Auchentoshan 13 Year Old 1998 Exclusive Malts Creative Whisky Company

This bottling dates back to the time when David Stirk was the owner of the Creative Whisky Company. An Auchentoshan in the Exclusive Malts series? Well, of course. The cask yielded 228 cask strength bottles. It has been in the closet for almost ten years now, but for my 52nd birthday I decided to open it.

The nose is very clean. Citrus and a lot of nuts. Peach, lime, lemongrass, Frosties, Ovomaltine and hay. Quite a few floral touches and something of... uh... shampoo? Special, but far from unpleasant.

On the palate, that soapy note actually comes back immediately. Argh! Fortunately, that is quickly dispelled by a lot of vanilla, oak, cinnamon, apples, pears and even some melon. But especially lemon juice and flowers.

The finish is medium long on melon, pepper and candied ginger.

This is not an easy Auchentoshan. It flirts a bit with perfume. One time I like it, the next time a lot less. Emptying the bottle was no mean feat.

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