Auchentoshan 10 Year Old SMWS 5.33

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has quite a few Auchentoshan on the market. The distillery number for the SMWS is 5. I tasted the SMWS 5.29 before, with the resounding name Freesias Crushed by an Escaping Car (what is in a name?), which was something of an odd one out. I wonder how this Charming Evocation of Summer will fare.

Oh, my, what a honeysweet nose! A truckload of lemon, lime and vanilla, upholstered with white and yellow flowers. Dandelions and buttercups. Soft ginger, aniseed and white pepper. Apple pie and rhubarb marmalade. Lemon grass and hints of hay. Adding water brings out more grass. A walk in the park on a sunny afternoon.

It is creamy and mouth coating, but very sharp. The ABV sets your throat alight. Citrus stays in the lead, while the vanilla crawls to the background. Petit Beurre cookies. Very spicy. With water, those spices come out even more, but it does make the dram more complex. Nice peppers, fresh mint.

The long finish remains very, very sweet. My teeth almost clatter out of my mouth!

The name might be somewhat pretentious, but it is well chosen. This is a stunning bourbon matured Auchentoshan. Do add some water, will you?

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