Continuing our Auchentoshan journey, today we’re in for a treat. a cask strength distillery only bottling. In 2009 Auchentoshan held a festival over at the distillery , visited by over 2000 people. A special edition was bottled for the occasion, 500 bottles made, of a fairly young cask strength whisky (NAS on the bottle), which later was also sold on site as a distillery only bottling to distillery visitors. This expression is matured in ex-Bourbon casks, and bottled at 56,6%. I was able to taste this one thanks to Mark D,and many thanks to Mark for that!
Auchentoshan, 2009 Festival bottling, Distillery Exclusive, 56,5% ABV , ~£50
Nose: Vanilla, kilos of it. Brown sugar, maple. Apricots in liquor. Wood Resin. Sweet dough. very fragrant, and totally rocking!
Palate: Toasted oak, burnt sugar and bitter wood, developing into dark chocolate and coconut chips.
Finish: spicy and fairly long. Bitter sweet.
A young, powerful and interesting expression. Definitely worth a try.
Score: 85/100
Slainte!