My first traipse below the ‘Highland Line’ since starting this blog, that imaginary line that separates 2 whiskey regions (Highlands and Lowlands), and in many ways whiskey cultures. I chose this one for a few reasons. It was the favourite of a friend of mine, It is triple distilled and it is finished a a couple of different sherry casks, which I am partial to.
Auchentoshan Three Wood – 43 % ABV
I didn’t really know what to expect from lowland scotch. I knew some of the history, and of course been told of their smooth lighter expressions.
The package styling is modern and good looking and the bottle is a nice shape. A few things were apparent. The obvious one is that I really didn’t know how to pronounce the name of the distillery. I asked a couple of people in the house and a few friends, and we all butchered the name. Thankfully for Auchentoshan, they provided the phonetic answer right on the back of the box. ‘OCK-UN-TOSH-UN’.
With the name settled, the next thing the distillery wants the taster to know is that it is triple distilled for extra smoothness. You don’t see a lot of triple distilled whiskies from Scotland in my experience, certainly not as many as in Ireland, but here we are. I suppose it makes sense that the closer you get the Ireland, the more each distilling method influences the other.
This experience reminds me of how often in daily life we approach situations with pre-conceived notions or assumptions about the outcome. And for me this tasting was no different. The bottle screams of smoothness, sweetness and of PX and Oloroso finishes. I assumed this would be similar to other sherry forward scotches.
The nose certainly presents of sherry, but not overpowering. The citrus fruits, oranges and lemons are there, and maybe a hint of burnt sugar.
When I take a sip, I find the sherry cask influences are a less than I was expecting. It’s there, but not a bomb. The finish is a little minty or almost dental in nature. There is no age statement on the bottle but I am getting more ‘new make’ finish than a liquid that has spend a decade in sherry casks. It’s not creamy or oily at all, and has a tart finish.
It is a light, somewhat smooth dram for those that want an easy drinker.
In some ways it’s underwhelming. As I think about it more though, it’s not the drams fault. It’s that I came with assumptions, some of them incorrect. I will come back to Auchentoshan later in the week with an open mind and let the whiskey have its proper say.
This has taught me a valuable lesson.That is to treat each bottle with new, fresh eyes and nose. To not let my assumptions set my expectations. There is more to discover in this bottle, and I plan to do just that.
The lowlands have something different to offer than highland scotches, and I am looking forward to exploring more distilleries in the lowlands as I continue onward. Thanks Auchentoshan!