Review by: Raygun

Auchentoshan is a distillery I’ve barely tried. North Star Spirits I do have some familiarity with, and in a fairly short period (I think they started around 2016) they’ve shown themselves to be very reliable. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Auchentoshan 

Bottler: North Star Spirits

Region/style: Lowland single malt whisky

ABV: 55%. 

Age: 13 years. Distilled October 2007, bottled July 2021

Cask type: Oloroso hogshead, 330 bottles

Color: 0.9 amontillado. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: A yeasty, sweet smell that puts me in the mind of donuts. Or beignets. Orange, cream soda, and a faint touch of fennel. I like it.  

Palate: Not exactly what I expected. Orange and cream soda still, but not getting donuts. A different kind of fruit here. Plums, prunes, a little cheese-like sharpness. Some refill sherry influence, possibly. This just works well. Nice weight, pleasant fruitiness, and then there’s the cheesy sharpness. A little rosemary. 

Finish: Orange, prunes, some more cheese. Has an effervescent feeling, which along with some tartness brings beer to mind. Candied orange, maybe a little ginger too. Good length.  

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Guess: Once again I’m pretty stumped. The orange reminds me of Arran, and the effervescent feeling I got from Linkwood once. No perceptible peat. The cheesy sharpness is a wild card. Don’t know what that could be. Not too old; max 15 years I think. Low 50s ABV. Probably refill sherry cask. 

Conclusion: I like this a lot. Very much into this kind of flavor profile. Still think there’s some sherry influence, but no nuttiness or mustiness, so it’s pretty mild. Brings a nice fruity aspect, and some herbal character. There’s quite a bit here, even for something not very old (I don’t think). The glass disappeared pretty quickly, and I can imagine a bottle doing the same.  

Post-reveal thoughts: Auchentoshan! Didn’t see that coming. A distillery I’ve barely tried. I will need to try more IBs after this. It’s very good and distinctive. Says oloroso hogshead, but I have to imagine it’s refill based on the flavor. All in all, not a bad job. 

Buy a bottle? Not sure about cost, but this is one I’d keep an eye out for.

Score: 86

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)