An Evening with Two Auchentoshans – That Boutique-y Whisky Company

That Boutique-y Whisky Company – Auchentoshan 24 Year Old and 25 Year Old

My First Sip of Boutique-y Whisky

Auchentoshan is a distillery which has been on my whisky radar since 2016. Similarly so has Boutique-y Whisky or That Boutique-y Whisky Company for its “official” title, or the shortened form TBWC…

Let me digress a moment… Dave Worthington or “guv’nor” as I like to call him (and yes I once sent him a DM to make sure he was happy with this title…) has been a Twitter friend since possibly 2011 / 2012 yet it wasn’t until September 10th 2016 that I eventually met him. I was a rather more nervous / shy (yes me shy, you better believe it) festival attendee back then (and this was my first festival), so I was still outside the entrance to the Ebor Stand at York Racecourse waiting for the festival to start when I first spotted Dave. I had a hug and said hello. It wouldn’t be till later that day that I would finally have my first try of some “boutique-y” whisky.

Anyway, I went and sat on a wall across from the entrance to the Ebor Stand and sat in the sun…that was a very lovely moment too. One I won’t forget… God only knows where my thoughts were as I realised I had left my phone sat on the wall and had to go back and retrieve it. Plonker!! It was a lovely day though… right, back to today.

My whisky consultant had suggested I try the Auchentoshan 25 year old from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. So I bought a bottle, then I bought the 24 year old… also on the recommendation of Sorren, I call it balanced drinking. And well, then I sat with both of them and this is what I thought.

Sitting with these delicious examples

Let’s get the down-low on these:

24 Year Old – 50.6% Batch #4 a release of 542 bottles

25 Year Old – 48.6% Batch #3 a release of 135 bottles

Auchentoshan 25 year old

I will write this as I tasted them (the 25 year old then the 24 year old.)

The nose had a lovely citrus kick with orange and spice. It had a biscuit-y scent and a little creamy note to it too…this combined with a delicious light sweetness. On the palate, there was an initial spiciness along with the biscuit which I had on the nose. I felt there was a slight white pepperiness to this and some lovely oak flavours…

While sampling I was going between both whiskies as I was sat writing.

The finish was slightly dry with a lovely sweetness along with a slight bitter flavour remaining.

 _ _ _ _ _

Auchentoshan 24 year old

The 24 year old… I felt this had an ever so slightly softer nose against the 25 year old.

The nose has a lovely caramel note, it has orange again, but it’s more delicate than that of the 25 year old… there was a slight hint of something floral (I wrote freesias – don’t ask) and grass. There was a little apple with a slight dustiness (good thing) and a lovely delicate vanilla with a lovely deep sweetness.

I found the palate was just that little bit smoother… a little more vanilla coming through and a delicious warming spice.

It had a slightly oaky dryness and a delicious little bitterness which was peppery but pleasant. The finish was warming and softly sweet.

Can I say which I prefer? They are both equally nice, and a perfect way to sit and enjoy a couple of drams and play a game of spot the difference with the labels too…

Lovely Pair

Other releases I love

I have a few Auchentoshan distillery own bottlings at home now which are Oloroso Sherry Cask / PX so it has been nice to try some Bourbon Cask offerings as well (not my first I hasten to add, there is also the SMWS A Date With Cleopatra (bourbon finished in PX cask.))

Anyway I am glad I have the opportunity to buy some lovely releases from Boutique-y Whisky. And Dave and his sometimes hirsute partner in crime Sorren make lovely neighbours at festivals (or is that Roly-Poly and his Tinky Winky) but I am sure they get along nicely…

I will end with this, if you can try some of the whiskies then do, if you can get hold of some of the fabulous artwork that the ever so talented Emily Chappell creates then keep them, frame them, and show them off.

 

York Racecourse September 2016 – View from the Ebor Stand