Mark Dermul
If you can help me expand my whisky palate, especially Auchentoshan, get in touch with me. Much obliged!
Auchentoshan
18
Year Old
1992 Murray McDavid Mission Gold Climens Cask Finish Number of bottles : 254 ABV : 54,0% Color : amber Tasted on 05/03/2016 |
Revenge of the Blogger
This bottling from Murray McDavid is gunned down by almost every
blogger that I know for its bitterness and suphery traits, the
broken marriage between the spirit and the wine. Climens is a
Sauternes Grand Cru Classé. It was a bit of a gamble to open up this
bottle during my last Toshan Birthday Tasting, for I had not yet
tasted it myself. Exciting, indeed.
Well, surely, we do get some struck match on the nose, but also some
cough candy, caramel and red fruit. Cardamom and camphor. Some plums,
banana peel, raisins and all the way in the back some marzipan and
gingerbread. Admittedly it also has some wet paper. But to gun it
down without thinking twice? If you leave it to breath, you will
also get loads of overcooked vegetables, which is not nice, so pour
it, sniff it and sip it straight away!
The arrival is surprisingly soft, mildly spicy and sweet.
Gingerbread, plums and loads of nutmeg. Halfway through the sulpher
does rear its ugly head, but the sweet notes easily overcome this.
There is a bittersweet note from agrums and even some chocolate.
The long bittersweet finish does make you reach for a glass of
water.
It is a far cry from a good Auchentoshan, but I found it quaffable
nonetheless. To paint a picture of a sulphury beast is not warranted,
in my opinion. It actually appeared in the top three during my
tasting and was hence aptly named ‘Revenge of the Blogger’ by the
attendants of said tasting.