Jose-Massu-Espinel
Auchroisk St. Margaret of Scotland
Single Malt — Scotland
Reviewed
October 18, 2021 (edited October 31, 2021)
I believe i have had only one Auchroisk before, or maybe i haven't at all... and now that feels unfortunate. The whisky i am about to describe to you is one of the greatest expressions i have ever tasted, and one that will definitively be on my top 10 whiskies from this year.
Auchroisk belongs to Diageo, and it is the heart of one of the world's most acclaimed blends, J&B.
On the other hand, St. Margaret was a queen of Scotland and she is also a Catholic Saint, because of her good and charity deeds back in the 11 century.
Bottled at 60.3%abv, this is one of 260 bottles ever made, and released for a charity held by St. Margaret church in Scotland. Beautiful chesnut color.
On the nose this is so spectacular that you don't even need to taste it. You can just nose it forever and be happy. Hazelnut, nutmeg, red fruits, berries, prunes. It feels powdery; Hershey's strawberry syrup, very sweet. Pumpkin. After a first sip, the aroma changed into "tres leches" sweet dessert. Cherries, cream and cocoa. Just amazing. More sips made the aroma change into molasses, gooseberries and macerated fruits. This is the good stuff.
On the palate, this is one great whisky. Oranges, brown sugar, cherries, christmas cake and molasses are the main notes. More sips revealed dulce de leche, cocoa truffles and sawdust.again this "tres leches" sweet dessert.
Aftertaste is the perfect ending to one of my favorite drams ever. Prunes, pepper bomb; red fruits, mint. Super dry, the second sip gave me sulphuric notes such as metallic, pepper and fruit spices. A third sip gave me... peat? Smoke, salt and burnt hay. Salty chocolate. This is just outstanding.
Overall, this whisky is one that i will remember forever. The Auchroisk spirit has obtained the best from the port cask maturation and it was delivered in an incredible way. It doesn't feel like a 60.3%abv dram at all, but it is also a powerful single malt. I don't think it has anything that i can call a flaw, that is why my score for it is a 100 over 100. Best whisky of the year? Maybe.
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@cascode i am surprised of it. i actually had another Auchroisk that i have yet to write the review, and it also was a 5 stars for me. the Px cask strength "Apollo 9" from the Whisky Barrel. so, there is something going on there that has to be explored further.
Great notes - interestingly the last Authroisk I had was a taste at the Sydney Whisky Show in March and it was also a 5 star dram - a 23 year old from a new IB. I also got quite a lot of strawberries and cherries on that one.
ahhh ok that's not for me then. thank you! by the way ... have tried 2 selections from you tonight. enjoyed both. will write up. soon. @ContemplativeFox
@JoelyO There are some cool bottles you can find at auction, but auctions are really better for bottles that were released several years ago and IBs (and some special distillery releases). Most auctions are located in the UK, which means that they're very scotch-centric and bourbon is comparatively more expensive. It also means that shipping costs are high (usually at least $100 for the first bottle and $15 or so for each additional one). With the shipping costs at those levels, it only makes sense IMHO to be bidding if you're buying some very expensive (multiple hundreds of $) bottles or many bottles. I've seen few bottles that I was interested in go for under $100 and while the selection is often great, there are few screaming deals to be had.
I'm going to look it up but I know how I am. I will get in trouble.😁 @Jose-Massu-Espinel
@JoelyO hahaha they are online auctions. try Grand Whisky Auctions, you'll love it
oh wow. ok I'm not at that level yet lol wouldn't even know where to find an auction around here. 😂 @Jose-Massu-Espinel
@JoelyO it is not really expensive, but i have only seen it in auctions.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience! I assume it is hard to come by and expensive?