Auchentoshan Classic (NAS)

Most people know that Scotch whisky is divided up geographically into five or six areas, all of which taste (more or less) distinctly different. The areas are Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Cambelltown, Islay...  and some say the Islands (Jura, Arran, Orkney, etc.) are their own, although I think I would group them in with Islay. 

Of the main five areas, Lowland is by far the least represented, with only three or four distilleries currently producing: Ailsa Bay, Glenkinchie, Bladnoch, and Auchentoshan (the web seems to disagree which are actually open and producing actively).
Lowland distillers are unusual in that they triple distill their whisky, like Irish whiskies (most Scotch is distilled twice - the additional step smoothes it out but also removes some of the more complex flavor, at least theoretically). Lowland scotches are considered gentle, grassy, floral, and rather dry. 

The Classic here is a very nice Scotch, one that I encountered from reading multiple reviews around the web rather than seeing it on a shelf and just giving it a whirl. I was determined to sample a whisky from each of the aforementioned areas when I first got into Scotch, and this was the Lowland I chose. And dram, was I pleased!

The Classic has no listing on Auchentoshan's website, and is their entry-level bottling, falling below their 12 Year and containing no age statement (and therefore containing whiskies that are probably quite young). It is available near me for quite cheap - $34, sometimes cheaper. 

Nose: Woodland elements, like moss and fresh cut grass and hay and straw are mixed with a nice honey sweetness and a citrus note. 

Mouthfeel: Thin and rather oily, but soft, and a little chewy as well. 

Palate: Ahh... this is nice. I get initial light touches of peanuts and hazelnuts, a toasted almond thing happening, alongside a developing honey, and that grass/hay/straw flavor ripens and expands into wonderful cereal tones. Marshmallow! The first time I've tasted marshmallow this way - fluffy, thick, sweet. The citrus rather recedes, like a tide, or a hot air balloon drifting away. 

Finish: Quite dry, quite short, no real oak notes to speak of, maybe some vague pepper hiding in the decay of that cereal taste. The dominant lasting taste is candied green apple, very pleasant last impression. Like leaving a party by hiding some cash among the furniture on your way out. 

Verdict: Very nice, and refreshing. I'm putting this down as Recommended, especially at this price point. Very smooth, controlled, not overly complex but the flavors that are there are very pleasant ones. An excellent, delicate summer dram. 

Strangely, there is no page on Auchentoshan's website for the Classic. Are they ashamed of it? Is it a secret? Did they just forget? Well, either way I'll eventually buy and review the 12 Year and the Three Wood.