Auchroisk 16 years old Deerstalker Limited Release Single Speyside Malt Whisky 48%

Sixteen years in a single bourbon hogshead is a long, quiet exercise. Nothing dramatic happens along the way. The cask works slowly, and the result is a whisky where time has been spent rather than technique applied.

The Expert's Description

Auchroisk 16 Years Old Deerstalker Limited Release is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead and bottled at 48%. Cask 16377 gave 318 bottles in Deerstalker’s range of single cask releases.

A hogshead holds around 250 litres and therefore sits between a bourbon barrel and a sherry butt. The wood contact per litre is great enough to give clear cask character over sixteen years, but not so great that the whisky turns overly woody.

Auchroisk was built in 1974 to supply malt for the J&B blend, and official bottlings exist essentially only in Diageo’s Flora & Fauna range. Single casks like this one are therefore the main route to meeting the distillery at a higher strength.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Creamy and sweet, with vanilla and ripe pear first. Toasted nuts and a lightly spiced oak note sit behind, along with a fine honeyed sweetness that sixteen years have drawn out.

Palate

Creamy sweetness from the first sip, followed by a lightly oily, spiced flavour. There is vanilla, apple and a dry nutty note, and at 48% the body is good without the whisky turning heavy.

Finish

Long and spiced. Oak, honey and a dry close where the nuts linger longest.

Specifications

Name: Auchroisk 16 Years Old Deerstalker Limited Release Single Speyside Malt Whisky 48%
Distillery: Auchroisk
Bottler: Deerstalker
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 48%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon hogshead, cask no. 16377
Number of bottles: 318
Edition: Deerstalker Limited Release
EAN no.: 5030748100156

Flavour Profile

Creamy · Spiced · Vanilla · Nutty · Fruity · Honeyed

Did You Know?

A deerstalker is both a form of hunting in the Scottish Highlands and the name of the distinctive hat with peaks front and back that Sherlock Holmes made famous. The hat is never mentioned in Conan Doyle’s text; it came from the illustrator Sidney Paget, who drew Holmes in his own image of an English countryman.

See our full range of Auchroisk

Frequently Asked Questions about Auchroisk 16 Years Old Deerstalker Limited Release Single Speyside Malt Whisky 48%

What is a hogshead?

A cask of around 250 litres, typically built from staves of several bourbon barrels with new heads fitted. It sits between a barrel and a sherry butt in size and therefore gives a mid-paced maturation.

Why only 318 bottles?

Because the whisky comes from one single cask. A hogshead holds around 250 litres, and after sixteen years of evaporation there is nothing more left. No more of this cask will be made.

Is 48% an unusual strength?

It is higher than the usual 40 to 46% and lower than cask strength. At 48% there is more body and mouthfeel than in a standard bottling, while the whisky can still be drunk neat without water.

What characterises Auchroisk?

A bright, citrus-driven and lightly spiced Speyside style from a distillery built in 1974 to supply the J&B blend. Official bottlings are rare, and independent single casks are the usual way in.

Why does sixteen years in bourbon wood not taste more oaky?

Because a used hogshead gives slowly. A first fill cask would have dominated in under ten years, but here the wood has had room to work quietly and the spirit can still be heard. See our full range of Speyside Whisky.

Does it need water?

Try it neat first. At 48% the balance between sweetness and spice is fine, and a few drops of water can open the fruit if you like. Go carefully, as there is not much to spare.