Auchroisk 12 Year Old 1978 Cadenhead’s

This might in fact be very exciting. An old Auchroisk from last Century, distilled in 1979 (so in the fifth year of the distillery’s existence) and bottled in 1990 by Cadenhead in their famous black dumpy bottles. The stuff spent double the time in the bottle than it did on the cask. Here goes.

Err.. hang on.. I’m not so sure what to make of this nose. It started rather soft, but after a few minutes it opened up, but I’m not sure that was such a good thing. Initially I got orangs and some wet stones, but that soon changed into something soapy, curry ketchup and wet cardboard. Some salt in the back? This is weird. Then returns to young pears and apples. A bit schizophrenic, to be honest.

Ouch! This is a kick in the teeth. The fruit (all citrus, mind you) is quickly overpowered by all kinds of spices, but also a big, big chemical sweetness. This is a fast becoming a plastic monster that turn very bitter very quickly. And dry.

The finish is mercilessly long, bittersweet and leaves the mouth parched.

What an adventure. Exciting, sure, but never again. Quickly, hand me a glass of water. Or two.

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