Auchentoshan Valinch...or is it?

[Megawatt]

I picked up a bottle of Valinch and I must say it is not what I was expecting. That is to say, it doesn't taste as I remember Auchentoshan to taste. Rather, it reminds me very strongly of Glen Garioch 12: it is very floral/herbal with a strong raisin element, unlike any other Scotch I have tasted. I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this similarity. Almost makes me wonder if there wasn't a mix-up at the bottling plant...and this is not the first time I've wondered this about Auchentoshan. My friend and I each got a bottle of the old 10 year old from the same LCBO at the same time, and our bottles were completely different. Mine was dry, ashen, smoky, while his was light, grassy, like I would have expected.

[Zunak]

Interesting... I had a chance to taste the Valinch yesterday when a friend dropped by with a bottle. Lately I'm beginning to see just what good friends I have . It seems everyone has a different take on this whisky. I got hints of pepper and lemon on the nose and a cream scent. Young, sweet, on the palate which rapidly develops some heat into an odd slightly bitter nutty middle finishing long with a slight liquorice trace. For me the stridency in the middle was too offputting. I really loved the nose but found the rest of it to be a disaster. I find it funny though that no two people seem to come up with the same thoughts on this one . Batch inconsistencies???? Anyway for me bottom line is Auchentoshan should have done a cask strength with their 12yo instead.

[Megawatt]

Don't get me wrong; I like the whisky just fine, though it is a little cloying with the floral notes, but it reminded me so strongly of Glen Garioch that it made me wonder what I was actually drinking. Hoping to do a head-to-head comparison this weekend and set my mind at ease...

[Pudge72]

Interesting comments guys. Keep us posted on your findings. I'm looking to have this be my next LCBO bottle as it has been highly recommended by a couple of Auchentoshan aficionados. Has anybody had the Classic, which I understand the Valinch to be the cask strength version of? (sorry for the crappy grammar...it's 4 am ) How do they compare?

[Pudge72]

My wonderful wife surprised me with an early anniversary gift of a bottle of the Valinch, though I won't be opening until our anniversary rolls around at the end of May. I'm looking forward to it...