Distillery: Auchentoshan

Region: Lowland

Price: ~$55 (Gift from an uncle who bought a case of this stuff)

Cask Type: Ex-PX sherry, Ex-Oloroso, Ex-Bourbon

ABV: 43%

Color: 1.5, auburn (E150 added)

Nose: Raisins; pine sap, like generic car fragrance; pine needles; jammy dodgers. After some resting, buttery shortbread fills the room.

Palate: Texture is unremarkable, not Craigellachie rich, not Dalwhinnie thin. Sweet lemon cordial. Raspberry juice. Sweet shoyu ramen broth. Japanese ramen egg. Lotus Biscoff biscuits.

Finish: Smooth, no burn as expected of the ABV and triple distillation. More of the eggs, especially the feeling of powdery egg yolk residue we find in overcooked eggs. Some gently astringent tannins that linger unremarkably. Lemon meringue with sea salt sprinkled on top - this appears along the sides of my tongue.

Conclusion: As a major, major fan of egg and ramen in every conceivable form, I tolerated it more than a lot of others might. Nonetheless, such notes that would probably be amazing in an Islay do not work with triple-distilled Lowland. It is very strange to get egg (as distinguished from sulfur) in such a clean whiskey. Moreover, the tannic and powdery finish does not last long. The tannins persist for a bit longer than everything else, but are very subliminal and one-dimensional. I couldn't get any of the typical honeyed vanilla notes typically found in bourbon casks as well. The generic car fragrance on the nose reflects my general issue with this whiskey: a lack of nuance, an uniformity that gives me the impression of a very processed product. I can imagine someone thrown off by the pervading egg notes in such a whiskey would score it much lower than I did.

If it were named by the SMWS: Ramen in the Car

Score: 71

Scotch Review #3, Whisky Network Review #4

H.Y.