Another Auchentoshan review in a short while. I bought a sample of this dram from The Toshan Man Mark Dermul since I generally like bourbon matured Auchentoshan, especially if it’s a properly selected active cask. Something they bottle for their festival should be that, right?

Auchentoshan hosted their own little whisky festival in 2009 and twice thereafter in 2010 and 2012. I haven’t heard anything about another episode for 2013 and since they also skipped 2011 I think it’s not something they want to do annually, but just when they feel like it.

This whisky is matured in a ‘Fresh American Bourbon Cask’, which I think means that it was matured in an American Oak Bourbon Hogshead, probably first fill. I know they use a lot of bourbon casks and since the limited edition they released a couple of years ago at 16 years old was rather good, I wanted to try this one.

Auchentoshan 2009 Festival. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Typically Auchentoshan at first with apple and light gentleness. A lot less spirity than the recently tried Heartwood. Citrus fruits with mostly lemon but also apple and barley. Very light and rather gentle. Quite some pepper and not much wood influence. It also has a certain grain whisky thing going on.

Sip:
The palate is as sharp as you’d expect it to be at 56.5%. I get vanilla, pineapple, lemon, fresh apples, so lots of yellow fruits. Also a drying sugary quality with alcohol and pepper. Apfelstrudel with pineapple.

Swallow:
The finish continues on the same path with pepper, vanilla and apfelstrudel. A lot less lemony but it did get some spices that I didn’t find before. Grain whisky, very clean, and rather long.

This whisky is more or less exactly how I expected it to be. In a way that is very nice since I like it a lot, but it also didn’t surprise me at all. I like surprises (if they’re positive surprises). So, this is a rather straight forward bourbon matured Auchentoshan, that maybe only surprises you in how tasty it is. Good enough, right? I guess this was fairly affordable when it was released at the distillery so it would have been a good buy.

Auchentoshan 2009 Festival Bottling, 56.5%, available at Abbey Whisky for £ 66