Benrinnes
A highly individual Speyside whisky.
Auchroisk
Distillery & brand
Auchroisk [pronounced Orth-rusk] is one of Diageo’s ‘nutty-spicy’ sites.
Auchroisk distillery
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Here the heavy character is produced by rapid mashing, quick fermentation and, in the wash stills, a rapid boiling regime which almost cooks the solids and allows controlled carryover of some solids. This almost singed character [shared with Blair Athol] is most obvious at new make but recedes with maturation, being replaced by a balanced honeyed cereal sweetness.
Auchroisk History
The building of Auchroisk in 1972 was meant to herald the start of a new era for blended Scotch. Certainly architecturally (like its contemporary, Allt-a-Bhainne) it stands out – a white, harled, modernist structure in the moorland. It was commissioned by IDV, at that time the parent firm of J&B which had decided that sales of the blend justified another distillery being built to join its Speyside portfolio of Glen Spey, Knockando and Strathmill.
Auchroisk was first bottled as single malt in 1986 and was the first to carry the prefix ‘Singleton’, a name now attached to single malts from Glen Ord, Glendullan and Dufftown. Although highly regarded by writers and judges in its time, it never quite made the leap from cult to major brand. Interestingly, the maturation process involved decanting 10-year-old ex-Bourbon matured whisky into ex-Sherry casks for a further two years of secondary maturation, making it the first example of finishing, but IDV never thought of talking up the process, leaving Balvenie and Glenmorangie to be regarded as the pioneers of the technique. The brand was dropped in 2001 and has subsequently quietly slipped back into the shadows.
Although somewhat remote, the large tracts of land surrounding the distillery make this the ideal site for one of Diageo’s main northern warehousing complexes.
Timeline
- 1972 Auchroisk is built to produce malt whisky for the Justerini & Brooks blends (J&B)
- 1974 Production officially begins at the distillery
- 1986 Auchroisk first bottled as a single malt under the Singleton brand
- 1997 The distillery becomes a part of Diageo following the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness
- 2001 Auchroisk is released as a Flora and Fauna bottling, and then under the Rare Malts collection in 2003
Auchroisk Facts
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- Condenser Type i
- Shell and tube
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- Fermentation Time i
- 75-80 hrs
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- Filling Strength i
- 63.5%
-
- Grist Weight (t) i
- 12
-
- Heat Source i
- Steam
-
- Malt Specification i
- Non peated
-
- Malt Supplier i
- Mostly in house
-
- Mash Tun Type i
- Lauter
-
- New-make Phenol Level i
- Non peaty
-
- New-make Strength i
- 70%
-
- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 9,000
-
- Spirit Still Shape i
- Lamp glass
-
- Stills i
- 8
-
- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 13,500
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- Wash Still Shape i
- Lamp glass
-
- Washback Type i
- Steel
-
- Washbacks i
- 8
-
- Water Source i
- Dories well
-
- Wort Clarity i
- Clear
-
- Yeast Type i
- Pressed
Owners
Contact
- Address
-
Auchroisk Distillery
Mulben
Moray
AB55 6XS
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1542 860333
- Visitor Opening Hours
- Not open to the public
Map
See also
-
Distillery & brand