Auchentoshan "The Bartender's Malt" Lowland Scotch Review & Tasting Notes

 This review was originally published on November 19, 2019, at Bourbon & Banter.

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Auchentoshan Distillery
• MASH BILL: 100% Malted Barley
• AGE: NAS
• YEAR: 2019
• PROOF: 47% ABV
• MSRP: $49.95

 

NOSE: Honey | Dried Fruits | Light Vanilla | Chocolate

 

TASTE: Citrus | Cereal | Nutmeg | Ginger Beer

 

FINISH: Long, sweet, and slightly smoky with black pepper.

 

SHARE WITH: Anyone who enjoys Lowland Scotches.

 

WORTH THE PRICE: Absolutely.

 

BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: I'd buy a Bottle all day at this price.

 

OVERALL: If you're not a Scotch fan because things like peat or band-aid qualities turn you off, you should consider a Lowland Scotch. There aren't a lot of Lowland distilleries, and in my opinion, Auchentoshan does a consistent job of representing the region.

 

The Bartender's Malt is the first of a proposed series of limited edition Scotches for the distillery. In this initial offering, twelve bartenders from around the world collaborated to create a whisky by the bartender for the bartender. The idea is to give bartenders a Scotch that could be served neat or made into cocktails. I chose to test this whisky neat.

 

The Bartender's Malt is non-chill filtered and retains its natural color. That's important because distilleries can artificially color their whiskies to make them appear more appetizing. That shouldn't be an issue with this Single Malt, as the brassy and gold color is inviting enough.

 

The mouthfeel was thick and coated my entire palate. One of the most unusual aspects of the palate was a ginger beer quality on the back. I can't say I've ever experienced that, but it was spicy, sweet, and smoky without being peaty.

 

The Bartender's Malt isn't going to blow your socks off, but it is unusual, engaging, and very affordable. I enjoyed the heck out of it; it is a straightforward Bottle recommendation.

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.