Auchentoshan 1988 25 Year Wine Cask Finish

Coats mouth with fruitiness. Really oily. Also kind of cerealy.

This was sent to me by my buddy @LeeEvolved, a nice healthy 2 pour sample—of which I had 1/2 of it this evening. I love the aroma on this. Musty red wine cellars. Long ago, I went to Mendoza, Argentina on vacation. Stayed at a winery there for a few days—-rustling cattle with the cowboys during the day, drinking red wine at night. The cabins had this musty, earthy red wine smell to it. Like old earth mixed with Malbec grapes. This is like that, simply amazing. Amazing and Auchentoshan aren’t two words I’d use in the same sentence, but this surprised me. As far as palette: a bit of a step down from the nose, only because it’s more musty than red wine...but I’m nitpicking. For all those years in red wine casks, I’m astonished the tannins didn’t carry through harshly. Simply and sinfully well made. Who knew a light Lowlander can match well with a strong red? And, more importantly...why is Auchentoshan doing more of this!?!

This sample from @LeeEvolved was probably not the ideal way for me to experience an Auchentoshan for the first time given its significant cask influence, but judged on its own merits it hit the mark. Chestnut brown in the glass, it smells predominantly of grape must at first, then opens up slowly to reveal dark chocolate and a surprising hint of mint and grass. Those flavors continue on the palate, against a distinct malty background that gives the distillate its voice. A good chew in the mouth unleashes a blast of oak spice, while the finish is very long and dry. Overall, it’s very smooth and well integrated, and gets predominantly better with every sip. I can’t speak for how well this characterizes the distillery, but for a wine cask finish it does the job nicely. Thanks Lee!

I found this extremely well-aged Auchentoshan from an online store out of St. Louis, MO a couple of years ago. The 1988 Wine Cask Finish. It also happens to be a 25 year old. It was initially matured for 8 short years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred and “finished” in first fill wine barriques from Bordeaux- FOR 17 MORE YEARS. It’s a beautiful, red gold in the tasting glass and makes skinny, fast running legs in the Glencairn. It was bottled at 47.6% and cost me a cool $325. The nose was a nice balance of sweet and floral notes. Red berries and grape sweetness along with some light floral and grassy notes forming after a good bit of time in the taster. There was just the slightest hint of charred oak also hiding out. The palate was rich and ultra smooth, while still allowing the sweet, Lowland-style flavors to remain present. They ultimately took a back seat to the red wine notes and a little bit of heat from the elevated ABV. The dryness crept in towards the back end of the sip, but didn’t hurt the overall mouthfeel- which was creamy and sweet. The finish was soft, but lengthy. The dryness I usually associate with Bordeaux finished whisky was mysteriously absent and this one felt light, yet decadent. The warmth from the spirit also lingered and ultimately made this a bottle I returned to frequently until it was no more. Overall, this is easily the best Auchentoshan I’ve ever had, but that shouldn’t be a surprise based on the length of the finish and overall age. The biggest surprise was how well the distillery’s flavor profile wasn’t overpowered by the wine cask. The light feel and delicate and flowery notes were still there and on display during the entire sip. It’s a testament to the quality casks used and the great, base whisky. Is it worth the price tag? Probably not, but if you are an Auchentoshan or Lowland whisky fan you should really try this one. It’s clearly one of their best. If I take price point out of the equation it’s a 4.5 star malt, the ridiculous price hurts it a bit, but not enough to drop it below 4.25. The craftsmanship here begs me to keep it at 4.5- so I will. Cheers, my friends