Auchentoshan 18 Years Old

Bottled by Auchentoshan in 2006 as an 18 year old Oloroso sherry release, with 4800 bottles distributed to the German market at cask strength of 55.8% in 750ml format. The release sits within the distillery's long matured sherry tier, drawing on Oloroso cask stock from the on site dunnage warehousing at Dalmuir.

Distilled at Auchentoshan from 100% unpeated malted barley with Loch Cochno water from the Kilpatrick Hills, the wash was fermented around 62 hours across Douglas fir and stainless steel washbacks before triple distillation. Auchentoshan runs every drop through three copper pot stills, with the intermediate and spirit stages collecting at around 81% ABV. The extra copper contact strips sulphur compounds and fusel oils while concentrating ethyl hexanoate, isoamyl acetate, and other light esters, giving a clean spirit base filled directly into Oloroso sherry casks.

Eighteen years in European oak Oloroso conditions drove deep sherry character into the lighter triple distilled base. Ellagitannins and gallic acid from the European oak build dried walnut and grip, while oxidative aldehydes including acetaldehyde and syringaldehyde develop nutty, leathery rancio. Fermentation derived sotolon adds dried fig and curry leaf, with slow concentration of glycerol lending body, integrated with the spirit's underlying citrus and almond core at 55.8%.