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.

A blend of two casks of Auchentoshan (#800260-800261) distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2015 by Signatory Vintage for the Un-Chillfiltered collection. Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington, who previously worked at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, where he would select casks specially for the hotel. In 2002, he bought the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry, in the Highlands of Scotland and moved Signatory Vintage vintage to the site, including the warehouses opposite the distillery. The Un-Chillfiltered range, launched in 2000, reflects Symington’’s belief that whisky should be bottled without chillfiltration or artificial colouring. Bottlings in the range are generally cask strength or near cask strength, originally at 43% and now at 46%. He adopted these practices early on, in an era when this was not yet the norm for independent bottlers. He was also a pioneer of very detailed labels containing all the information enthusiasts and collectors might find useful.