Bladnoch 19 year old (Wealth of a Nation) 1990

Distillery: Bladnoch

Region: Lowland

Age: 19 years

Maturation Cask: not specified

Strength: 46%

Volume: 70cl

Bottler: Scottish Liqueur Centre

Distillation Date: 1990

Bottling Date: 2009

Cask Number: 2425

Tasting Notes

Colour: Light, like straw.

Aroma: Fruit candy, with citrus and grassiness.

Taste: Oats and other cereals, very dry.

Finish: Short and fresh.

The most southerly distillery in Scotland is located on the banks of the river Bladnoch, for which it is named. A turbulent 20th century led to it being closed and dismantled in 1993, but was restored and reopened in 2000 by an investor sympathetic to the local community. Trade agreements restrict the permitted output of the distillery, making even modern bottlings fairly rare and sought after.

Auchentoshan 8 year old (Battlehill) 1999

Distillery: Auchentoshan

Region: Lowland

Age: 8 years

Maturation Cask: unspecified

Strength: 43%

Volume: 70cl

Bottler: Duncan Taylor

Distillation Date: 1999

Bottling Date: 2007

Tasting Notes

Colour: Golden.

Aroma: Begins with fresh green apples, cooking through to a baked apple ending, with a hint of vanilla along the way.

Taste: Malty and sweet, hint of fruit pie and lemon zest.

Finish: Spicy citrus, but short.

The Battlehill range, named for the many sites of battles throughout Scotland, is a popular selection of predominantly young expressions bottled by Duncan Taylor.

Auchentoshan (Gaelic for "the corner of the field") is one of the few remaining lowland distilleries, located at the foot of the Kilpatrick hills, just outside Glasgow. It is also the only distillery in Scotland to triple-distil all of it's whisky. This, combined with the use of only unpeated malt, makes Auchentoshan slightly sweeter and more delicate than most Scotch whiskies.