26/07/2024 Auchentoshan

Auchentoshan 21yo 1975/1997 (55.4%, OB Official Distillery Archive, C#1397 + 1398 + 1399 + 3494 + 3495 + 1614 + 1615 + 1616 + 1617 + 1618 + 1619 + 1620 + 400 + 401 + 3093 + 3094 + 3095 + 3096): we tried this one in June, standing, and rushing a bit. One has to admire the dedication of Morrison Bowmore (who bottled this when the distillery was theirs) for sticking all the cask numbers on the label. Maybe they were the source of all that deforestation (to make paper labels), and dwindling numbers of squid (to collect ink). Nose: this one is on a specific level of woody, full of encaustic and polished antique furniture of a rustic sort. We have some cut bush flowers in a vase (lilac, forsythia), and, to be clear, the woody stems come out clearer than the flowers themselves. It has some caramel too that veers towards rubber, without ever reaching it (phew). Behind all that wood-in-a-vase action, one can find boiled sweets, probably elderberry flavoured. Grumpy nosers may choose to detect cardboard and crumpled newspapers; they are in the shadow of those sweets and of the wood. Perhaps that wood comprises seeds, yet I am struggling to name them (not caraway, fennel, or lovage). Shaking the glass revives the woody tones with varnish and glue. The second nose is more-strongly caramel-y. Picture caramelised puffed wheat -- yes, like the famous breakfast cereals. Great for those who like that, borderline sickly for those who do not. Mouth: thick and caramel-y, this is probably pumped with E150a. Here are carbonyl, watered-down treacle, black liquorice bootlace in a syrup form, cinnamon-y chai. It has some kick too! The second sip seems rawer, more-uncompromisingly alcoholised, though by no means off-putting. Hot water in the coffee machine, before it even touched the ground coffee in the filter, a lick of metal, and that varnish-y-caramel-y touch we now come to expect. Maybe unexpectedly, the finish is full-on spiced tea: cinnamon, crushed cardamom, a pinch of ground cloves, ground coriander, and a generous dose of creamy boiled milk join gunpowder black tea, which makes for an earthy beverage, one served with a dollop of caramel instead of sugar. The second gulp is sweeter, warmer. One could say: more welcoming. Brown sugar crystals, set dark honey... And chai comes back, milky and spicy, and rustic at the same time. Lovely. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Savoureur)