Scotch Whisky Review #474: Auchroisk 37 Year (1982) Thompson Bros

Distillery: Auchroisk.

Bottler: Thompson Brothers.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 37 Year. Distilled 1982.

ABV: 48.3%.

Cask Type: Refill sherry.

Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat.

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Nose: Smelling this gave me the mental image of walking into the world’s largest bag of gummy candies. It is fruit gummies galore, ranging from every exotic flavor of Hi Chew/Puchao to your standard more standard flavor gummy bears. There is even a little bit of the “waxiness” that you would get from, well, gummy candies. Beyond the candies is the scent of maraschino cherries, or more specifically that nuclear red syrup that they tend to come in.

Palate: Unlike the nose, it is not a gummy candy party on the palate. If the nose was like walking into a giant bag of gummies, the palate is more like walking into the display case of a French patisserie. It is like taking a nice bite out of a cherry filled croissant followed by a bite of the raspberry opera cake that our favorite local place (Le Petit Paris, if anyone is ever in Omaha and looking for French patisserie) does so well. Some berry chantilly cake and a sugar coated slice of ginger also come in here and again. There’s a bit of a baking spice every so often as well, perhaps to go along with that sugary ginger.

Finish: At first, the finish seems nonexistent. Add a drop of water and suddenly the whisky seems to want to stay around for a long while though still a bit underpowered. The notes are a mix of a chocolate and fruit gummies for me. If you’ve ever had “Gummy Choco”, the aftertaste here is very similar to that but with a bit of a sharper flavor on the gummy side. The fruit gummy notes lean in heavily toward orchard fruits with green apples, pears, and green grapes coming to mind.

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Conclusion: Before this bottling by the Thompson Bros, I’ve never had an Auchroisk before. Many whose opinions I trust rated this whisky fairly highly despite dunking on the distillery on a routine basis. While I can’t validate yet the rest of the distillery’s reputation, I can certainly validate this particular bottling. It is fantastic. You get a wonderful combination of fruit, candies, and delightful patisserie all over. The finish is a touch fleeting, which leaves me wanting, but otherwise I couldn’t be more pleased with this dram.

Rating: 92.

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Scotch Whisky Review #474, Speyside Review #168, Whisky Network Review #632

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.