Cadenhead launched in the last years the Duthies series and, among other bottlings, they bottled several Auchentoshan (besides this 16yo, an 11yo and a 19yo were released – in the picture on the side you’ll notice the view from outside the distillery: we willingly removed from the highway which would’ve ruined the picturesque shot). To be honest we always ended up a bit disappointed with the Duthies: we remember a 9yo Longrow aged in sherry cask being really awful (like a rotten ham), same for a very bland Glen Grant 13yo. Let’s see if this Lowlands whisky can review this series.
N: fresh, floral; the vanilla from the bourbon casks arrives after some time and it’s really light but adds a pleasurable sweetness to a profile which is typical of the lowlanders and Auchentoshan in particular; not a mind filed but a flowery meadow; fresh oil, light.
P: fresh also at the palate; cedar? Citrus peel? Flavors are overall very nuanced and not intense, but very drinkable and pleasant. Again a domination of flowery and grassy notes, fresh hay, perhaps a wee bit of honey in the background. Nuances of Vanilla.
F: light, sweet; faint flowery notes. In the empty glass we don’t feel the oak as per usual, but a strong presence of fresh and wet grass.
The best quality of this whisky is the nose; very delicate, perhaps a bit too much, but the variety of flowery hints is very very pleasant. Compared with the official 12yo is less sweet, and it’s a plus point, since it exalts the vegetal sweet dimension of the Lowlands. 81/100 is our verdict, but we can also highlight the review by Mark Dermul, a Belgian collector so passionate for this distillery to own the nickname “a ‘toshan man” (here his website and his confessions). For sure he knows better.
Recommended soundtrack: Petra Magoni e Ferruccio Spinetti – Like a virgin.
