Auchentoshan 20yo Whisky Craft
Season Two Release | 55.1% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Don’t abandon Auchentoshan until you’ve tried things like this!
This year, I didn’t go for the whisky.
7:43 pm, Tuesday 11th of November.
As I start writing this I’m back in Paris and the inevitability of going back to work tomorrow is looming. I’m not ready yet, as I’m still having a hard time processing the fact that the Glasgow Whisky Festival 2025 weekend is sadly now but a memory.
Since coming for the first time last year, I've been waiting for nothing else with such anticipation. And just like that, it is over already. The general consensus amongst us in the Dramface chat, at least the lucky ones who were able to attend, is that it feels like it all went by in a flash.
This whirlwind of a week-end started for me at 3:45 am on Friday, November 7th. Early wake up call for an early plane. I had planned to go to bed super early the evening before, yet could not find sleep for nearly three hours, due to being like a kid before Christmas. After checking that I had my passport and had packed my toothbrush an unnecessary number of times, I made my way to the airport. After a little wait, boarding began, and as I made my way to the gate, I couldn’t help but notice a band of three stooges, in tracksuits of varying brandings, chugging cans of cheap French beer at six am in the morning. Not a doubt, this plane is going to Glasgow.
Arriving up North basically at the same time as I took off - thanks to time zone magic - I rushed to my hotel to drop off my luggage and jumped in a cab to get to Glasgow distillery. Only to arrive one hour in advance for a special Barflies tour hosted by Libby, Niall and Shug the cooper. If you’ve heard of fashionably late, this was probably the opposite. This meant though that I had time to get myself acquainted with a Gregg’s sausage roll. As far as Scottish culinary delights go, this is miles better than last year’s Irn Bru for sure. I know, come at me.
The tour was brilliantly in-depth, from fermentation, cask-filling, and experimental new make runs, to coopering, ending with some sampling of great whiskies, straight from the casks. The team there is passionate, hardworking and they clearly love and believe in what they make. It was over in what felt like a heartbeat, when in reality it lasted almost two hours. Quality time.
The next stop was the official kick-off for the week-end’s festivities. The Aqvavitae Under-the-Table tasting at Sloan’s. Dougie recently wrote about the whiskies tasted there in more detail than I’m going to. For me this was all about being reunited with some of the people I love most in this world. I sat with Hughie and Mason but also spotted Dougie, Jackie and Wally in the room, whom I quickly made my way to, as they desperately needed a French hug. Loads of Barflies were present, and while the whiskies shared were even better than last year, seeing all these buzzing faces and happy people was the thing that really filled my heart with joy.
Off to Rishi’s after that - not for the last time that weekend - for an epic late afternoon ‘dinner’ which was much needed, especially for Dougie who couldn’t have waited a second more for his share of their famous Dosa. We went to bed early that night, preparing for the two whisky fuelled days that would follow.
The next morning, after a breakfast that was, let’s say… definitely food, we - Jackie, Dougie and myself - took an Uber to Hampden Park and, I must confess, shamelessly made our way to the top of the queue to meet Hamish. Again, Dougie faithfully recounted the events of the festival so vividly, so I won’t dwell on it. Just this. It was braw.
My drams of the day were probably Michael Henry’s wine yeast single blended scotch, and the one I’m reviewing further below, though countless great whiskies were imbibed, and a few spat out in order to be able to exit the venue upright and on two feet.
This year, we decided to veer off the beaten path and head back to Rishi’s as a small group, mainly not to be caught in the madness of the Akbar’s + Bon Accord combo. We had the big fat giant gorgeous Dosa as a starter, and then ordered varying shades of Biryani, which impressed the waitress. Well-mannered as I am, I finished my plate. The others didn’t. Mason did good to be fair.
We then headed to one of those pubs that seem to be stuck in time to watch the France v South Africa rugby game. The highlight of this part of the evening was Hamish being hit on, even nearly seduced dare I say, by a drunken Glaswegian lady three times his age and with far too little blood in her alcohol stream. As for the game, for some reason I can’t remember the score, but I think it was too few to too many. It’s alright. As long as we beat England.
Back to The Bon for a final nightcap, and quickly finding myself in stellar company I was able to forget the rugby. That night we made plans for a Five Nations crew whisky trip at some point in the future, another that will be made legendary no doubt.
But in the end, we decided not to get caught up in the moment and made our way back to our dens relatively early. That’s because the Sunday event, Aqvavitae’s infamous Blind Challenge Live, followed by an epic community bottle share, has become the most anticipated moment of the GWF weekend.
