Behind the sixth window of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s 2019 Advent Calendar we will be reviewing each day until the 24th of December was hidden an Auchroisk 12 year-old batch 7, bottled at 47.9% abv by that Boutique-y Whisky Company. Auchroisk is a quite recent distillery, as it was built in 1974, and is located in Speyside. Owned by Diageo, it was created mainly for blends, with only one official bottling, a 10 year-old in the Flora & Fauna collection and occasional apparitions in Diageo’s Special Releases. Fun fact: Diageo did not bother to pay enough attention to the page dedicated to Auchroisk on their malts.com website: you can still see a filler “lorem ipsum” line just when they start presenting the Auchroisk “range”. Auchroisk has a medium capacity of production at about 5.9 million litres of pure alcohol per year. I could not find any website selling the Batch 7 of this Boutique-y’s Auchroisk unfortunately.
Color:
White wine.
Nose:
Coldorak: The initial nose is quite tropical, with pineapple and mango, but quickly becomes meaty, with bacon and almost game. There’s also some hints of dough and malt water.
Ainulindalë: Freshly cut grass quite clearly, over smooth bourbon vanilla with a background of pears, and a small oaky side with a milk chocolatey tint to it.
Palate:
Coldorak: Sweet and prickly arrival, the alcohol bite makes you think the abv is higher than the 47.9%. Pineapple, green apple and a touch of citrus help you get your 5 fruits and vegetables for the day, with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Ainulindalë: It starts with grass and some sort of astringency. It then follows up on pears and a hint of peach to then go to vanilla, even displaying some custard and a bit of oak. It feels quite waxy and is not strong.
Finish:
Coldorak: Spicy and lightly sour, shortly moving to a lingering sweet and sourness on the tongue.
Ainulindalë: Very low key, staying on vanilla and milk chocolate but not lasting that long.
Rating:
Coldorak: 84/100
Ainulindalë: 80/100