Review by: The Muskox

This is review 3/6 of the SMWS’s December 2023 outturn, which I tasted alongside my man rye_am_legend at the venerable Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C. We tried these whiskies blind, so all my notes and my score are pre-reveal. Apologies for briefer notes than usual – we tried quite a pile of whiskies that evening!

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Distillery: Auchroisk.

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 57%. Cask strength.

Age: 14 years. Distilled October 31st 2007. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: Finished for 3 years in a first-fill Oloroso sherry hogshead.

Price: N/A, tasting.

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Aha, there’s sherry here for the first time this tasting. Dark spices and malt, candied cherries and ginger beer, plus a little licorice.

Palate: Medium texture. Arrives with lots of dark fruit – cassis, cherry, blueberries. There’s a nutty note here as well, almost celery! Dry, spiceful, and brown-sugary on the development, it’s a Boulavardier! Cloves and bitter chocolate.

Finish: Medium-short. Dry sherry. Hazelnuts, caramel, and figs.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Blacked-out Campari weekend”

Conclusion: This is alright. There’s a big cask here, but the whisky is very dry and has that strange nuttiness. Not entirely unattractive, but I don’t think the underlying structure of the dram is quite strong enough to support those notes and make them really interesting.

We were given five options for which distillery this whisky could be – Mannochmore, Auchroisk, Dailuaine, Miltonduff, and Glenlivet. The complete lack of a green apple note ruled out Glenlivet, but I had no idea between the other four options.

Final Score: 76.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.