Auchentoshan Blood Oak

Strangely enough it took quite some doing to get this bottle to me, but in the end we found it… in a Belgian shop. Weird, as this is supposed to be a limited edition for Global Travel Retail. Anyway, it has arrived, so let us get to work. The Blood Oak (great name, by the way) is a vatting of American bourbon and French red wine casks. I am happy that Auchentoshan has decided to bottle this at 46%.

The nose holds the middle between sweet and sour with the emphasis on red fruit. Think strawberries, maraschino cherries and blood oranges, with a mild sour touch from the wine. Give it some time to breath, because it needs to get rid of the initial sharpness.

It is wonderfully creamy on the palate and spicy from the start. Think nutmeg, cloves and some cinnamon. The sweet fruit returns, upholstered with loads of citrus notes. Grapefruit, but also mandarin. A bit zesty. The wine puts its foot down, but it never becomes vinous. The bourbon casks counter it with a big dose of sweetness in the guise of vanilla and a bit of coconut.

I would not have minded if the finish was a bit longer, but it does become nicely sweet at the death.

This seems a bit like a mix of the American Oak and the 11 Year Old on Bordeaux (maybe it is). But is works. I quite fancy this. Around 75 EUR.

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