Auchentoshan 1976 30 Year Old

Auchentoshan 10 Year Old (bottled 1984)

This was one of the first ever bottlings of Auchentoshan since the takeover by Stanley P. Morrison in 1984. It was released that year (so it is still a distillate from the Eadie Cairns era). The cream colored label is a dead giveaway. Eadie Cairns used black labels. This was the aperitif on my 44th birthday tasting. The nose is surprisingly grainy...

Score 82/100

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Candied fruit and obvious sherry kick start the experience, followed by a hint of melon and syrup. After letting it open a little more, brown sugar joins the party with some spice that I can't recall. For me, the palate is quite different. Dry sherry, salt, oak. The finish is dry and salty as well. Interesting, but kind of a let down given the...

Score 80/100

Auchentoshan 21 Year Old 1973

The modern Auchentoshan 21 Year Old is een top whisky, but on my birthday I gladly put that one head to head with this older version, from 1973 (thus bottled in 1994). Today I will try it again. Not a hard thing to have to do. The nose is a little dusty, revealing its long period in the bottle (almost as long as it has matured on a cask). Some...

Score 87/100

Auchentoshan 19 Year Old 1997 Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask

After the Laing brothers split up, Stuart founded his own company Hunter Laing & Co and one of the brands he took with him is the famous Old Malt Cask, in which single casks are bottled at 50%. This Auchentoshan from 1997 is just a few months shy of two decades. Fresh, but spicy nose on citrus, icing sugar, vanilla and a suprising large amount...

Score 83/100