23/02/2023 Auchentoshan

Auchentoshan 17yo d.1987 (61.5%, OB Individual Cask for Belgium, C#1659, 552b): Psycho opened this one before this blog existed (my first notes are from 21/07/2009, and I already write that I had it prior). He raved about it, while the other group members (including tOMoH) were less enthused: it was all burnt tyre, hydrocarbons of all kinds, and exhaust fumes. That led to its being nicknamed the Francorchamps Grand-Prix. We emptied the bottle at Burns' Night, this year, and this sample is all there is left. Time to give it some proper attention. Nose: well, the famous rubber is still present, but much less of the burnt-tyre sort, and more of the bicycle inner-tubes variety -- soft, root-y rubber, vaguely reminiscent of liquorice root, or nigella seeds. It is not rubber that dominates, though; it is prunes and dried dates, sprayed with droplets of nail varnish. Next is a jerrycan of petrol (or diesel), not terribly fragrant. After a few minutes, a dark-cherry-and-blackcurrant paste appears, sticky, chewy, and, well, dark. A thin veil of engine fumes wraps the whole thing. Oh! and here comes mulch too, which suggests to me an autumnal drive in a forest clearing, at the wheel of an old Land Rover Defender that could do with an engine servicing. The second nose is closer to what it used to be -- a Sherry monster. Espresso, mocha, coffee grounds, black cumin, and Mokatine sweets. Soon, a dark-fruit sweetness re-emerges. With water? Wow! Brioche bread, speckled with mixed peel and candied citrus, slathered with butter and marmalade. A little further, we meet Suc des Vosges, and distant mocha fudge. Mouth: huge, borderline frightening, in line with the announced ABV. But it is also pretty fruity: dried dates, dried figs, prunes, and juicier specimens too, namely: blush orange, nectarine, and, fleetingly, something more exotic that I struggle to pin down. Swirling it around the mouth for a bit burns the tongue allows the blush orange to really give it its all. It is supported by pink-grapefruit peels, surprisingly enough. A big, wine-y wave joins in that could very well mean sangria. The second sip has mocha custard, sticky toffee pudding, fudge, and, bizarrely, a lot more horsepower than the first. It does not take long before blush orange makes a comeback, very acidic; it displays an obvious citrus-peel-y bitterness. Water increases that bitterness, yet it cranks up the sweetness too, so it stays well balanced. Mixed peels in blush-orange juice, really. Deliciously refreshing. There may even be cucumber peel, too, as well as a pinch of nigella seeds, or asafoetida. Finish: astonishingly, it is rather soft, today. Sure, it grows warmer, but the terrifying ABV is nowhere to be spotted. Instead, it is a parade of juicy fruits: blush orange, pink-grapefruit zest, lychee (you read that correctly!), rambutan, unripe nectarine, and tangerine. What is happening!? This finish has the pronounced acidity of all those lovely fruits, and a certain fruit sweetness. To note on top of the above is a drop of strawberry juice. It is all very fresh again -- so fresh, in fact, that it is close to spearmint, or nigella seeds. Repeated sipping maintains this far below rocket-fuel levels of heat; it remains fairly soft, all things considered. On the other hand, it seems more and more acidic, which comes with ever-present citrus fruits. Water works less well in the finish, and that is not a shock, seeing as it was so quaffable naked. It subtracts the acidity, leaves a dialled-down sweetness, and a clearer (though less strong) bitterness. Picture diluted lychee juice, with a sprinkle of crushed lychee stone and cucumber peel. It took (almost?) fifteen years, but I finally enjoy this very much! 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Psycho)