LeeEvolved
Auchroisk 10 Year Flora & Fauna
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
December 26, 2017 (edited October 21, 2024)
DISCLAIMER: This review is for the 11yo Exclusive Malts bottle from Auchroisk and not the one listed.
Well, the holidays are finally past us and my credit card is still gently weeping. I’ve been very busy pulling down 50-65 hour work weeks to pay for this massive whisky bill I created for myself. So I suppose it’s time to get back to enjoying the so-called fruits of my labor: Scotch-freaking-whisky.
This review is for an independent bottling from the Speyside distillery Auchroisk. Which is oddly enough pronounced Awwth-Rusk. This is a bottle I supplied for my group of friends as we attempt to lay claim to having tried a whisky sample from every Scottish distillery that is currently active. We are now a year into this experiment and have reached the point where the distillery list is growing smaller while the bottles are becoming more rare, more elusive and more expensive.
The Exclusive Malts released this 11 year old at cask strength (56.4%). It’s also natural in color (new penny copper) and with no chill filtering. It was distilled in September 2003 and bottled in January 2015. There were only 269 total bottles available.
The nose is heavily sherry and oak influenced. The ABV is present here as well, but you can really get down into it and pick up lots of berries, cinnamon and even a beautiful vanilla sweetness. To be so strong it also displays a lovely balance.
The palate is so damn savory! Cherries, apples and cinnamon. A monster cherry/apple pie hybrid where you can even pick up notes like the baked crust. The vanilla holds off any harshness I expected from the cask strength and young spirit, along with keeping too much oak spice from creeping in. The overall mouthfeel is also fantastic. It goes from oily and coating, to mouthwatering to dry. It’s a great progression that continually amazes you. Very well done.
The finish is hot enough to reward the hardcore whisky drinkers and American bourbon lovers, alike. There’s no doubt what you’re drinking. The finish goes on and on and actually teases you along and has you wanting to take another big sip. And I do mean big sip, I found myself topping off the Glencairn and treating it like a shooter- before restraining myself to keep the liquid topside and enjoy the entire dram.
This is eerily reminiscent of the better batches of Aberlour A’Bunadh that I love. They are big, hearty sherry bombs that will sneak up on you and leave you hurting the next day. But, damn, are they good while they last. This bottle set me back just under $100, but I think there’s a ton of value here where the A’Bunadh leaves you guessing. There’s a freaking age statement! If you guys see bottles of this lingering or collecting dust at your local store or bar- give it a go. It’s fantastic stuff. 4.5 stars. Cheers, guys.
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You should see @Telex 's youtube. Quite good.
@winenshine : Amanda, nice interview in The Whiskey Reviewer !
For a bunch of various aged expressions with old spice on the nose. I give you guys 5 stars.
This thread is why I love Distiller. Grateful for the community as much as all the great whiskey. Well, almost as much...cheers, all, and here's to another year of dramming together around the world!
Hi guys. I've enjoyed all your great reviews and commenting in 2017. Here's to another year of the same! Now just got to think what special whiskey I can see in the NY with :-)
Damn, you’re going to make me blush old man :). Thanks for the kind words. Don’t listen to @LeeEvolved, I am FAR from spoiled. These guys get twice as good stuff as I can. :)
@Rick_M Most eloquent? shucks man - thanks - I'm lost for words :-)
First of all, huge congrats to @Joe_C and @PBMichiganWolverine! I just happened to stumble upon this thread while I was browsing the shelves at my local store and I love it. @Rick_M believe it or not, we had a lot of discussion about the different types of user awards we wanted to give this year, and wanted to open up a lot of those to user voting next year. We thought a good place to start this year was with a pretty straightforward set of categories, then add on for next year where we thought people would want us to. From all of us at @Distiller to you all, thank you for an amazing 2017, we have some REALLY BIG FUN things in the works for 2018 that we'll be asking for all of your help on (Keep your eyes on your inboxes early in 2018 for my name). And @Rick_M, the award you nominated me for is very accurate and kind. I'm one handsome bald guy :). I hope you're all having fantastic drams this evening, cheers! @LeeEvolved @ScotchingHard @Generously_Paul @Joe_C @Camardicus @cascode @Dreaming-of-Islay @Scott_E @Slainte-Mhath @The_Rev @Reverend @KT66 @Soba45 @MashtunMike @Sprezzatura @Telex @Zweihander @Richard-ModernDrinking and everyone else.
@Rick_M : you just made my day. Best damn post I've read in ages.
