We missed just one of our members (away visiting family) when we gathered at Bo’s to sample drams #152 and 153 on our journey through Scotland’s finest. This time, we sampled a dram from one of our least visited regions, the Lowlands and returned to Speyside, our most visited region. Fine whisky, great appies and two plus hours of conversation -a great way to spend a Tuesday in late August!
Bo started the evening with a Lowland whisky from Auchentoshan Distillery, one of only
three remaining Lowland distilleries (some argue there are six left). Situated close to Glasgow, this 12 year old is often referred to as “Glasgow’s malt whisky” and, because of its sweet and delicate signature, some have referred to it as “the breakfast whisky”. We’ll have to test this!. Matured for 12 years in oak casks, this dram is golden honey on colour with a distinctive nose of crème brulée and a burst of citrus to start. The distillers claim that nuttiness and green leafiness are signature characteristics of the Auchentoshan brand. We could’t argue.
On the palate, the whisky is smooth with a sweetness and hints of tangerine and lime. Again, that’s the claim; we didn’t argue. At the end, the 12 year old presents a gingery and slightly dry finish with a characteristic lingering nuttiness.
All-in-all, a very pleasant dram, coming in at 40%ABV and a reasonable price of $83.oo. It is available at Cascadia
More than 1/2 of Scotland’s working distilleries are found in Speyside in close proximity to the river Spey. So, it’s not surprising that the Wee Drammers have sampled close to 60 drams from the region. The Connoisseur’s Choice series from Gordon & MacPhail allows one to explore the region through a selection of more than 200 bottlings from almost 100 distilleries. Bo selected on of these, the Glentauchers Distillery.
Established in 1897, Glentauchers was one of the distilleries owned by the hugely successful blender James Buchanan and the design was overseen by the legendary Charles Doig, who contributed so much to the innovation and future success of Scotch whisky. Glentauchers was also amongst those distilleries who utilized the emerging rail network around Scotland, building its own specific railway sidings into the distillery. Today, bottlings of this lighter style Speysider are very difficult to find and Gordon & MacPhail are one of the only companies to have consistently bottled this highly underrated malt since the 1990s.
Not dissimilar to many Speyside drams, the tasting notes include:
- Nose: fresh pear and banana; hints of toasted malt, honeysuckle as well as vanilla and tropical fruit (our group found the nose to be pleasant!).
- Taste: Creamy with hints of white chocolate, soft pepper and guava. Fruit and custard come to the fore .
- Finish: lightly spicy with lingering tropical fruit flavours.
Coming in at a whopping 57.6 ABV, this dram is certainly a ‘cask’ strength offering. Yet it didn’t overwhelm.
Priced at $155.00, Glentauchers is available at Cascadia.
Food pairings are always a critical part of our tasting. Bo’s presented a great selection of seafood, cheeses, bread and crackers, fruit, meatballs and, of course, chocolate.
