Douglas Laing Single Minded Auchentoshan 12

The Single Minded series from independent bottler Douglas Laing is a collection of small batch single malts. All bottled at 41.5% ABV and relatively young.

Up till now a 7 year old Dailuaine, a 10 year old Tamdhu and a 12 year old Braeval have been bottled. And of course this 12 year old Auchentoshan, triple distilled and famous for it’s gentle style.

Tasting Notes Colour: One of the palest whiskies I tasted this year (except for last week’s MacArthur’s Head Lighthouse from MoS). Very pale in colour. Definitely refill bourbon casks.

Nose: The nose is very clean and fresh. Biscuits and lemon confit. Creamy lemoncake or Key lime pie. A sweet hint of honey. A Piña Colada with lemon juice in stead of pineapple juice.

Taste: The grains dominate the palate. Oat biscuits with flakes of milk chocolate and fruit.

Finish: The finish is fairly short and dry. Fruit cake. As I said, short…

Conclusion This Auchentoshan leaves me behind with mixed feelings. Very fresh, a little sour and sweet. Tasty but lacks some punch. I’m blaming the low ABV for it. A pleasant appetizer. Or maybe, my sample was not big enough… I’m not excluding that option too.

The Single Minded series are the expertise field of specialist liquor stores. Around € 50 for a bottle.