Auchroisk 10 Year Flora & Fauna

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.

DISCLAIMER: This review is for the 11 year old from Exclusive Malts, not the 10 year Flora and Fauna. Stop number 53 on the SDT is Auchroisk. This Speyside distillery is relatively young having been established in 1972 with production starting in 1974. It’s primary purpose is to provide blending components for J&B Rare. It went through a few name changes in its short lifetime. From Auchroisk, to The Singleton, back to Auchroisk, then to The Singleton of Auchroisk, then back to Auchroisk. The name means shallow ford across the red stream in Gaelic. This 11 year old (distilled in 2003, bottled in 2015) comes by way of the independent bottlers at Exclusive Malts. It’s from a single refill sherry cask (cask #6), is one of only 269 bottles released, and bottled at cask strength of 56.4% ABV. It’s a natural color of dark copper and I suspect it is non chill filtered. Spicy oak and warm sherry fill the nose and immediately suggests a powerful palate to follow. Salty, minerals, and earthy. Intense vanilla and toffee, a huge sherry nose. Brown sugar, heavy barrel char, tobacco. Sweet syrup, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Herbal, black tea, chalky dry clay and slightly minty. Fruity, but in a very generalized way. Stone fruits mostly but the higher ABV blocked any hope of discerning them further. I dare not add any water because it is perfect as is. A strange pencil eraser note showed up for a moment after I let it sit covered up, but it was gone soon enough. A superb nose, truly. Hot sherry on the palate, as I predicted upon first nosing. Wonderful oak, barrel char, charcoal and tobacco. Sweet syrup, grilled stone fruits, seems to be plums and cherries mostly. Mineral notes, salty, earthy and black tea. Powerful, but again I dare not add water in fear of ruining the only 2 oz I may ever have of this wonderful scotch. Full bodied mouthfeel, oily, mouthwatering, hot but not even close to the worst I’ve experienced. A long finish that is full of sherry, oak, tea and fruits. An incredible Speyside single malt, one of the best I’ve ever had. Intense flavors while still being approachable. Add water if you must, but a little may go a long way here. Another of the few examples (at least that I’ve tried) of a successful independent bottling of a single malt. A spicy sherry bomb that commands your respect. A real shame that only 269 bottles were ever released. If you like the style and happen across one, just buy it. A big thanks to @LeeEvolved for picking this one up for the tour. 4.5-4.75 rounded up to 5 for lack of half stars. Cheers

Nose: Lightly malty and rather like oatmeal. A touch of lemon. As it rests more and more maltiness emerges. Palate: Warming and sweet arrival, very much cereal based. Nutty, malty and a touch salty in the development, but it never loses the sweet cooked-cereal character. A very pleasant mouthfeel that is silken rather than creamy or oily. The texture is one of its best features. Finish: Medium long, malty and sweet. A touch of mild ginger spice but the lingering flavours are all reminiscent of ale. This is a highly malt-centered whisky, with an overall profile very much like a light ale. The nose is quite shy and you need to let it rest for a while before nosing or there will be little to note. It's a extremely drinkable whisky with no burn whatsoever - indeed, almost a watery character to the palate. Very agreeable and light, it's a good dram to relax with when you need to wind down. Initially I thought it was somewhat lacking but I was surprised how quickly I polished it off and wanted another taste. I tasted it from a 30ml sampler and I'm interested enough to find a bottle. The official tasting notes here seem somewhat at odds with my experience. I found the palate in particular to be soft and slightly sweet, and not dry, spicy or peppery at all. I also thought it to be superior to the nose, which is a little retiring. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Friday night. Finished work late and pulled this sample of the 11 year old from Exclusive Malts (not the 10 year as my SDT cohorts previously mentioned.) The core of the nose is sherry, saw dust and petrichor (thanks for that word @Davie-Warner). Sliced apples, cherries, cinnamon, light vanilla, cereal. For me, water was needed to draw other flavors (or tone down the high abv). Sweet and spicy in the mouth. Vanilla, toffee, chocolate. Grilled plumbs. A bit of salt and earth comes out in the back end of the palate towards the finish. Undiluted, the concentration is sweeter (maple syrup) and baking spice intense. I actually found it really richer and more alive without water. Finishes fruity with of plumbs, black cherry, ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. Long lasting and deep in the stone fruits. This is somewhat unique in profile. Salt, earthy and sweet all mixed in one. The high abv is refreshing welcome. Quite the enjoyable dram. Quite a ride. Thanks @LeeEvolved. [90/100][Tasted: 2/23/18]

Auchroisk appears on its own in the wild occasionally as part of Diageo’s annual limited releases, usually as a 20-year-plus aged single malt, and independent bottlers like Signatory often also release casks of Auchroisk. The distillery’s primary official bottling is this 10-year old expression, which is not exactly a common sight at any whiskey bar. My overall impression of this scotch is that it has the core flavors one would expect of a lightly sherried Highland whiskey: vanilla, honey and apple, some cherry, baking spices, oak, and cereal. It’s better than Glenmorangie because it has a well-balanced finish with no bitterness. Often, I find that the distilleries that aren’t known as single malts are used in blends for a reason, but I’m surprised Diageo doesn’t do more with this one.

Nose: sour, raisins and citrus, quite light. Palate: light, with vanilla and raisins. Spiced wood. Caramel. Quite soft and enveloping, but without points of excellence. Short but balanced finish, which leaves a pleasant raisin flavor in the mouth. Fairly pleasant product, but without any point that distances it from the average. Rating 3.75 ______________________________________________________ Naso: acidulo, uvetta e agrumi, abbastanza leggero. Palato: leggero, alla vaniglia ed uvetta. Legno speziato. Caramello. Abbastanza morbido ed avvolgente, ma senza punti di eccellenza. Finale breve ma equilibrato, che lascia un piacevole sapore di uvetta in bocca. Prodotto di discreta piacevolezza, ma senza alcun punto che lo allontani dalla media. Voto 3,75