The Lowland region of Scotland makes the Campbeltown region look crowded with distilleries. While encompassing a large area on the map, this region is only home to a few operating distilleries. This may be due to a large portion of the population being located in the south and thus not suitable for distilleries, as they need rather pure ingredients. That being said, the few distilleries that are there are doing well and making an effort in the market. Auchentoshan in particular has garnered positive reviews and offers a respectable stable of offerings, both in their regular and special editions. Their main range has a respectable 12, 18 and 21 year old, plus a triple wood and this American Oak, aged in first-fill American bourbon oak casks. We reviewed the Auchentoshan Classic but felt this distillery deserved more attention.
Tomatin 14 Year
Tomatin has a nice selection of relatively affordable single malts, each with a nice little twist to liven things up. Since we enjoyed the Tomatin 12 year with its sherry cask finish, we decided to see what this slightly older sibling could improve upon with its final eighteen months finishing in port casks. The Tomatin 14 also scored a 92.5/100 in Jim Murray’s 2015 whisky bible and is thankfully a mainstay in their line of offerings. Say what you will about that particular reviewer or book, this scotch seems good enough to warrant further attention.
The Macallan 12 Year
The Macallan is one of the undisputed titans of the Scotch industry. It is also one of the top sellers of Scotch in the world, close behind Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet. Though classified by recent whisky regulations as a Highland Malt, many experts (and the distillery themselves) consider it a Speyside. Being a very large and well-selling brand for almost 200 years, it is perhaps no surprise that Macallan boasts deep offerings across four distinct lines. Another record the distillery has repeatedly broken is for the most expensive bottle of whisky sold at auction. The current holder is The Macallan “M” Imperiale, sold in 2014 for $628,000.