Bought: Whisky Auction, 8th August 2018
Ratings:
88/100 – Whiskybase (from 1 member vote)
The Auchterturra – “the what?” I hear you say. Well, you’d be partially correct. If you’d said “Scotland The What?” then you’d know that Auchterturra was a fictional village located somewhere in Aberdeenshire, often referred to by the comic trio known as ‘Scotland The What?’ in their sketches. Buff Hardie, Steve Robertson and George Donald met at the University of Aberdeen in the 1950s but first appeared under the name Scotland The What? at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1969. They performed together for 26 years until their ‘Final Fling’ show in 1995. Their material used the Doric, the local dialect of the north-east of Scotland, but I’m sure they toned it down when playing to international audiences. They recorded TV shows for Grampian Television and all three were awarded MBEs in 1995.
There are two versions of ‘The AuchTerTurra’ whisky released around 1990 in honour of Scotland The What?. I have the blend, which can make between £25-£60 at auction but there’s also a 1969 single malt that commands over £200, if you’re lucky enough to find it. Both versions are quite rare. The malt content of the blend came from the Ardmore distillery and I believe the same can be said for the single malt.
1995 was the year I left Aberdeen so sadly I missed Scotland The What? doing their ‘The Final Fling’ performance, which they did at His Majesty’s Theatre. I first performed there in 1985 with the Aberdeen Opera Company and later in the 1980s with the Aberdeen Youth Festival so I have fond memories and a shared experience with Buff, Steve and George. I have the DVD of ‘The Final Fling’ and 2019 marks 50 years since Scotland The What? was formed so perhaps I’ll watch it with a dram of The AuchTerTurra to celebrate their memory.
Here’s the trio doing their final number, which they updated with topical subjects over the years:
Whisky Den 