“Thin As a Brick”
Whisky Review # 1066
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Speyside
Brand: Auchroisk 2008 - Distilled: 10-04-2008
Bottled By: PSL (Pendulum Spirits Ltd) - Fable Chapter Nine Storm on 18-10-2021
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 59% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Hogshead - Cask # 806196 - 264 Bottles
Chill Filtration: No
Maturation: Hogshead - Cask # 806196 - 264 Bottles
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 80-90 (June 2025)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 It's not worth your money
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 It's not worth your money
Buying Advice: 👎 Not good enough for a 13 Year old Single Malt
Colour:
White Wine (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Not a lot going on here. Very underwhelming for a Single Malt. The Nose is Sweet and a little Dirty and Rough. You have to be extremely patient to dig up some faint notes. Mostly slightly Sour Fruits, Malt, Herbs and Nuts.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Barley, Toast with Margarine, slightly Sour Gooseberries, Grapefruit and Plums, Seville Orange, Lemon, Nuts, Ginger and Mint.
Toasted Barley, Toast with Margarine, slightly Sour Gooseberries, Grapefruit and Plums, Seville Orange, Lemon, Nuts, Ginger and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Heather-Honey, Caramel, Apples and Pears, Cooked Cabbage, Wet Paper, Car Repair Shop, Herbs, Plastic, Pepper and Cinnamon.
Vanilla, Heather-Honey, Caramel, Apples and Pears, Cooked Cabbage, Wet Paper, Car Repair Shop, Herbs, Plastic, Pepper and Cinnamon.
Source: Whisky.Com
Young, Thin, Dirty and Nervous with mostly Sugary Sweet and Sour notes. It's not your average mainstream Malt. I usually like that but not in this case. It's just not good enough.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Barley, Sugar, Sour Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Apple, Seville Orange and Plums, Oak, Nuts, Pepper, Ginger & Menthol. The slightest hint of Factory Smoke.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Straw, Obstler, Pear, Lemon, Cloves & Licorice.
Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Hot, Dirty & Spicy. I find Sugar, Malted Barley, slightly Sour Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Plums and Citrus, Caramel, Nuts, Heather-Honey, Apple, Pear, Oak, Pepper, Cloves, Ginger, Menthol and Licorice.
Drinking Advice:
I added a little Water & that helps bringing some fresh Orchard fruit to the Nose. It doesn't do a lot of good to the Palate and Finish though. Less Alcohol of course but also less flavor. This Auchroisk does not perform both with or without Water.
Rating: 6 (******)
Nose: 6 - Taste: 6 - Finish: 6
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.
Conclusion:
Auchroisk was founded in 1972 by Justerini & Brooks and became part of Diageo in 1997. The annual production arounds to 5.8 million litres. Almost all of it goes into the Diageo blends. The only official bottling is the 10 Year old Flora & Fauna.
Almost six million litres of Auchroisk Spirit disappear in the Diageo blends every year. I wonder why though. It doesn't bring much to the table apart from lots of mostly Sour Fruit. I will try to get a sample of the 10 Year old Flora & Fauna to check if it's interesting enough as a Single Malt. Based on this expression made by PSL I'm not too optimistic though. My advise is to leave this kid alone!
Cheers! 🥃
Jan van den Ende June 30, 2025
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