Auchentoshan 18 Year

Слишком крепкий и в аромате, и во вкусе. Язык просто дубеет и ничего не чувствует.

Sweet, vanilla aroma on the nose. Front end of the taste is sweet and slightly vanilla. Finish is a light wood and smooth

Nose: Dusty sweetness of baking spices and an empty Sun-Maid raisins box with an underlying nuttiness of crushed almonds. Palate: The light character of Lowland malt keeps the palate high and forward, with the nuttiness amplifying and the Bourbon cask vanilla and oak notes rolling around on the tongue. The grain, wood and vanilla fade into a lingering but airy... Finish with echoes of spice and char, and a hint of salt and dessicated limes. No burn to speak of, which is to be expected considering the proof and region. Not particularly complex for an 18 year old whisky. Pleasant, balanced and non-confrontational.

It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey (or whisky) every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +6! Dec. 18, 2020 I picked up this whiskey to round out my scotch section. I needed a lowlands scotch, was eyeballing anything with the number 18, and my whiskey lady gave this a high recommend. In retrospect, none of those are great reasons to take a flier on a $170 whisky, but here we are. Nose is sea water, taffy, faint apple. Body is creamy in feel, and I get cheddar cheese, fresh dough. Finish has an incredibly pleasant spicy finish. I get jalapeño, more cheddar, and some pepper. I just realized that the thesis statement of this drink is a grilled cheese. And I don’t hate it... I just don’t understand. I mix this with Octomore, and I got myself a damn philly steak. —— So that was day 1. Here is day 2: Nose didn’t change. Body is sweet now. The main flavor I get is red delicious apples. Also sugar, possibly some watermelon. Finish is black pepper, and there’s an amazing rolling buzz that hits your lips in waves. I really really like the feel of the finish. I’m getting a hint of peat here too now. —— I’ve never quite had a drink like this before. I feel like I keep saying that, but it’s true here too. I enjoy it, and it’s really interesting. Tonight I identify this drink as sweet with a spicy finish, but last night I was convinced this was savory. I don’t know how that happens, unless it’s a neck-pour thing. I’m having trouble now getting back to that profile I would’ve sworn by 24 hours ago. Regardless, I’m glad I took a flyer on this distillery that I have trouble pronouncing. I’m excited to see what the rest of this bottle could bring. Note: a splash of water opens up the sweet notes even more. ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!