Review #89: Auchentoshan "Valinch", 2012 release, 57.2% abv, OB

is this a summer dram?

Still haven't gotten my Wealth Solutions swag for some reason, so I'll resume my well-neglected quest to find a decent Auchentoshan. This is the "Valinch" limited release from a couple years ago. A "valinch" is the pipe one uses to take whisky out of the barrel. This is NCF, cask strength, and aged in bourbon barrels. I think the "Valinch" has since been replaced by "Virgin Oak," which costs a lot more.

nose: grassy for a second, and then indeed crème brûlée, just like the label says. that is, lots of burnt sugar and lots of creamy sweetness -- this is indeed very bourbonny. then some nice cherry and apricots notes, chamomile, and some weird cooked vegetable notes -- rhubarb, asparagus, vegetable oil. lots of development, I suppose, between dry, sweet/fruity/floral, and vegetal.

palate: oh yes, this is >57%. And NAS. All the same flavors are there, but the alcohol is stunning -- as in causes numbness. this doesn't take water particularly well, either: it's less numbing, but the alcohol and the grassiness move to the front. It's like a bad blend. I prefer to sip it neat.

finishes with lots of vanilla and a little bit of cherry and rhubarb.


Some really nice flavors, but they're mostly simple, candied, bourbon-wood driven. Not a very deep whisky, and not that easy on the palate. Tasty enough, though.

score: 83

Review #76: Auchentoshan 17yrs 1995/2013, whiskybroker, 53.5%, refill sherry hogshead, Cask # 657, 261 bottles

first 'Toshan

Probably the first Lowlander on tastingstuff. This one from whiskybroker.co.uk, which appears unaffected by the sale of Bladnoch, for all I know. It (the whisky, that is) looks sherried, and indeed it is.

nose: white and green fruit shine through for a split second, then raisiny and medicinal (aspirin, camphor) notes. it stays dry and grassy for a long time, but eventually some café crème and figs show up. a little cocoa powder. overcooked apple sauce and a tiny bit of sulfur. it's mostly pretty nondescript, though.

palate: sweeter than anticipated, but it comes with quite some sulfur burn. It wouldn't be that much, actually, but this spirit doesn't stand up to it.

finish: mild sherry fruit with a kind of ashy burn.


There's some good stuff in here, but this one isn't for me. Someone less sensitive to sulfur might find a bargain here, but I'll have to look for a better example of Auchentoshan.

score: 78