'Save Lars Whisky II' – Auchentoshan 24yo 54,1% ABV

This whisky, which is the second bottling in the series,  was bottled in celebration of the Star Wars related project 'Save the Lars Homestead' which some of you folks out there most likely have heard about. If not, here is some info from markdermul.be

”The Lars Homestead is the fictional home of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars Saga. The actual structure is sitting in the Tunisian desert, near Nefta. The original dome is long gone (Star Wars was shot there in 1976), but for the Prequels, they rebuilt the homestead in the exact same spot at the turn of the 21st century. That building had suffered badly from the climate and in 2012, six fans from around the world, led by Mark Dermul, took it upon themselves to restore it to its full movie glory”. 

Feel free to learn more about the project at savelars.com

Now to the whisky itself which is from single bourbon hogshead no. 4905. The hogshead gave 100 bottles so it’s very limited (and now seems to be sold out). It was distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2013. A big thanks to Mark ’The Toshan Man’ Dermul for sending me a sample! I have not tried that many Auchentoshans so this will be exciting!

Nose:

Very soft and fruity, mostly on citrusy fruits. There is faint touch of lemon peel, elder flowers, some pear and almond flakes. Also there is lots and lots of vanilla and some whipped cream. Also something I’ve never nosed in a whisky before, namely eggnogg (!) which is really nice at this time of the year. There is also some touches of raw sugar but that is probably in combination with the eggnogg… It seems very light on the nose and the alcohol is very mellow although it’s 54,1%

Palate:

Almost nothing of the citrusy things from the nose comes through on the palate, perhaps some touches of very soft lemon curd. More evident is the big vanilla and the cream and there is LOTS of it! Mmm… Actually I’d say that the eggnogg is there too and interestingly enough some coffee flavours, cool. There is also marzipan and a little warm zing from the alcohol comes through but in a very gentle manner. This is very savoury and more-ish, warming and with thick, fat flavours. Mark and Manny, you sure picked a great cask of Auchentoshan so Slainthé and a Merry Christmas to you and all my readers!