Whisky Craft Auchentoshan 20yo 2005 Cask #851 & Whisky Craft Bowmore 22yo Cask #22

Whisky Craft Auchentoshan 20yo 2005 Cask #851

Region: Lowlands

ABV: 55.1%

Price: £119.99 

Distilled at Auchentoshan in 2005 and bottled by Whisky Craft in 2025 after 20 years of maturation, this Season Two single-cask release was matured in second-fill hogshead #851 and produced 225 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with a little acetone, moving quickly into fizzy lemon sherbet, buttery shortbread, banana bread, caster sugar and light vanilla notes. It's got a little pepperiness on the nose - mostly white pepper, but the alcohol is in good balance. There's also some tropical fruit, tinned pineapple and peach mostly.

Palate

The palate opens with lots of sugary sweetness mixed with a big hit of citrus and a backbone of malty, biscuit flavours. We're getting custard cream biscuits, candied ginger, light fudge, lemon peel, pineapple chunks and that white pepper appearing again as the palate progresses. The finish lingers for a decent length, with a bit of maltiness and brown bread, as well as a slightly bitter oak note. The texture is ok, it's not overly viscous or mouth coating, but there's enough flavour here to keep us interested. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more cask influence, more custard cream biscuits, vanilla beans, fudge and cold butter. It feels richer, and we actually prefer the nose with a drop of water, it's removed the pepperiness and acetone notes. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate follows the reduced nose with the increase in cask influence, more vanilla, more fudge, alongside a stronger candied lemon peel note. There's still a bit of bitter oak coming through on the finish though. 

Conclusion

Some people don't get on with Auchentoshan, but personally we enjoy it on occasion. This single cask is a good example of the light, citrusy, fruity triple distilled character with a good amount of cask influence to help bring those flavours out. There's the occasional slightly industrial/chemical note, but it's a solid dram.

Score: 7/10

Value

Feels reasonable for a 20yo malt.

Whisky Craft Bowmore 22yo Cask #22

Region: Islay

ABV: 52.5%

Price: £175.00 

Bottled by Whisky Craft in 2026 as part of its Season Four series, this 22-year-old Bowmore single malt was matured for its full term in refill barrel #22. The cask produced 263 bottles. 

Nose

The nose opens with quite a lot of tropical fruits initially - mangoes, pineapples and a little papaya too. It's quite fresh and vibrant, with the peat smoke acting as a subtle background note, not unexpected for the age. The refill barrel is also very much a background note, a little vanilla cream, some danish pastries, but it's mostly all fruit and subtle peat. There's also a coastal salinity riding through the dram.

Palate

The palate opens with lots of upfront sweet citrus, candied lemon peel, moving into mango puree, pineapple chunks and apricot jam. It's an explosion of fruit, and these linger through to the good length finish. The alcohol is really nicely integrated, a little peppery in places but it works well with the zingy fruits. The peat, like the nose, is a supporting actor - it lingers into the finish giving a slightly ashy, slightly coastal tinge to the dram.   

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a bit more smoke upfront, there's more of a charred aroma, a little savouriness also appearing. The fruit is definitely still there, just a bit further in the background.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate loses a bit of the vibrancy, and becomes slightly more muddy and a little astringent. It's still tasty, but we'd recommend skipping water here - it's not needed.

Conclusion

We love older Bowmore, especially when it's in quiet bourbon wood. This is a great example of the distillery character shining through. The nose is very pleasant but the palate is where the dram shines - bursting with that tropical Bowmore character. Very tasty whisky.

Score: 8/10

Value

Feels a bit more expensive than some other comparable indie Bowmore released recently.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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