Great King Street: Artist's Blend

This brand, Great King Street, is part of the Compass Box empire. The idea behind it is, I think, to bring great affordable blends back to the global hordes who love Scotch whisky - to fight the evil bottles of J&B and Dewar's and Cutty Sark that ruin and besmirch the good name of Scotch in liquor cabinets everywhere - all at a reasonable price. 

Auchentoshan 12 Year

Wow, and I thought I liked the Auchentoshan Classic! This is instantly delicious whisky. To review: Auchentoshan is probably the most prominent of the remaining Lowland distilleries, all their whisky is triple distilled (like most Irish whisky). 

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).