Dram data:
Distillery: Auchroisk
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1989
Bottled: 10.2014
Age: 24
Limitation: –
Casks: Sherry Cask
Alcohol: 56,5%
Unchillfiltered, natural colour
Whiskybase link
Tasting notes:
Colour: Bright gold
The nose is light and a wee bit shy with the alcohol dominating slightly over the delicate notes. Dried summer flowers mixed with hay. Violets, roses and the faintest hint of lilac. A fleeting earthy component too and a hint of honey sweetness in the background with not yet ripe mango, green kiwi and green apples. Noticeable sherry nots as well. Maybe some grapefruit kernels with fleshy bits still attached. After the first sip the earthy and hay notes get more prominent, but it remains light in style. A generous dash of water mellows down the alcohol and brings out more notes of honey, sherry, cocoa and coffee. The palate is initially fizzy and zesty, with dry sherry and a noticeable alcohol burn. More notes of green fruits, grapefruits, citrus kernels, apple peel and spices. With water it is much more tame in regards to the alcohol and a rich malty, sherried sweetness complements the lighter notes, making it rich and creamy. Much improved on the one hand, but on the other there’s a noticeable sulphury component as well. The medium long finish is dry, a wee bit bitter (think, again, citrus fruit kernels), grassy, with lingering hints of oak, sweet and dry sherry and sulphur at the very end.
Verdict:
This Auchroisk needs water, time and a bit of warmth to completely open up, mellow down and get sweeter, making it a nicely aged, slightly dry dram with a good balance between the sweet and fruity/zesty/spicy notes. I have a high resistance to sulphur and it takes a lot to trigger my palate but I am noticing it in this whisky – so if you don’t like sulphur and are sensitive to it, this one sadly won’t be for you.
Score: 85/100
The sample for tasting was kindly provided by Cadenhead’s Whisky Market Austria. Cheers!