A lot of early 1990s Auchentoshan from independent bottlers recently. This 1992 expression was recently released by Maltbarn.
Auchentoshan 23 yo 1992 (52%, Maltbarn 2015, bourbon cask, 134 btl.)
Nose: starts grassy and neutral, with some plankish notes, but becomes rounder and more attractive after five minutes. Crushed mint leaves, grapefruit and creamy malt sweetness. Lemongrass and hints of butter milk. Pear and almonds. Paraffin notes.
Mouth: immediately very zesty (grapefruit, lemon peel) and grassy, including a bitter side. Ginger and chalk. Waxy notes and herbs like juniper and tonic water. Salted liquorice. I’m missing a juicy, fruity side here, but this is typically Lowlands of course.
Finish: medium long, grassy and zesty.
A very dry and slightly bitter dram with a lot of Rosebank elements. Not my favourite style, but with a lot of terroir, so to speak. Around € 125.
Score: 86/100