Scotland, Lowlands. Distillery operational. Owner: Beam - Suntory

The property of Stanley P Morrison (Morrison Bowmore) from 1984, Auchentoshan passed into the hands of the Japanese company Suntory when the latter bought Morrison Bowmore in 1994. Located in the Lowlands of Scotland, Auchentoshan practices triple distillation, which enables the fruity and floral character of its distillate to be revealed. A key component in the blends Islay Legend and Rob Roy, Auchentoshan made a name for itself in the 1990s with its 1965 and 1966 single casks, examples of a style long lost following the distillery's renovation in 1969. In 2007, it struck again and released two very rare 50 year old single casks distilled in 1957 (#479 and #480, with less than 200 decanters per cask), presented in superb decanters. These are the oldest vintages of Auchentoshan ever bottled.

An Auchentoshan 23 year old distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2016, matured in bourbon casks. Cadenhead was founded in 1842 by George Duncan, who was quickly joined by William Cadenhead, who renamed the business after Duncan’’s death in 1858. When Cadenhead in turn passed away in 1904, his nephew Robert Duthie took over and turned the business into the independent bottler it is today. After Duthie, it was managed by one of his employees, Ann Olivier, whose stubborn approach to running the business led to much of the stock having to be sold at auction by Christie’’s (London) in 1972 to feed the kitty and save the business. It was then sold to J. & A. Mitchell and Co, who also owned Springbank, and moved to Campbeltown. Launched in the 1990s, the Authentic Collection marked the end of the previous two decades of bottlings at 46%, instead favouring cask strength releases. It became Cadenhead’’s main range. A limited edition of 192 bottles.