Its interesting that as i write my second review for the current Auchentoshan Bottle your own casks, social media is exploding with the rage against collecting.
Recently there has been several complaints or maybe even hundreds of complaints towards the hardships of getting hold of bottles for a collection. Personally i find nothing wrong here but i will say that as someone who does like to collect whisky, but i do draw a line when abuse is thrown towards staff and anyone connected to those distilleries / indie bottlers..
Abusing the staff is not the way forward !! shit happens in life so get over yourself and stop practicing self importance, especially in a time where life for so many has been horrendous, not to mention the taking away of our freedom and rights in order to try save humanity.. But if this is not as important as chasing that bottle then i suggest you crawl back down that hole you clambered out of as the world is no place for you..
I personally hate missing out on bottles i am chasing and know the feeling of rejection when you realise you just wont be getting that last bottle or the one to complete that set you worked so hard to put together but guess what, i survived and moved on..
What does interest me though is the companies that are now coming out against the collectors / flippers and basically calling the behaviour ( stand up and take a bow ) Now i am not talking about collectors in general, just the ones with the attitude and abusive behaviour towards the staff…
What does not help though is the constant releasing of limited casks knowing the demand totally outstrips the release and then the condemnation of those who didn’t manage to get the bottles that are marketed as a collection. All this does is fuel the fire and create more of a problem, its a vicious circle and you are dammed if you do and the same if you don’t.
What has this all got to do with this review ? Well it is simple, since i have a love of tis distillery i do try to get a bottle from every BYO cask that i can, call it a collection or just a set of bottles that sit on my shelf that is your prerogative.
I have missed out on a few over the years but i know i have most of them, it might even be the most complete collection out there but who knows, what i do know is that if for any reason i cant get hold of a bottle then it isn’t the problem of the staff, its down to me and it is a reflection of me as a person as to how i react..
Anyway its time to try some whisky, after all that’s why i am here.
24 Year Old Auchentoshan – Distillery Exclusive – Cask 10488
Distillery.. Auchentoshan
Region.. Lowlands
Age.. 24 Years
Distilled.. 09-06-1997
Bottled.. 03-07-2021
Abv.. 57.1%
Cask.. 1st fill Oloroso #10488
Bottle No.. 89
Nose.. Dates and raisins lead into plum jam and blackcurrant and apple pie baking in the oven. Orange infused chocolate and espresso coffee mingle with notes of old damp leather and musty leather bound books found in a library unused for years.. Dunnage warehouse aromas entice while heather honey and dark toffee hint at a sweetness to come.
Palate.. The chocolate and plum are instantly noticeable whilst the coffee and orange notes softly wrap themselves around the tongue. Honey and aniseed lurk before cinnamon and ginger bring in a little spice.. Blackforest gateau meets Bakewell tart for pistols at dawn.
Finish.. Spices and gentle oak linger
Thoughts.. This is something special but it comes with a price tag.. This single cask, 24 yo comes in at £250, which is well beyond a lot of peoples self imposed budget which is fully understandable but can something at this price still be a bargain ?
Let me tell you why i think this is.
Firstly this is a single cask that is only available through the distillery.
Secondly as a single cask this is truly limited, it can never be repeated, it will never be seen again once its emptied.
Thirdly as mentioned its only available through the distillery so it becomes a little more exclusive.
Lastly, In theory every bottle that comes from this cask will be ever so slightly different, most will be bottled on different days and maybe even weeks apart so your bottle is unique to you.
If that is not enough for you to part with the asking price i fully understand but be aware if you like Auchentoshan and you like their sherry matured whiskies then you will love this !! Its almost as good as the 1979 bottle and that is a big boast !
ocdwhisky.com 