蘇格蘭低地 Auchentoshan of Scottish Lowlands
環球美酒盡在 Sipping Malt 微醺之醉 www.sippingmalt.com
English Version at page bottom
蘇格蘭低地 Lowland 現在只有三間麥芽威士忌酒廠營運 (還有三間新廠,但未有成品推出市場),分別是 Glenkinchie,Bladnoch 和現在要介紹的 Auchentoshan。
Auchentoshan 於 1800 建立,之後例行多次轉手,直到 1969 年被 Eadie Cairns 買入後進行重建。Eadie Cairns 於 1984 年將酒廠賣給 Morrison Bowmore Distillery。五年後 1989 年日本三得利開始入股 Morrison Bowmore Distillery,又再五年後即 1994 年將公司全面收購,Auchentoshan 連同 Islay 的 Bowmore 這兩間蘇格蘭酒廠正式落入日本人手中了。在去年 2014 年,Suntory 和美帝酒業巨人 Beam 合併,成立了 Beam Suntory Inc.,至此蘇格蘭的 Auchentoshan 和 Bowmore,日本的山崎白洲加上嚮,與美國 Jim Beam 同是一家親。呀,不要忘了 Marker’s Mark,Teacher 先生威和 Laphroaig 這些家族成員。三得利果真非常厲害,包攬蘇日單一麥芽威士忌 single malt 和 調合威士忌 blended 與及美國波本,很全面的生意組合。
我可不懂做生意,很多時買貴了還要累街坊,我還是喝酒算了。
Auchentoshan Bordeaux Cask Matured, 700 ml, 58%
這是 Auchentoshan Distillery 的 Freedom of Expressions Limited Edition 的其中一款酒。這款酒於 1999 年蒸餾,陳年於列級三級酒莊 Chateau Lagrange 使用過的紅葡萄酒桶十一年,以桶裝濃度裝瓶。還有,這款酒獲 World Whiskies Awards 2012 – Best Lowland and Best Lowland 12 years and under。有些來頭的。
氣味: 加烈酒,黑槳果醬,拖肥,黑茶葉,香料
口味: 加烈酒,黑加倫子果醬,牛奶朱古力,紅茶,香草類香料
餘蘊: 中等長度,啡糖,咖啡渣,紅茶
結論: 很香甜的加烈酒香氣,繼後是黑槳果醬,之後是拖肥的甜膩,最後有點點黑茶葉的甘醇。酒體厚實,很甜的甜酒果醬及糖果,未後有點紅茶中和。中等長度的餘蘊,還是甜甜的糖果加紅茶的組合。Chateau Lagrange 可不是甜酒,真的不知甜從何來(不是真的有糖的甜,是感覺上的甜)。這款酒從頭到尾的風格非常統一,稍甜膩,幸好有紅茶的甘醇味道平衡,好喝的,濃甜香醇,但對我來說是甜了點。
English Version of Tasting Note
There are only three operating distilleries in Lowland of Scotland, namely Glenkinchie (in fact six but three of them no whiskies on open market yet),Bladnoch and the actor of this article Auchentoshan.
Auchentoshan was established in 1800 and ownerships “eventually" changed for many times. Eadie Cairns bought Auchentoshan in 1969 and rebuilt it thereafter. He sold it to Morrison Bowmore Distillery in 1984. Since 1989 Suntory was starting to acquire shares of Morrison Bowmore and finally fully owned in 1994, that the two Scotch distilleries Auchentoshan and Bowmore are belonging to the Japanese. The story is going on. Last year 2014, Suntory merged with Beam, one of the biggest beverage leads in US, forming the Beam Suntory Inc. At this time, Auchentoshan and Bowmore of Scotland, Yamazaki Hakushu and Hikibi of Japan, in together with Jim Beam of US are now in the same family. Don’t forget Maker’s Mark, Teacher’s Highland Cream and Laphroaig these members. What a great portfolio which comprises of both single malts and blended whiskies of Scotland and Japan as well as US Bourbon.
Let’s taste an Auchentoshan’s dram.
Auchentoshan 11 years, 1999, Bordeaux Cask Matured, 700 ml, 58%
This is a member of Auchentoshan Distillery’s Freedom of Expressions Limited Edition. Distilled in 1999, aged 11 years in wine casks previously held red wine of a Troisieme Cru Chateau Lagrange, bottled at cask strength. In additions, it won the World Whiskies Awards 2012 – Best Lowland and Best Lowland 12 years and under.
Notse: Fortified wines, berry jam, toffee, black tea, spicy
Palate: Fortified wines, black current jam, mile chocolate, red tea, spicy
Aftertaste: Medium length, brown sugar, coffee grounds, red tea
Comment: Very sweet fortified wine, followed by sweet berry jam, and even sweet toffee, balanced by black tea at the end. Full body, still sweet jam and sweet wine, again balanced by tea bitterness. Medium length aftertaste, again candy plus tea and some toasted bitterness. As far as I knew and I did have tasted before, red wine from Chateau Lagrange is nothing dealing with sweetness and fortified. How come this dram so sweet? This is a good whisky however. Very consistent from nose to aftertaste, sweet but balanced by different kinds of tea, just not a cup of tea to me.