AUCHENTOSHAN THREE WOOD by David Green, The Red Fox
AUCHENTOSHAN THREE WOOD by David Green, The Red Fox
I am stood behind the bar and somebody asks me to recommend a‘ night cap’, something that is smooth, a little fruity, not peaty and nice and rich.
As I look along the top shelf, the‘ Auchentoshan Three Wood’ jumps out. I have talked about it before, but I am fascinated by the way a whisky is influenced by the barrels its matured in, so when I came across this whisky a few years ago it immediately caught my eye.
There is a saying that‘ good things come in three’ s’ from fairytales to Hollywood blockbusters, the rule of three principle suggests things that come in three’ s are inherently more humorous, satisfying and effective than any other number of things, so a whisky that is distilled three times and then matured in three different barrels has to be a good thing right?
A few people have asked me recently‘ does the barrel its aged in really effect the whisky or is it just a marketing tool?’ Well all whisky is made in a similar way, it starts life out as a beer- at its purest whisky is just beer distilled. Whisky is made from three natural raw materials; malted barley, water and yeast, the only thing missing from the beer ingredients list is hops.
After distillation has occurred every whisky starts off as a clear spirit perhaps like vodka, and whilst it is not against the rules to add caramel colouring, most whiskies get their colour and flavours from the barrels they are aged in, so the quality of the casks is vitally important.
Scotch whisky is the most heavily regulated drink in the world so trying to find‘ new ways’ is very hard, so more and more distilleries are looking for new and excited barrels to use with different flavour profiles, from sherry to port to even virgin oak. Most whisky will start life maturing in bourbon casks, mainly because for a bourbon
to be classed as a bourbon the distillers can only use first filled barrels( along with many other rules) so most bourbon barrels end up being shipped to Scotland to house whisky.
Auchentoshan( pronounced“ och’ n’ tosh’ n”) is one of only six Lowland Distillery’ s. Founded in the very early 1800’ s the distillery lies at the foot of the Kilpatrick Hills right outside the heart Glasgow. It roughly translates to“ the field of the corner.” Described as perhaps more tarmac than tartan due to its urban location, surrounded by houses, which is probably not what you would expect from a traditional Scottish Distillery.
This is not the only thing that makes them different and unique; they are the only Scottish distillery who insist every-drop is triple distilled, which means less impurities and a higher alcohol content when distillation is finished. This award-winning Auchentoshan Three Wood is then matured in, as I mentioned, three different barrels. First is the American Bourbon barrels where it matures for 12 years before it is transferred to Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks for a year. That is enough to make a great tasting scotch but they don’ t stop there. After the Oloroso it is finished for a year in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks.
The results are a whisky which is rich, slightly sweet with toffee and sherry flavours, a bit like maple syrup on pancakes with a touch of cinnamon. Rich fruits, chocolate and toasted hazelnuts are prominent and it has a little bit of a rum-like quality.
Three distillations. Three casks. One fantastic scotch.
Available online at www. masterofmalt. com for £ 44.99 or also at The Red Fox, Thornton Hough along with over 120 whiskies.
26 wirrallife. com