Whisky Discovery #87

Auchentoshan 12 Year Old (40% abv)
Lowland Single Malt Whisky
Circa £27.00 70cl

Auchentoshan 12 Year Old

Next up was a stand that contained a number of different whiskies and three expressions from the Auchentoshan distillery were on display. Their 12 Year Old, Three Wood and Valinch.

I was only recently introduced to Auchentoshan recently and on the recommendation from the Toshan Man himself, bought a bottle of their Three Wood as my official January 2012 bottle, but was keen to try some other expressions.

So for my 16th dram of The Whisky Lounge London Show I tried their 12 year old for the very first time.

This expression was first released around 2008 and the 12 year old replaced their 10 year old during a re-branding exercise. At the time it was hailed as a big improvement on the reportedly lacklustre younger expression.

As with all Auchentoshan whiskies this malt has been triple distilled before maturing in a mixture Bourbon and Sherry casks making it rich, spicy and with a sherry influence.

So What did I think?

On the nose it was initially quite sweet with caramel and some honey, rich fruit and nut flavours with a hint of spice. Not as sweet on the palate, but smooth with hints of tangy orange and vanilla. 

Although it was a pleasant enough dram I wasn't overawed by it. I really love the Three Wood and was looking forward to trying more Auchentoshan, so perhaps might have expected more?  It might have been due to the number of different drams tasted prior to this or even the new make spirit that I had tried on the Balvenie stand previously, but it didn't grab me.. At the next Whisky Show I will start with Auchentoshan to give it another go!