ABV
56.9%
Region
Lowlands
Bottling
Douglas Laing (Germany exclusive)
Cask type
PX Sherry Butt (# DL13389, 245 btl.)
Nose
Sweet notes of sherry and dark fruit with raisins, figs and some cinnamon spice. Roasted malt with dark chocolate, followed by a delicate tobacco note, a touch of walnut and subtle oak in the background.
Palate
First a sweet start on the tongue with malt and dark fruit, then strong oak spice, tannins, white pepper and warming alcohol. Once the alcoholic spiciness fades, a pleasant sherry sweetness with raisins and juicy oranges delights the palate, followed by a sightly bitter herbal touch towards the finish.
Finish
The finish is medium to long, sweet and creamy with fruit jam, dark chocolate and nut aromas, followed by slightly bitter espresso and tobacco notes.
With water
With a few drops of water more notes of chocolate, tobacco and cinnamon with noticeably oak come to the fore, followed by some fruit aromas behind. All in all spicier. On the palate also very spicy, strong and astringent with noticeable oak and clear tannins. Then sweet and creamy again with dark fruit and some sherry with cinnamon. The finish is long, creamy and spicy with tannins, tobacco and espresso notes.
Comments
This delicate Auchentoshan, sherry cask matured for more than two decades, is clearly on the spicy side. Not dominated by the sherry and not really overly complex, but a beautiful interplay of creamy fruit, sherry sweetness and oak spice. Very drinkable despite the high alcohol content. The addition of water makes the influence of oak and bitter tannins too dominant for me.
I thank Bremer Spirituosen Contor GmbH for the image.