Very limited

Worth consideration for the connoisseur

For the details…

Auchroisk was built in 1972 by IDV (one of the predecessors of Diageo), the parent firm of Justerini & Brooks. Never intended for solo glory, the distillery was built in a decidedly industrial style with a name unpronounceable to any other than native Gaelic speakers (not really; it’s pronounced “Oth-roysk” or “Oth-rusk”) to provide fillings for IDV’s J&B blend. 

It was first bottled as a single malt in 1986, and due to the superficial difficulty of its Gaelic name, it became the first malt in the now-Diageo portfolio to be branded as “The Singleton,” a moniker presently reserved for several stable-mates. At the moment, there is a regular bottling of Auchroisk in the Flora and Fauna range, and occasional special release bottlings, including a 20, 25 and 30 year old all bottled at cask strength.

The Alistair Walker Whisky Co is a relatively new independent bottler. It was founded by Alistair Walker, son of industry legend Billy Walker, the man behind the renaissance of Benriach, Glendronach and Glenglassaugh prior to their sale to American firm Brown-Forman, and now the mastermind of a similar rebirth at Glenallachie. Alistair has been quietly releasing carefully selected, single cask, cask strength bottlings from a variety of distilleries as part of the Infrequent Flyers range for several years now.

This Auchroisk was distilled in 2006, matured for 13 years in a hogshead, and bottled in 2019 at cask strength and with natural presentation; it was 1 of 273 bottles produced from the cask. My experience with Auchroisk is limited, however, this bottling shares in common with my previous tasting a fresh, grassy and citric character; this one is especially sweet, as well.

Auchroisk 13 year old (Alistair Walker Whisky Co – Infrequent Flyers) 58.3% abv

Nose: Very fresh, perfumed and fruity. Floral. Wet rose petals. Tart green apple slice. A rather sweet grapefruit. Fresh grass in morning dew.

Body: Very light.

Palate: Explosively sweet and sugary. Powdered sugar and creamy lemon icing. Underneath, lemon pith and mint leaves.

Finish: Still quite sweet and citric, with a slight note of vanilla. Beure blanc with fresh dill. Medium length.

Score: 81/100

Who should buy it?: Fans of sweet, citric whisky and connoisseurs trying to taste as widely as possible.

Overall thoughts: This is a tasty little whisky that lies a bit outside my typical wheelhouse, character-wise. Definitely worth trying if you have the chance, but maybe not worth seeking out.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Auchroisk 2006 13 year old 58.3% abv

Bottler: Alistair Walker Whisky Co

Range: Infrequent Flyers

Bottle Code: illegible

Presentation: Cask strength; Unchillfiltered and natural color

Details: Distilled Mar 27, 2006, bottled Oct 2019, cask #804082, 1 of 273 bottles, matured in a hogshead, AWW Co. Release #14

Price: $95-120

Availability: Very limited. One of only 273 bottles, this single cask whisky probably only went to specialist retailers in the UK, and perhaps in northwestern Europe. If there is any left at all, it would be at a UK or EU based specialty retailer or possibly at auction.

Distillery Information:

Region: Speyside

Location: Mulben

Geography: Inland

Date Founded: 1972

Owner: Diageo

Website: https://www.malts.com/en-us/

Capacity: 5,900,000

Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Lauter; WASHBACKS: 8 Steel; STILLS: 8; HEAT SOURCE: Steam; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube

Total expressions sampled: 2

Overall distillery score: n/a