Auchentoshan Bartender’s Malt
Auchentoshan Bartender’s Malt is what happens when you get several bartenders together and ask them to craft the perfect whisky for cocktails and sipping. Available in Canada for a limited time, it’s a collaborative whisky that’s worth the investment.
This single malt whisky is literally crafted for mixing. Auchentoshan, a distillery in Glasgow, Scotland, recruited emerging bartending talent from five different countries – a group they named “Auchentoshan’s New Malt Order 2016” – opened the doors of their distillery and gave the group free rein to develop a product that bartenders, cocktail enthusiasts and mixologists would fall over themselves for.
Oliver Stern, bar manager at Toronto’s Blueblood Steakhouse, joined 11 other mixology minds to craft the Bartender’s Malt. “When creating a cocktail at home, I like to think about what mood I am trying to set,” explains Stern. “The unique floral, buttery and zesty tasting notes lends itself to many different possibilities. With cooler weather approaching, I think citrus flavoured mixes would be ideal.”
On the nose, the Bartender’s Malt has dried apricot, milk chocolate, honey and tobacco leaf. These aromas transform on the tongue into delicate cherry blossom and buttery brioche. The citrus flavour Stern mentions pops up, undercutting the heavier butter flavours and giving a zesty ginger note. Edgy and expanding, it lingers with a warmth that makes it perfect for the holidays.