Auchentoshan 1988 PX Sherry Cask Finish..

Auchentoshan

Everyone who knows me knows this Distillery is my kryptonite, well the more illusive, single cask and indie bottles and the odd core range bottling’s do let’s forget the gimmick bottling that might be out there..

Founded officially in 1823 this is one of the distilleries that might have been producing liquid previously but under a different name.

The first mention of spirit being produced in the area was in fact in 1817 from a distillery named Duntocher, extremely probable to be Auchentoshan.. The distillery is located within the Lowland region and has always been known to produce lighter, more floral liquid due to its Tripple distillation technique.

More recently though there have been a large number of opportunities to get hold of a heavier matured Auchentoshan in the form of fully matured or finished whisky from Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks as well as Bordeaux red wine casks and more recently the first Californian red wine cask was released..

The distillery has a capacity to produce 2 million litres of alcohol from its set of 3 stills, 6.8 ton semi – Lauter mash tun, 4 Oregon pine washbacks, 3 stainless steel washbacks and a fermentation time of between 50-120 hours, the spirit cut is between 80% and  82 % .

1988 PX finish limited release

Distillery.. Auchentoshan

Region.. lowland

Age.. 29 years

Abv.. 49.7%

Cask.. Bourbon with PX finish

Initially matured within Bourbon casks for 21 years before being given an 8 year finish ( or second maturation ) this PX limited edition has had very exposure and has not been easy to track down..

Nose.. Dates, figs, plum, blackcurrent jam and chocolate dominate the aromas arising from the glass, cherries and candied orange lead into cinnamon, toffee and a delicate dusting of vanilla.

Palate.. Chocolate leads into those dried fruits, orange and thick jam flavours. a little heat comes forward with hints of vanilla, toffee and Bakewell tart.

Finish.. Lingering sweetness with a twist of spice..

Thoughts.. Is there any doubt.. I find it hard to find bad things with Auchentoshan unless you add some stupid gimmick, if they release things like this then how can you do anything other than smile, sit back and enjoy what you have in the glass..

This is all about the wood and there is no disguising that, the PX Sherry is dominant but it does still give a glimpse of what might have been happening previously. Touches of bourbon traits can still be found along with the more softer side that is Auchentoshan.

Don’t mistake the fact this is a finish or in theory a second maturation as 8 years is rather beyond the reality of a finish and not just a cover up of a poor cask.. Not all finishes or re rack are just to cover up poor casks like some will have you believe!! Some are done with first fill bourbon casks and destined to be finished..

So as you might expect, yes I do like this, in fact I love it, it’s well balanced, full of complexity, Auchentoshan at heart and the bottle is full of happiness and smiles.