After a breakfast marginally better than the previous one, we slowly made our way to the Haberdashery, the new venue for the biggest blind tasting ever hosted by Roy to date. We quickly got in the queue to draw our teams, and I ended up on Team Gutties for the second year in a row. For those of you unaware, a ‘guttie’ is a Scottish slang term for a sports shoe, gym shoe or trainer. Our captain was the famous Dramface Podcast host TimeForADram Gregor, who works in said industry, hence our team name.
Feeling confident at first, I quickly realised that we were in a race to not finish last! I won’t go into detail into the wild guesses I confidently expressed out loud, but just know that they got me very deserved taunts from a few folk after the scores were revealed. We did lose that race by the way. Or win it, depending on how you look at it. That’s what a blind tasting does to you. Team Gutties to Team Gutted. There’s always next year.
After robbing the catering table, we headed back into the thick of it for the bottle share. Too many stellar whiskies to recount, but the highlight, again, invariably, was the company. Over ninety people come from all around the world, meeting for one weekend a year, just to pick up where they left off. It is truly a sight to behold. These kinds of moments are rare; they make you feel good about humanity. Whisky annihilates borders and differences.
Alas, all good things inevitably come to an end and, just like that, it was time to say goodbye, until next year.
After receiving and giving what would probably be a yearly dose of hugs for any ‘normal’ human being, we decided it was time to race to The Bon as a small team. I guess it was important to go back to what is arguably one of the best pubs in the world before Thomas, one of the co-organisers of GWF, moves on to new horizons. A sort of pilgrimage in a way.
We arrived basically at closing time, and I think Thomas only let us in because of the people we were with. After an unnecessary pint and some of the best laughs I’ve had in a while, we followed a local to a providential Falafel place, which felt like a buoy in the sea. Our refusal to allow the end of this close-to-perfect day had to stop at one point though, and we parted ways once again for the night. An ultimate brekkie meet up the next morning felt mandatory, and just like that, the weekend was over.
It’s still too early for me to fully grasp how utterly amazing this event is. It’s a lifesaver, a dopamine booster and a bright light ahead of the dark winter months. I think I would describe myself as a functional introvert, but GWF challenges that. I feel like I’m where I belong when I’m in Glasgow. And that is entirely due to the people I’m lucky to be calling friends. Friends whom I’ve only met once, twice, maybe three times at most in person. These digital friendships come alive in Glasgow, and it feels like we’ve known each other for twenty years.
The more time passes and the more I attend events such as GWF, the more I realise what wonderful things whisky has brought into my life.
The hotel is already booked for next year. See you there.
I can’t wait.
Review
Auchentoshan 20yo, Whisky Craft, Season Two, Second-fill hogshead, Cask Strength, NCF, NC, 55.1% ABV
£120 but limited availability
I needed a Glaswegian whisky to celebrate this weekend, right? I almost went for a bottle from Glasgow distillery, which would’ve been very appropriate, but in the end I decided to go for this well-aged Auchentoshan.
Back at the festival, a wonderful friend from the Netherlands told me to try this new independent bottler called Whisky Craft. I had never heard of them, and for a good reason, she told me they’d only been up and running since this past summer.
It was this Auchentoshan that immediately caught my attention, it ticked all the boxes: refill, cask strength, non chill-filtered, natural colour, and from a distillery which is relatively hard to come by in indie form, especially from a quiet cask. After the first sip, I immediately knew I wanted a bottle. The price being very reasonable for a malt with these specs, I immediately went to the festival shop and snagged one.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Don’t abandon Auchentoshan until you’ve tried things like this!
Nose
Bubblegum! Bright, grassy, and citrusy. Williams pear brandy. A bit of malt as well. Apple flavoured boiled sweets. Candies of all sorts, tart and fruity ones. Crème anglaise.
With water: gets a bit grassier, with a whiff of fresh herbs and cottage cheese. A hint of roasted bell pepper too.
Palate
Again, bright, fresh, fruity, with a light texture and a fresh, grassy finish.
With water: It amps up the lemony, citrusy notes quite a bit. The finish gets a tad spicier and maltier as well. It’s bright, but there is substance. Some bitter herbs and roots, Italian amaro - style.
The Dregs
This whisky feels like an Auchentoshan blueprint. It’s right up my alley. I’ve brought eight bottles back from Glasgow this time, and all of them are variations on the ex-bourbon/refill theme. I just love being able to experience the ‘true’ signature of a distillery.
Auchentoshan is arguably the whisky of Glasgow. Well, it undeniably was until the advent of Glasgow and Clydeside distilleries.
Still, when it’s allowed to do so, it shines as bright and inviting as Glasgow and its inhabitants.
Back in the quiet of my hotel room in Glasgow, Youtube recommended a great KEXP live session by French band Bruit. I thought you might like to listen to it too.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF
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