One of the big whisky Events in recent memory is the release of a Singapore exclusive, 30 years old, single cask Auchentoshan. This was on sale for $888 at 1855 Bottle Shop's Wine and Whisky Week (with an Auchentoshan 21 as a free gift), and available for tasting at Whisky Live 2018. The people I went to Whisky Live with swerved this bottle, due to an inherent bias against Auchentoshan. Being a triple distilled spirit that is best known for being...smooth and innovative with casking, did my friends perhaps fail to give this old, rare, exclusive whisky a fair hearing?
They did not, but they were right anyway. I tasted a small pour, but actually poured most of it away. Was not worth my limited alcohol intake quota. Sigh. I should have known - if you can buy a 30 year old single cask and get a 21 year free, all for SGD$888, there must be something wrong. This is a country in which regulation Glenfiddich 12 is sold at $120. Oh, the disappointment.
Auchentoshan, single cask, 1987 vintage, Singapore Exclusive (abv 55.1%)
Colour - This is single sherry cask, so it is fairly dark gold
Nose - Alarm bells already. Sulphurous notes that sometimes come with sherry casks. Leather, meaty, red wine tannin, parsley, cloves, cinnamon dust, vanilla. This is...I mean, not unpleasant, but I don't know where the Auchentoshan went to.
Palate - Sherried, definitely. Similar notes to the nose, with more honey. Meatiness and tannins again. This was not a sweet sherry cask. The sherry fruitiness comes out, but more dark and preserved fruits than bright, fresh fruits. So, some rum soaked raisins? And a bit more cinnamon powder
Finish - Slight peppery tingle, lots of wood, drying tannins.
Overall - This isn't bad. But you can't taste the distillate under the 30 years of oak influence, and it wasn't even that active or dominant a sherry cask. Auchentoshan is perhaps a little too light to mature for that long a time? I think this reinforces my generally lower opinion of Auchentoshan as a spirit that is useful for drawing flavours from the cask, but is relatively bland itself. $888 for this and a bottle of the 21? I rather get 3
