Auchroisk "This is Like Spectacular" Apollo 9, The Whisky Barrel Exclusive

Score: 9/23 There are conflicting opinions on this one, so I'm uncertain about the quality. My hesitation lies in using a delicate spirit like Auchroisk with a Pedro Ximenez cask finish. Nose: The aroma is intensely syrupy, like opening a fresh PX bottle. It presents with sweetness, raisins, and confectioner's sugar. Beyond that, a peculiar funkiness emerges, reminiscent of the funk in Glenfarclas 105 and Rabbit Hole Dereringer, likely due to the sherry influence. It has a somewhat vegetal and savory character. The alcohol is noticeable and slightly sharp, which is expected given the proof. Hints of chocolate, though slightly off, are present, alongside an oily nuttiness. Occasional flashes of bright lemon and notes of clementines appear. There's a distinct earthiness with a subtle tar undertone. The nose is highly intriguing yet quite challenging. Palate: It's syrupy and sweet, followed by an unexpected taste of freshly toasted wood chips, like they've just come out of the oven. This is unlike the sawdust flavor found in Garrison Brothers and doesn't match any other profile I've encountered. The dominant sensation is a warm, intense toastiness, similar to removing a tray of hot American oak wood chips. This was not anticipated. Alongside this, the syrupy PX sweetness competes for attention, offering notes of raisins, orange peel, and nut oil. There's some earthy funk with tar, but less than I feared. However, I'm not fond of that funk. That said, I can understand why Auchroisk was chosen, as its subtle milky character surfaces, adding a layer of smoothness that seems to say, "I sense intense energy here, let's all take a moment to relax." It's not typical for Auchroisk, but it works in an artistic fashion. I'm genuinely surprised by the extent to which the Auchroisk spirit shines through, or indeed, that it shows up at all. There's a definite youthful quality, accompanied by excessive funk and a sense of rapid maturation. The sulfur is becoming prominent, and the wood's sweetness is fading. This significantly diminishes my assessment of this spirit. Finish: Wood that has lost its sweetness, sulfur, and some of that sweet, syrupy fruit. - Conclusion - This certainly tastes younger and less balanced than That Boutique'y Whisky Company's Auchroisk 19 (17/23). Between the two, I find That Boutique-y Whisky Company's offering to be clearly superior. It's time to compare this with other funky sherry finishes. Glenglassaugh Pedro Ximenez Finish (12/23) is lighter (46% ABV) and retains more of its original spirit character, but it also exhibits more funkiness, which is somewhat off-putting and lingers. The rapid aging wood chip character in this expression might be masking the funk more effectively. I suspect a barrel was deliberately toasted for this. While less balanced, its flavors are arguably better. I'd choose this over the Glenglassaugh, but the difference isn't as significant as the gap between this and That Boutique-y Whisky Company's Auchroisk 19. Given its higher proof and likely similar age, Glenfarclas 105 (12/23) presents a closer comparison. My initial impression is that this expression is superior to the Glenfarclas. I've found that I generally dislike young Glenfarclas due to its pronounced funkiness, although I appreciate their older expressions. Therefore, I might be underrating the Glenfarclas, but I consider it comparable to the Glenglassaugh and inferior to this. It contains a substantial amount of youthful malt distillate, reminiscent of some unusual American interpretations of Irish Whiskey (note to self: compare with Ransom The Emerald later). This spirit is more akin to taking that profile and rapidly aging it with toasted wood and PX, rather than allowing it to mature for 25 years to mellow the funk. However, it possesses a youthful meatiness that the Glenfarclas lacks, despite its significant funk. On second thought, this one seems more out of sorts. Next, Rabbit Hole Dereringer (also 12/23). It has a lot of funk from the Rabbit Hole distillery, but still lacks the meatiness found here. Ordinarily, I would deduct points for a whisky tasting like freshly toasted wood chips, but in this instance, it's a welcome distraction from the earthy, tarry, meaty funk. Ugh! This isn't entirely without merit, and the Auchroisk distillate valiantly tries to maintain its integrity. Throughout this tasting, I've been convinced that That Boutique'y Whisky Company's Auchroisk 19 is vastly superior. I can't justify a score higher than 14, and based on my current thoughts, it might drop to an 8. I'll need to revisit it to finalize the score. If I were to rate it now, I'd give it a 13. It's nearly a disaster, comparable to that Apollo mission Tom Hanks was involved in, not the one it's named after. Revisiting this, its imbalance is striking and almost overwhelming. I detect distinct sulfur notes not present in the other sherry-finished whiskies. While those others are unpleasantly funky, one could imagine someone enjoying them. With the sulfur here... I can't see how this is acceptable. As a point of reference, That Boutique-y Whisky Company's Auchroisk 19 continues to far outperform this. I'm now considering a score between 6 and 13, most likely a 10, though a 9 is a serious possibility. This isn't peat-related sulfur; it's the kind found in low-quality scotch that I would avoid. This now reminds me of buying a highly sulfuric bottom-shelf scotch, like Piper's Clan, from a store and attempting to improve it with toasted wood chips and PX sherry. I do appreciate the milky quality of the Auchroisk and the initial wave of sweet vanilla from the freshly toasted oak is quite pleasant. The sweet PX flavor, while excessive, is not inherently disliked. Despite being a crude attempt to mask the sulfur, these flavors do enhance the dram. This one is particularly difficult to score as it falls short of anything else I currently have open. It's certainly not an 11. A 7 is a remote possibility. I'm leaning towards an 8 or 9. I'll settle on a 9. My thanks to a friend for sharing this bottle. I was curious to experience the younger Auchroisk with an aggressive sherry finish and was intrigued by how it differed from my expectations.

