. Sweet malt, citrus galore, a bouquet of flowers and lemongrass, joined by candy floss, coconut paste and white chocolate. Sugared breakfast cereals (Frosties) and roasted almonds. Roasted rice too. Pine cones, nettles and… no, sorry, no pumpkin.

Wonderfully creamy and pretty feisty on the palate. Loads of citrus again. Think lemon and pink grapefruit. That turns somewhat candy-like on acid candy and gummi bears. Yellow apples, pineapple and finally some spices in the guise of white pepper and ginger.

The finish is stunning as well. Spicy, warm, sweet and sour with a bitter touch. It puts a smile on my face. This is home coming to me.

Yep, this year will be a Happy Halloween.

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