Whisky-Fässle and Whiskybase / Archives were already related in the sense that both bottlers / retailers were selling each other’s whiskies. They are regularly releasing similar casks and now they’ve even shared one, a 23 years old Auchentoshan 1990.
I really like the way they also ‘exchanged’ animals on the labels. The Archives bottle features a duck while the Whisky-Fässle version now has an exotic fish. The duck of Samoa, is it? Really nice guys.
Auchentoshan 23 yo 1990 (47,7%, Whisky-Fässle & Whiskybase 2014, hogshead #6850)
Auchentoshan 23 yo 1990 (47,7%, Whisky-Fässle & Whiskybase 2014, hogshead #6850)Nose: light and inviting but not just clean or dull. There’s a nice fruity side of oranges and sweet pear, with hints of pineapple syrup. Soft hints of vanilla. On the other hand there are also notes of linseed oil and dusty wood. Hints of lime blossom. Quite fragrant after a while.
Mouth: sweet and creamy at first (vanilla cake) but these flavours quickly make place for zesty (grapefruit skin) and grassy notes. Herbal teas. Clove, a bit of aniseed. A few salty touches too. A little austere maybe.
Finish: not too long, still on the herbal and bittersweet side. Some pepper as well.
Auchentoshan… still hit and miss for me. I liked the nose, but the palate is less my style. Not bad, but these bottlers have better stuff to discover. Around € 135.
Score: 82/100