Continuing my reviews of the "Apollo Lunar Mission Bottles" from The Whisky Barrel, I'm reviewing the second bottle I opened from this collection, the Auchroisk 10yo "THIS IS LIKE SPECTACULAR" Apollo 9. It matured in first fill PX Hogsheads and was bottled at 59.1%abv. This is my second Auchroisk this month, and the other one might be my favorite whisky of 2021, the St. Margaret Of Scotland. Now "This is like Spectacular", lives up to its name completely. This "out of this world" dram commemorates the Apollo 9 mission, the first with a human walking in space. Russell Schweickart, the first astronaut to wear a portable life support system, emerged to space from the Lunar Module proclaiming: “Hey, this is like spectacular!” On the nose.... "HEY THIS IS LIKE SPECTACULAR". You just need to smell it. You don't even need to drink it. If the world smelled this good, life would be much better. Blackberry jam, hazelnut, Pedro Ximenez Sherry and the most incredible aroma of raisins ever. Wedding cake, very winey; marzipan, amaretto and other citric notes. After a first sip, the aroma changed into coffee, cocoa. Dark chocolate, quince and plum. Christmas cake and grapefruits. This is a breathtaking aroma, the best nose ever. On the palate it is simply delicious. Plums, followed by a pepper explosion. Molasses, cherries, Marshmallows and everything syrupy. Red Berries. Aftertaste follows the same rythm: Sherry supernova; Molasses and Winey. Rum and dark chocolate. Very sugary, sugar cane; Dr. Pepper, Tobacco, a gasless Coca cola and some Metallic feelings. Overall, a superb dram, from a distillery that has blown my mind twice in two weeks. What is happening here? Do I need to get more Auchroisks? I have to. A PX explosion, super sweet and complex dram, that you won't feel its 59.1%abv at all. Incredible whisky, my score for it is 100 out of 100. Slàinte Mhath!!!!

Nose: raisin, chocolate malt, vanilla, nutmeg, vanilla, apple, apricot, orange, a touch of light sulphur, and moderate ethanol burn. Taste: raisin, lemon pith, orange zest, dark chocolate, ginger, apple, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, coffee, cola, black cherry, with a moderate alcohol bite. The finish is medium in length, featuring raisin, citrus, and baking spice flavors. As this has been a recent subject of discussion, I felt compelled to offer my perspective. A single whiff immediately signals the presence of PX sherry; it's possible there's more PX than whiskey in this dram. It's akin to submerging oneself in a bathtub filled with Sunmaid raisins left to ferment for a month. Chocolate, baking spices, and a meaty note, which I'm attributing to sulphur, are also present. Alternatively, it could be a dried apricot note; I sometimes confuse the two. The palate is robust and lively. The overwhelming PX sherry somewhat masks the youthfulness, but it's still detectable. More raisins, bitter citrus, chocolate, and coffee are also noticeable. The finish is decent, with those dark flavors lingering quite pleasantly. While I don't dislike this, I'm not particularly fond of it either. I appreciate a good PX sherry bomb as much as anyone, but the balance here is off. I have an Edradour 11 Year that is also a significant PX bomb, yet the base spirit seems to hold up better against the dominant sherry influence compared to this one. The primary concerns are the youthfulness and the citrusy bitterness that permeates the palate. Nevertheless, it's above average for me and a really interesting pour to experience. A big thank you to a friend for providing the sample!

The aroma is dominated by sherry, starting with dark chocolate raisins, then apple and orange fruits, followed by a moderate spice that fades to musty grapes and a piece of charred whole wheat toast, with a strong ethanol burn. The taste has a medium body, beginning with dark chocolate raisins, then apple and orange fruits, followed by a strong, drying spice that fades to musty grapes, ginger, cloves, and charred whole wheat toast, with a high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length, featuring drying spices, dark chocolate-covered raisins, toasted marshmallow, and ashy oak. The nose is entirely taken over by what seems to be an overactive sherry cask, allowing some orchard fruit and toast through. This carries to the palate with a strong drying spice in the middle, before fading to musty grapes, barrel spices, and toast, finishing medium length with a drying spice and sherry notes. This one didn't work for me; it seems youthful and harsh, and could have benefited from more time in the cask to mellow out that astringency, making it taste almost like sherry fire water. A big thank you to a friend for the generous sample.

I was really eager to try this one... and unfortunately, I bought it because I'm a massive enthusiast of the Apollo missions. I've never had Auchroisk before, so I had no preconceived notions. This expression is entirely dominated by the PX cask influence. It's akin to licking toast covered in PX. Personally, I question the purpose when a spirit is completely overshadowed by the cask. I believe a better sense of balance is needed. It's excessively sweet, and aggressively so, taken to the extreme. It's like indulging in those Cinnabon rolls found in malls – so much sweetness that the cinnamon flavor is lost. I definitely wouldn't recommend it... at least for my personal taste.