Auchentoshan is the only triple distilled single malt in Scotland, more time consuming and costly than the regular double distillation. This process is supposed to create a more complex flavor while at the same time being gentler than the high alcohol concentration might suggest. They also have a cream liqueur that’s exclusive to their distillery. If it’s anything like Mrs. Walker’s Drumgray Highland Cream Liqueur, then it would be worth a trip and tour regardless what the rest of the offerings were like. Auchentoshan is also one of the few lowland distilleries still operating in Scotland, making its exploration near a requirement. Oddly enough, the Auchentoshan Classic is not currently listed on their website, so it may be in the process of being rebranded (as the Classic is a rebranding in 2008 of their Select).
Distillery: Auchentoshan
Region: Lowland
Age: NAS
Strength: 40%
Price: $37.99
Location: Glasgow
Nose: Lemon cookie, grain, Granny Smith peel
Palate: Lemon oil, floral, starfruit, coconut shavings
Finish: Coconut
Comments:
Adam – Sort of one-note for me. A simple but pleasant nose and relatively unassuming for the most part. Sort of like that shy, introverted cousin at large family gatherings who you hope will be really interesting once you corner them for a chat…but isn’t.
Closest thing to a sipping white wine I’ve had in a scotch.
Kate – When it’s watered, it has more of that grassy quality, like a lemon grass. I really liked the Auchentoshan Classic the first time I drank it, but I like it less and less if I go back to it. It’s like the kid who keeps asking why. I wonder if it needs to be tasted at the beginning of a session without corrupting the palate with other flavors.
Meghan – The Yankee Candle company should make an Auchentoshan-scented candle. A lot of lemon oil in the mid-palate and a very short finish that dried out the back of my tongue.
Henry – Very simple. A young and simple flavor. The Auchentoshan Classic doesn’t have any of the musk and power of a more mature whisky. I love the astringent quality to the finish. Definitely a tropical fruitiness coupled with a strong floral. Closest thing to a sipping white wine I’ve had in a scotch.
Michael – It had that light fruit and flowery in the palate for me that ended abruptly.
Jenny – Not a whole lot in the nose. Not a lot of action happening at all, really.
