Auchentoshan The Bartender's Malt

I saw this bottle on the bottom shelf at my local liquor store and thought to myself that, while I’m not a huge Auchentoshan fan, this one has quite a high level of eye-rolling marketing going on. So for $44 I thought, why not? It will at least mix well. Let’s start with the marketing: it’s got shiny copper stickers on the box and bottle proclaiming is an annual (there’s more to come), limited release (collectible) and that this is the first release (#1’s are really collectible). Yesssssss! The eye roll part is that Auchentoshan rounded up the 12 best bartender’s from around the world, had them collaborate on this blend AND DECLARE THEM AS THE NEW MALT ORDER!! (It’s actually on the label). Holy hell, so now if the apocalypse comes I need to find one of these cats so I can get a fitting End of the World cocktail. Let’s evaluate this whisky before we crown them as saviors, shall we? Well, first of all, it’s bottled at 47% ABV. That’s quite hefty and I’d say that the group probably decided a higher ABV was needed for when they were slinging this stuff into flaming cocktails, dumping it across 4 inch ice cubes or planting that cliched umbrella into the highball glass. It’s light copper in color and makes some nice runny legs if you give it a twirl. Here’s where things get interesting... The nose is flat out incredible! It’s kind of sweet with honey-dipped apple and apricot notes, but then a crazy floral and spice note appears that’s really similar to Four Roses bourbon. The high ABV really punches up those notes to a higher level. The smell is mesmerizing. Well done. The palate gives away the majority of the youthful whisky at play here, though. There’s some nice sharp ginger and lemon zest that liven things up very well. The harshness is still present even into the finish, but I can see where this would hold up really well in a mixed drink. It’s a bit of a chore to handle it neat, however. Water may be your friend here. The finish is long with pepper and oak spices ruling the day. The mouthfeel is vibrant and not very mouth coating, but that’s okay I think. Overall, the cheesiness of the whole NMO thing and the Bestest, Annual, Limited Blah Blah is a bit overplayed, but what counts inside the bottle, is there. I even saw that Auchentoshan has brought the group back for round 2, so they must be happy with the finished product and sales. If they keep the pricing around $40-45 I would definitely buy it, and I certainly recommend this batch, as well. Buy a bottle and sling some crazy cocktails of your own- before the real apocalypse arrives. 4.25 stars. Cheers, my friends.

Well I have to say that I got sold, I went into the store looking for a very limited not yet delivered bourbon and walked out with a single malt ... ok so the boax was pretty and had some buzz words and being that I'm in sales I appreciate the effort. Appearance: a light golden amber with a tint of green notes Nose: at bottle strength I get Apriocots and honey and floral notes that are very inviting. Add some water and I get some more earth notes, the box calls this the green tobacco leaves so I'll say sure that must be it. Palate: This is a very young single malt not as complex up front, lots of zest and citrus like an IPA, add a bit of water to cut back on the harshness of the high proof, and it balances out with some sweet floral and buttery notes. Finish: This whisky likes to linger with some peper and wood notes coming out that seem to be missing from the rest of the experiance but they last so long it balances out in the end. I bought this for $46 bucks and I mean the box labels these 12 master bartenders that contributed as the new malt order so I guess for the way things are going to be done moving forward this is a solid whisky.

Purchased this on a whim while in TN last weekend. Nose: beautiful cocoa nose with a hint of citrus and something akin to cherry (sharpness, might be the chocolate flavor). Brings to mind the chocolate orange slice candy I occasionally had as a child. Little bit of a floral note sprinkled on top of everything too. Tasting: floral on the front, something spicy (some tastes have mentioned ginger but I’m not terribly familiar with that flavor) follows and then it opens up to something like cinnamon mixed with water - very subtle flavor. The finish isn’t very long and doesn’t hang around. Overall not bad! I am more of an Islay guy but in terms of a good sipper this will do. Doesn’t quite get to Speyside characteristics (my least favorite region) but has just enough of the maltiness and a touch of the barrel/oakiness to be a good level of brazen.

Thanks to @LeeEvolved, I had this after a long day at the #neveragain march yesterday where I joined my high school aged niece. On a side note...regardless if your pro or anti NRA, these kids are simply amazing; eloquent, passionate, and angry as hell. I wish I was like them at their age...simply just impressed by them. Anyway..I digress...so I’m not a huge Auchentoshan fan. Aside from their 21 yr old, their other offerings seem just underwhelming. I feel I can do much better for my hard earned money. But this, this is a different animal. Sweeter, honey drizzled almonds on the nose. Palette falls short a bit, but you still get that typical youngster citrus flavor. Overall, well made. Thanks Lee!

This was my first foray into anything Auchentoshan and if it's any indication of their quality I will be trying others. Extremely drinkable with just a wisp of smoke and a long chocolate malt finish. I got this at a very advantageous price that I do not suspect is normal at $25 but would definitely have been happy even if I paid $40 for it. I suspect that even people that say they don't like Scotch would be surprised by the flavor profile and would drink it down. I would buy this again. Cheers!

Really pleasantly surprised by this one! Got it as a gift as my first Lowland bottle, though I’ve tried the Auchentoshan 12 and 18 samplers and was generally unimpressed. But this NAS expression hits a great combo of Irish and Scotch, coming across like a Green Spot with a bit extra ‘seaside bite’. Like a cross between Irish and Campbeltown styles. So yeah very much enjoyed this one, and will be coming back to it on the regular!