I initially feared some OBE, but that was not the case, thank the Maker. Au contraire. The nose is very fresh and fruity, slighty waxy and silky soft. I get a load of citrus, gooseberries and almonds. Limoncello with a hint of caramal and honey.

On the palate it is soft and fruity as well. A perfect continuation of the nose with the emphasis on lemon. Extremely quaffable.

The finish is quite long and wonderfully crisp.

Okay, so this is not a grand whisky per se, but being a 12 Year Old Auchentoshan, this is a dram to reckon with. Much better than current releases. I was told that there are many batch variations (meaning some are not as good as this one), so I am happy I opened this version, that was bottled for the Italian market. For the record, it is also the 900^th whisky that I have tasted since keeping records in October 2009. My liver is not (yet) protesting.