Overall rating
86.55/100
ratings
78
Whiskybase ID
WB53687
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Cadenhead's (CA)
Bottling series
Small Batch
Vintage
1989
Bottled
03.2014
Stated Age
24 years
Cask Type
Butts
Number of bottles
1140
Strength
57.5 %
Size
700 ml
Added on
04 apr 2014 11:30 pm by Bishlouk
UncoloredNon-chill FilteredCask Strength
Overall rating
86.55/100
ratings
78

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Whisky reviews for Auchroisk 1989 CA

20 users have left 21 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 86.55 points.

Read the reviews
  1. CST1986 scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    Without any water, this whisky can seem quite sulphury and gunpowder-y, which is why it doesn't score higher in my book.
    With water and especially on the palate, it's a whole league better and develops into a nice, satisfying and quite complex dram with the (still slightly meaty) sherry not overpowering the grassy and delicately nutty distillery character. Decent value for money, but probably not for the beginner.
    • Nose
      83 83
      It's on the nose where the gunpowder-y note really is a problem and causes you to get nervous on what to expect.
      Neat: Yeah, sulphur candles, gunpowder and some burnt caramel are masking an otherwise quite promising nose. It does lose quite a few points here, but if you overcome the first shock you will also detect a fruity, malty and nutty character behind the sulphur curtain. Maybe we can lift that curtain with a drop of water?

      With water: You won't fully erase that impression of a not-so-clean sherry cask, and if you hate sulphur like the devil hates holy water, please give this whisky a pass. BUT with water (you may be quite generous) the malt calms significantly down and becomes a typically malty and fruity Speysider with a meaty and salty twist. Salted caramelized nuts, raisins, a meat sauce on a coal stove, hay, dried figs and honey. This whisky has some potential. If only the cask had been of better quality...
    • Taste
      87 87
      Neat:
      Much more palatable and pleasant than feared. Yes, there is that gunpowder note, but thankfully there's nothing rotten or stale on the palate. Punchy attack, Spicy (hot curry powder), meaty and sweet (malt sugar and caramelized nuts). Good, but the development is quickly becoming quite hot.

      With water:
      Again, much much better. Now the sulphur has completely vanished in favour of a creamy and full-bodied malty Speyside character with apple sauce (plus cinnamon), figs, Swiss nut cake and only a delicate sherry note and a hint of coal smoke in the background. Suddenly it seems so well integrated, which is quite a miracle!
    • Finish
      89 89
      Long, on salted nuts, caramel, sherried plums and an ever so slight smoke note. The finish is definitely the best part.

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