Auchentoshan 23 Year Old 1996 Old Particular Halloween Douglas Laing

Just as they did in 2019, Douglas Laing launched a single cask Auchentoshan voor Halloween in 2020. Again a single cask from 1996, now 23 years old. Again it sold out very quickly, for it was a very limited release of only 139 bottles. Luckily I could grab two. I poured on at a tasting to celebrate my 51st birthday and it proved to be very popular.

It’s a tad sweeter than its predecessor with lots of sweet malt, mandarin juice, roasted and caramelized nuts, honey, candy floss, gummi bears and jelly beans. This is very, very good.

Nicely creamy on the palate with lots of citrus (think blood oranges and grapefruit), but immediately pretty warm from the spices. Cloves, black pepper. Nicely piquant. The honey softens things up, but despite the modest ABV, this is a sturdy fellow. I am thoroughly enjoying this.

The long finish puts a smile on my face. Longer, warm, deliciously sweet.

Excellent cask selection from our friends at Douglas Laing.

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