@Rick_M - so I’m considered Most Entertaining? I’ll take that. I like how @ScotchingHard rolls, too. He’s the official No Holds Barred type of reviewer this site needs. He’s not scared to call a NAS a POS if warranted, lol. @Joe_C - I would also be willing to participate, like @Generously_Paul, in a podcast in whatever ways I could assist.
@Joe_C that’s a great idea. I have no idea how to do that but I’d listen and participate if asked. @Rick_M lmao 🤣
You know what you guys? Some of us should reach out to one another outside of the confines of the app and start a podcast of sorts. But it would be a podcast that is connected to Distiller, since it's the app we love to use to review spirits and it's how we all got to know each other.
Wow... Pretty cool. Thanks to Mikael and the Distiller team for that. Can I create a henceforth precedent and the sign off in every review as "Mr. Distiller" for 12 months?
Lol @Rick_M! Congratulations to @PBMichiganWolverine and to my big bro @Joe_C for the well-deserved recognition!
The following are award nominations that didn’t make the cut but are, nonetheless, still worthy of mention: Most Entertaining: (tie) @ScotchingHard & @LeeEvolved Most Prolific: @Generously_Paul Most Eloquent: @cascode Most Articulate: @Dreaming-of-Islay Most Popular: @PBMichiganWolverine Most Objective: @Scott_E Most Sophisticated: @Slainte-Mhath Most Spiritual: @The_Rev 2nd Most Spiritual: @Reverend45 Most Likely to be cascode’s Friend: @KT66 Most Likely to Have Been Kicked Out of a 12-Step Program: @Soba45 Most Likely to Start his Own Distillery: @MashtunMike Most Likely to be Stephanie Moreno in Disguise: @Sprezzatura Most Likely to Become a Media Sensation: @Telex Hottest Lurker: @Zweihander Most Likely to get Zweihander’s Phone#: @Camardicus Most Unlikely to get Zweihander’s Phone# Based on His Avatar: @Richard-ModernDrinking Best Looking Bald Guy Based on His Avatar: @Mikael Most Olfactory Impaired: @Rick_M Happy New Year!
Congrats indeed to @PBMichiganWolverine and @Joe-C for being the most prolific drinkers of the year! And Lee, I’m not so sure I can compete any harder and maintain my marriage lol.
Congrats @PBMichiganWolverine - it’s been a great year chatting and trading great samples with you. I’d say you need to keep an eye on @Generously_Paul though if you hope to repeat in 2018. He sent me a training video montage of him speed typing and doing wrist strengthening exercises. The Rocky theme song was playing in the background. He is not taking finishing in second place lightly.
Congrats to the User Award winners - well done! @Rick_M Nah mate - we just don't follow the lemmings in front ;-)
@Joe-C : congrats! This is really impressive of @Distiller-Staff and Mikael to recognize the whiskies and the users
And my favorite whisky, Lagavulin 16, wins “Top User Rated Whisky in 2017.” @cascode, I think our tastebuds are in decline. ;)
Also, @Joe_C wins “Top Reviewer” by 30 lengths. Congrats!
@PBMichiganWolverine: Looks like Pranay wins in a photo finish! Congrats!
Nice review :)
I think Paul's got that wrapped up
@Generously_Paul @PBMichiganWolverine: Pranay could be a spoiler, though. :)
@Rick_M, as they say in Hollywood, it’s an honor to be nominated
@Generously_Paul: You have got to be the favorite for “Conversation Starter” of the year award, which Distiller will announce in 2 days. Good luck!
Yes, and the two of you are the ones who have spoiled us!
@PBMichiganWolverine - well, if that means you’ll be diving into that 400+ bottle collection in your basement and doling out samples contained therein- well, I support the extreme duress given. If fact, I would challenge you to a “Cellar-Off!” just to see what’s in that subterranean fortress of yours. I’ll see your 1974 Ardbeg with my Laphroaig 32. We can leave @Generously_Paul, @Scott_E, and @Telex out of this because they are spoiled enough already. 🤣
Speaking of whisky purchases, under much duress, unless it's not for our SDT team, I was forced to not make any new purchases for 2018. Let's see how long that lasts
@Rick_M - it’s probably a good thing I DON’T have to claim @Generously_Paul because I have a feeling the scotch bill he would create under my care would only speed up my financial ruin. That guy can put the premium stuff away. I’ve never seen anyone like him. * Looks in mirror 🤫
@LeeEvolved, the good news is that you get to claim lots of dependents on this year’s tax return while you can still itemize. ;)
And it’s gone @LeeEvolved. Made Christmas Eve all the better
@Generously_Paul asked for more of this so I sent him an extra large re-supply. Kinda wishing I hadn’t done that now, lol.
This sounds fantastic. Savoring this now.