Auchentoshan 13 Years Old 2001 Distillery Exclusive (53.8%, OB, Bourbon Cask #50, 2014)

• Category: Lowland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Auchentoshan Distillery
• Bottling: Official – bottle-your-own distillery exclusive
• ABV: 53.8%
• Cost: ~ £70
• Score: 86/100

What they say:

Distilled on 18th January 2001 was bottled on 30th August 2014, this spent a full 13 years in an ex bourbon cask #50 and was bottled by my good friend Tom at Toms Whisky Reviews – you can read his thoughts here.

What I say:

Sampled as part of a bottle-your-own bonanza instigated by Tom, who was wondering how good these cask offering at distilleries really were, needless to say we have sampled plenty now and many of them are incredibly good, this one included!

Colour:

Refractive amber gold (9/20), slow large tears leave fine legs

Nose:

Fruity, peach, melon, fruit cocktail, refresher chew sweeties, sherbet, fizzy, citric, fresh lime juice, lemon, cereal barley malt – slightly doughy and bread-like, light honey and a real fresh jif lemon like washing up liquid

Taste:

Smooth and creamy, vanilla cream, vanilla custard, cream, runny honey, slightly biscuit and dough cereal notes, a spice develops and builds with white pepper, then fruity, lemon & lime citrus, melon and peach, apricot, the body increases a little with some dry oak wood coming through

Finish:

Medium-length, spiced sweetness with cinnamon and honey, a little sour, reminded me of honey & lemon cough mixture, bubblegum

Overall:

Wonderful dram, packed with a variety of light fruity flavours on a strong base of rich vanilla and a little raw white oak wood, interesting to find some cereal notes in here and also such a smoothness to this one.