1996 Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice Auchroisk 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Virtually nobody has heard of this relatively new distillery, a venture of Justerini & Brooks (J&B), with construction completed in 1974. Presently owned by Diageo, the site is also used to mature casks from other distilleries (warehousing exists for over 265,000 casks). Most, if not all of the production goes into the J&B blend.

Auchroisk was first bottled as a single malt in 1986 under the 'Singleton' label, a name adopted because 'Auchroisk' was considered too difficult to pronounce. Unpeated malt is employed with maturation taking place mainly in refill hogsheads. Auchroisk bottlings remain rare. There are hardly any official expressions and even independent bottlings are hard to find, making this Gordon & MacPhail release a must for completionists!

Distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2014, maturation took place in refill American hogsheads. Non-chill filtered and natural colour. If it seems cheap for an 18 Year Old of this ilk, it is! Very limited. 46% Alc./Vol.