Richard-ModernDrinking
Auchentoshan 1988 25 Year Wine Cask Finish
Single Malt — Lowlands , Scotland
Reviewed
November 13, 2018 (edited May 12, 2024)
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!
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@LeeEvolved Yeah we tried the 21 last night. I've had it before as well and it starts of great but I found the further I got into it the less I liked it but then again is is my most highly rated Auch..but then again thats not saying much! I have a sample of the bartender you mentioned was good so see how it goes..maybe the redeeming dram for that distillery :-). This one RM just reviewed looks like its the best of the lot.
Great review! It’s also perfect timing as I opened my bottle of Auchentoshan 21 today and enjoyed my first sip of that well aged malt. My recollection of this 25 beside the new 21 also was quite surprising- I didn’t think the initial taste of the 21 was as good as I had hoped it would be. Sure, it was smooth but the complexity and depth wasn’t there. I’m going to give it time and several more pours to see what happens before writing my full review, though. I hope it changes for the better.
And for what it’s worth, after writing this I saw that Jim Murray scored it 94.5.