Boys, girls – I’m in love! Call me ridiculous if you wish, but once again I’ve come across something that makes my heart skip a beat if mentioned, the scent of which makes me weak at the knees, the thought of which makes me blush like a little girl who has just kissed a boy on the cheek. It’s not a new romance, granted, but certainly rekindled. I’m the type of person who will fall head over heels for something and then sort of forget it when something else comes along. So dusting off my bottle of Auchentoshan 12 y.o. was a most pleasant experience indeed.

Before I forget, I’d just like to point out that I have previously reviewed the 21 year old Auchentoshan as well, so if your budget will allow you may want to read that one as well. I couldn’t actually tell you which one I prefer, they’re both lovely, but I guess the 12 year old does offer better value for money (if that’s an issue).

This lovely drink pours a healthy, if pale (nice little contradiction there), gold. The nose offers an insanely nice and invigorating mix of caramel, light brown sugar, sweet apple cider, fresh vanilla, light honey and creamy loveliness. If there ever was such a thing as a nostril orgasm, this would likely be what caused it – the way all the scents come together is sublime.

I really, really wish I could say that the palate is as outstanding as the nose. But, alas, it is not. That does not, by any means, make it less than gorgeous, however. With a delicious caramel and honey sweetness, a bit of lemon zing and a hint of spice and ginger, the palate, too, is really ruddy good. And I do mean really. What makes it slightly less impressive than the palate is the relative “simplicity” of the sweetness. Do, please, note the use of the word relative.

At just under $45, I really can’t stress enough how good this whisky is.

Color: Beautiful pale gold.

Nose: Very good – caramel, light brown sugar, sweet cider, vanilla, honey, creamy.

Taste: Caramel, honey, lemon/citrus, spice, ginger.

Want to buy this whisky? Available in: USA & World (click), UK & Europe (click)