Auchentoshan is one of the four active distilleries in the Lowlands: together with Glenkinchie, Aisla Bay and Bladnoch, Auchentoshan keep the vessel high for the region that wraps Glasgow and Edinburgh. Triple distillation, a velleity that used to be typical for the lowlanders but isn’t so common anymore, is still a pride of this distillery. We’ve never reviewd the 12 years old, entry-level for their core range: we fill the void summo cum gaudio.
N: you smell the alcohol, but let’s not lose hope. First of all, there’s a note of Martorana fruit, made of marzipan. It shows some sugary notes, but kind of artificial, plastified. The profile is quite flat, but you can get some sugared corn flakes (that smell as soon as you open up the box), honey and something that may be strawberry jam.
P: we may sound arrogant, but the body is quite flat and watery – we’re missing that ‘kick’ (experts would say – we’d rather go for a “badaboom of taste”, but who are we?). It’s ok to bottle at 40%, but this is really weak – curiously, Serge thinks the perfect contrary. There’s honey, caramel and toffee, dried fruit and nuts (almonds and hazelnuts). Something citrusy, but a bit punchy.
F: meh. Quite alcoholic and franky forgettable. Caramel and nuts, if we really have to write something.
While resuming our impressions, we could play the easy and stereotypical card of the Lowlands’ style, made of light and shy whiskies: but here comes a catch ace that talks about a simple whisky, yes, but not convincing – it’s not a catastrophe, ok, but it shows some clear flaws. 76/00, and for those who care about the trviality of bribe, it costs around 40€.
Recommended soundtrack: Testament – The Pale King.
