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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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September 24, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Auchentoshan |
Auchentoshan, when we started in this game, it was big. Not quite so much today, sadly, and we do miss those days rather badly. We can still remember those sherry versions from 20 years ago (you’re saying 30 years???) as if they were yesterday, those wonderfully old-school, deeply characterful Auchentoshans that seemed to turn up almost casually and were simply from another world. Bottles we probably took for granted at the time, which makes the memories even sweeter, and perhaps a little painful too. Anyway… |
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Auchentoshan 9 yo 2016/2025 ‘Waiting for the Sun’ (46%, Uncharted Whisky Co., 1st fill bourbon, 617 bottles, 2025) 
Waiting for the Sun, we love that name, very early Pink Floyd, the Doors or Aphrodite’s Child. Psychedelic indeed, so let’s see if the whisky follows suit… Colour: white wine. Nose: absolutely immaculate, all on apple juice, with a few drops of lemon juice and a little barley syrup. Brioche dough too, very fresh and almost morning-like. Mouth: ziiiing! Apple juice, lemon juice, grass juice, touches of fresh coriander. It’s all rather elementary, but the world is complicated enough as it is, isn’t it? Finish: much the same, with a few herbal teas joining in, then pink grapefruit. Comments: nothing to add, this is very good, perfectly simple, and perhaps a little psychotropic indeed.
SGP:551 – 81 points. |
Let’s try to shift gears for the second one… |
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Auchentoshan 28 yo 1998/2026 (45.99%, Thompson Bros., 1st fill wine barrique, 379 bottles) 
‘Wine barrique’ sounds mildly pleonastic, but we won’t call the language police just yet (after all, I believe they partly use barriques in Calvados too, for instance.) Especially since the label is rather sublime, with the three stills discreetly evoking triple distillation, a motif much used by the brand itself in the past, if I remember correctly. As for the wine, no idea, let’s see… Colour: deep gold. Nose: there is indeed something of an old chardonnay about it, but also touches of rubber tree, balsa wood, a surprising hint of smoked fish, and above all some old dry Madeira, or old fino from the Franco era (what?). Old cellar, dunnage, damp hessian, bandages, green walnut skins… Was that famous wine simply fino after all? Manzanilla? Especially since a lovely rooty side then joins in, salsify, turnips, radishes etc. Mouth: but what on earth is this? Auchentoshan, really? Pepper sauce, mustard sauce (à la diable), walnut wine, flint… It’s very beautiful but rather bewildering. Finish: long, with magnificent bitters and peppers. Comments: seriously, we can’t make head nor tail of this baby, all we know is that it’s rather magnificent. So, what exactly is the story with this ‘wine barrique’? People want to know!
SGP:361 - 89 points. |
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