Auchentoshan 18 Year (SMWS 5.79 "Paris in the Spring")

 The second of six drams served at the April outturn tasting for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") at the Jack Rose Saloon in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. At these events, you sit at a small table and one by one make guesses about the six scotches in front of you: age, type of cask, which distillery (multiple choice, out of five provided), along with a field to write notes. 

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).