Nose: Lightly oily and cereal with herbal notes, brightened by bergamot and apple aromas. There are hints of sandalwood, dusky jasmine, vanilla and dried fruits. Over time charred woody notes become more pronounced. Palate: An interesting combination of sweet and dry - vanilla cream, barley sugar, and caramel, but also lemon and nutty flavours - hazelnuts, almonds, and peanuts. Over time it develops a woody, almost pine-resin quality. Finish: Medium/short. Nutty flavours gradually fading to a dry, almost astringent finale. A pleasant if not spectacular whisky with an overall woody/floral/nutty character. The longer it sits in the glass the more the woody aspects become obvious. Quite smooth and individual. The one thing I particularly dislike about Auchentoshan in general, and this expression in particular, is that after developing in the glass for a while there is a distinct resinous note that becomes too prominent. I've noticed that every time I pour a dram of this I get about 3/4 of the way through and suddenly start to lose my taste for it. "Average" : 76/100 (2.5 stars)