{"product_id":"auchroisk-1976-singleton-of-auchroisk-unblended-sherry-cask-matured-speyside-single-malt-scotch-whisky-1990s-75cl","title":"Auchroisk 1976 Singleton of Auchroisk Unblended Sherry Cask Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (1990s) 75cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAuchroisk 1976 Singleton of Auchroisk Unblended Sherry Cask Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (1990s) 75cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn older Auchroisk bottling from the pre-Diageo days where distillation was with direct fire rather than steam producing a muskier 'smokier' character than today's smoother distillation production spirit. This whisky was distilled in 1976 and bottles in the 1990s allegedly with a minimum of 12 years. The colour produced is a beautiful shade of copper. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe colour is a light-to-medium copper. Rich, heavy malt on the nose, as you would expect from a 1970s distillation. Classic umami notes of beef stock, damp forest floor and Christmas pudding. Toasted oak. You can tell these are sherry casks all the way. Canned peaches. Buttered toast. Becomes maltier, and with a hint of peat, with water. Lovely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the palate there are similar notes, plus some peppery spices, more baked fruits (apples, pears), light sherry, various berries (blue, straw, rasp) and blood orange. A tiny hint of smoke. Water brings all those notes forward, and adds a bit of spice. Very smooth and delicious.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe finish is long with more toasted oak, plus raspberries and more of those umami notes. If you can find something like this, and not pay too much for it at auction (Auchroisk is not very collectible) then go for it. These old 1970s distillates are like a time machine to another era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Auchroisk\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuchroisk [pronounced Orth-rusk] is one of Diageo’s ‘nutty-spicy’ sites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere the heavy character is produced by rapid mashing, quick fermentation and, in the wash stills, a rapid boiling regime which almost cooks the solids and allows controlled carryover of some solids. This almost singed character [shared with Blair Athol] is most obvious at new make but recedes with maturation, being replaced by a balanced honeyed cereal sweetness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe building of Auchroisk in 1972 was meant to herald the start of a new era for blended Scotch. Certainly architecturally (like its contemporary, Allt-a-Bhainne) it stands out – a white, harled, modernist structure in the moorland. It was commissioned by IDV, at that time the parent firm of J\u0026amp;B which had decided that sales of the blend justified another distillery being built to join its Speyside portfolio of Glen Spey, Knockando and Strathmill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuchroisk was first bottled as single malt in 1986 and was the first to carry the prefix ‘Singleton’, a name now attached to single malts from Glen Ord, Glendullan and Dufftown. Although highly regarded by writers and judges in its time, it never quite made the leap from cult to major brand. Interestingly, the maturation process involved decanting 10-year-old ex-Bourbon matured whisky into ex-Sherry casks for a further two years of secondary maturation, making it the first example of finishing, but IDV never thought of talking up the process, leaving Balvenie and Glenmorangie to be regarded as the pioneers of the technique. The brand was dropped in 2001 and has subsequently quietly slipped back into the shadows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough somewhat remote, the large tracts of land surrounding the distillery make this the ideal site for one of Diageo’s main northern warehousing complexes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e40% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e100cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Auchroisk","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52792392253778,"sku":"AUCH1976SINGLETON","price":259.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Auchroisk1976SingletonofAuchroiskUnblendedSpeysideSingleMaltScotchWhisky_1990s_75cl.jpg?v=1771971195","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/auchroisk-1976-singleton-of-auchroisk-unblended-sherry-cask-matured-speyside-single-malt-scotch-whisky-1990s-75cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}