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 .
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