Western Washington Whisky Club and Southern California Whiskey Club are pleased to do a thorough deep dive with Diageo ambassador Ewan Morgan to learn about this elusive Speyside distillery. The Auchroisk distillery produces a single malt scotch whisky with a heavy character from a process of rapid mashing, quick fermentation and, in the wash stills, a rapid boiling regime which almost cooks the solids and allows controlled carryover of some solids. Despite being completed as recently as 1974, you can be forgiven for never having heard of the distillery, or having tasted Auchroisk whisky, because much of its distinct character is used to create the signature taste of many blended whiskies like the Justerini & Brooks' blend [J&B].

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The event will start with a J&B Basil Whisky Sour cocktail curated by The Minty to enjoy before we dive into this comprehensive tasting of Auchroisk.

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OB lineup:

1. J&B Rare Blended Scotch Whisky, 40% ABV (intro cocktail w/ The Minty)
2. Auchroisk, 9 Year, The Manager's Choice, Bodega Sherry Cask No. 11323, 60.6% ABV

3. The Singleton of Auchroisk, 12 Year, Distilled in 1978 - Bottled 1991, 43% ABV
4. Auchroisk, 30 Year, Limited Edition 2012, Natural Cask Strength, 54.7% ABV

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IB lineup:

5. Battlehill Auchroisk, 5 Year, 55.9% ABV

6. Vintage Auchroisk, 18 Year, Distilled in 1996, 6 Month Port Finish, 46% ABV
7. Trader Joe’s Auchroisk, 19 Year, Ex-Bourbon Single Cask 11744, 58.4% ABV
8. Hepburn's Choice Auchroisk, 21 Year, 1996, K&L Exclusive, 52.6% ABV
9. The Old Malt Cask Auchroisk, 24 Year, 1994, K&L Exclusive, 53.4% ABV

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about the distillery:

Located in Banffshire, speyside Scotland. It was established after Dorie's Well was discovered and found to have water similar to the water used by the Glen Spey distillery, which was used by Justerini & Brooks to produce malt whisky for their blends. The well's water was used to produce a test batch of whisky at Glen Spey distillery, and was approved, which led to the start of construction of the Auchroisk distillery at the site of the well in 1972 to produce whisky for the J&B blend. Production started in 1974. The distillery produced its first single malt in 1978. The single malt was rebranded as 'The Singleton' in 1986, as the name 'Auchroisk' was perceived as too difficult for consumers outside Scotland. The name changed back to Auchroisk in 2001, when a bottling was released under the name 'Auchroisk 10 Year Old Flora & Fauna' in the Diageo Flora & Fauna range. In 2008 the name was changed again, this time to 'The Singleton of Auchroisk'. The distillery is used as a hub for vatting Auchroisk with the highland whiskies used in J&B before being shipped off for marrying and bottling. [link]

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note:

Zoom information is on the placemat + SCWC website page

sample size = .75oz

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Big thanks to Elijah and Shauna for making this happen!