Auchentoshan The Bartender's Malt

I noticed this bottle on the bottom shelf at my local store and thought to myself, while I'm not a massive fan of this distillery, this one seems to have a significant amount of pretentious marketing. So for $44, I figured, why not? It should at least work well in cocktails. Let's discuss the marketing: it features shiny copper stickers on the box and bottle, proclaiming it as an annual, limited release, and the first in its series (the #1 releases are highly collectible). Yes, indeed! The eye-rolling aspect is that this distillery gathered the 12 top bartenders globally, collaborated on this blend, and declared them THE NEW MALT ORDER!! (This is actually on the label). Good grief, so if the world ends, I'll need to find one of these folks to whip up a suitable End of the World cocktail. Let's examine the whiskey itself before we declare them saviors, shall we? Firstly, it's bottled at 47% ABV. That's quite potent, and I suspect the group decided a higher alcohol content was necessary for when they were tossing this into flaming cocktails, pouring it over massive ice cubes, or sticking that cliché umbrella into a highball. It has a light copper color and creates nice, slow-moving legs when swirled. Here's where things get interesting... The nose is absolutely incredible! It's somewhat sweet with notes of honey-dipped apple and apricot, but then a surprising floral and spice note appears, quite similar to a particular bourbon. The high ABV significantly amplifies these notes. The aroma is captivating. Well done. The palate, however, reveals the youthfulness of the whiskey at play. There's some nice, sharp ginger and lemon zest that add a good liveliness. The harshness persists into the finish, but I can see how this would hold up exceptionally well in a mixed drink. It's a bit of a challenge to drink neat, though. Adding water might be beneficial here. The finish is long, dominated by pepper and oak spices. The mouthfeel is lively and not particularly coating, but I think that's acceptable. Overall, the pretentiousness of the whole 'New Malt Order' concept and the 'Bestest, Annual, Limited' hype is a bit much, but the contents of the bottle are noteworthy. I even saw that this distillery has brought the group back for a second round, so they must be pleased with the final product and sales. If they maintain the pricing around $40-45, I would definitely buy it, and I certainly recommend this batch. Purchase a bottle and create your own wild cocktails before the real apocalypse arrives. 4.25 stars. Cheers, my friends.

Alright, I admit I was swayed. I went to the store seeking a very limited bourbon that hadn't been released yet and left with a single malt... The packaging was attractive and featured some buzzwords, and as someone in sales, I respect that effort. Appearance: a pale golden amber with a hint of green tones Nose: At full strength, I detect notes of apricots, honey, and floral scents that are very appealing. With a bit of water, more earthy notes emerge; the packaging refers to this as green tobacco leaves, so I'll concede that's probably accurate. Palate: This is a very young single malt, not particularly complex initially, with a lot of zest and citrus similar to an IPA. Adding a bit of water reduces the harshness of the high proof, leading to a balance of sweet floral and buttery notes. Finish: This whiskey tends to linger, with notes of pepper and wood emerging that seem absent earlier in the experience, but their duration provides balance in the end. I paid $46 for this. Given that the packaging highlights 12 master bartenders who contributed as the 'new malt order,' I suppose this represents a solid whiskey for the direction things are headed.

Picked this up on a whim while in TN last weekend. Nose: a beautiful cocoa aroma with a hint of citrus and something like cherry (sharpness, maybe from the chocolate). It reminds me of the chocolate orange candy I occasionally had as a kid. A little floral note is sprinkled on top too. Tasting: floral at the start, followed by something spicy (some mention ginger, but I'm not very familiar with that flavor), then it opens up to something like cinnamon mixed with water - very subtle. The finish isn't very long and doesn't stick around. Overall, not bad! I'm more of an Islay fan, but this will do as a good sipper. It doesn't quite reach Speyside characteristics (my least favorite region), but has just enough maltiness and a touch of barrel/oakiness to be a good level of boldness.

A thank you to a friend for this after a long day. Side note...regardless of your stance on certain issues, these young people are simply incredible; articulate, passionate, and quite angry. I admired their spirit at that age. Anyway... I digress. I'm not a big fan of a particular brand's offerings; aside from their aged expression, their other products seem lacking. I feel I could get better value for my money. But this, this is different. It has a sweeter aroma, like honey-glazed almonds. The taste is a bit lacking, but you still get that common young citrus flavor. Overall, it's well-crafted. Thanks, friend!

This was my first experience with anything from this distillery, and if it's representative of their quality, I'll be exploring more. Extremely easy to drink with just a hint of smoke and a long finish with notes of chocolate malt. I acquired this at a very favorable price, which I don't anticipate is typical at $25, but I would have been content even if I had paid $40 for it. I suspect that even individuals who claim not to enjoy Scotch would be surprised by its flavor and would consume it readily. I would repurchase this. Cheers!

I was genuinely pleased with this one! It was a gift, my initial experience with a Lowland whisky, though earlier encounters with other expressions from a specific brand left me unimpressed. However, this no-age-statement version offers a superb blend of Irish and Scotch characteristics, reminiscent of a certain Irish whiskey but with an added coastal sharpness. It's like a fusion of Irish and Campbeltown styles. So, yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this and plan to revisit it regularly!