Auchroisk 2008/2025 Signatory 16 Year Symingtons Choice Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.9%

Symingtons Choice is not a range you can subscribe to. These are the casks the family has set aside for themselves, and they are bottled when they are ready, not when the calendar says so.

The Expert's Description

Auchroisk 2008/2025 Signatory 16 Years Old Symingtons Choice is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a 1st fill Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at cask strength, 57.9%. Cask no. 4 gave 339 bottles, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

A first fill Oloroso cask is among the most active casks available. Over sixteen years it lays on dried fruit, nuts and spice in thick layers, and the strength of 57.9% holds it all together rather than letting it spread out.

Auchroisk was built in 1974 to supply malt for the J&B blend, and the distillery’s bright, citrus-driven style is almost entirely covered here. It is the sherry that speaks, with the spirit holding the structure underneath.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Deep and dark. Raisins, dates and orange peel first, then walnut, dark chocolate and a dry spiced oak note. The alcohol is evident but not sharp.

Palate

Powerful and concentrated. Dried fruit and sherry sweetness hit first, then nuts, cinnamon, black pepper and a dry tanned oak note arrive. At 57.9% there is real weight, and the whisky takes water well.

Finish

Long and dry. Dark fruit, nuts and spiced oak that hold on for a long time and leave a lightly bitter chocolate note.

Specifications

Name: Auchroisk 2008/2025 Signatory 16 Years Old Symingtons Choice Single Speyside Malt Whisky 57.9%
Distillery: Auchroisk
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 57.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Oloroso sherry cask no. 4
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2008
Bottled: 2025
Number of bottles: 339
Edition: Symingtons Choice

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Cask Strength · Dark Fruit · Nutty · Spiced · Powerful

Did You Know?

Symingtons Choice is named after Signatory’s founding family and consists of casks the family has selected from their own warehouse. The range appears irregularly and in small quantities, because it is not governed by a release schedule but by when the individual casks are judged to be at their peak.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Auchroisk 2008/2025 Signatory 16 Years Old Symingtons Choice Single Speyside Malt Whisky 57.9%

What does cask strength mean?

That the whisky is bottled at the alcohol percentage it held in the cask, without dilution with water. Here 57.9%. It gives more concentration and lets you decide how much water to add yourself.

Why only 339 bottles?

Because the whisky comes from one single sherry cask. After sixteen years a share has evaporated, and the rest stretches to 339 bottles. No more of this cask will be made.

Is it worth the money?

A first fill Oloroso cask at cask strength from a distillery that almost exclusively supplies blends is rare. Whether it suits you depends on whether you are after the heavy sherry style, as this is not a light everyday whisky.

What does a first fill Oloroso cask do?

It is among the most active casks in Scotch whisky. The sherry has saturated the wood, and over sixteen years it gives dried fruit, nuts, spice and a deep colour with no added caramel at all.

Does it need water?

Try it neat first, then add water drop by drop. At 57.9% there is plenty to work with, and the whisky opens noticeably as you come down towards 50%. See our full range of Speyside Whisky.

What characterises Auchroisk?

A bright, citrus-driven Speyside style from a distillery built in 1974 for the J&B blend. In a cask this active, however, that lightness is largely drowned out by the wood’s character.