According to the legend, Auchentoshan was the first triple-distilled single malt scotch. This is not the most famous whiskey in the world, but the two-hundred-year history of the brand is an irrefutable fact, which allows us to talk about demand and authority among professionals, connoisseurs and just amateurs. Triple distillation, the absence of the “peaty” flavor characteristic of Scotch whiskey, softness and bright aroma – all this makes Auchentoshan a noble and refined drink.
Description. The main reason for the lightness and delicate aroma, experts consider the soft water used in the production from a clean and transparent mountain lake formed by underground springs. The water does not have the peaty taste typical of the Scottish lowlands, so the whiskey is so pleasant that it brought Auchintoshan fame as a philosophical drink, which is enjoyed with leisurely conversations in a friendly circle or sipped alone, summing up the day.
While competitors strive to achieve a distinct recognizable aroma and rich expressive taste in their products, Akkentoshan continues to be proud of its extraordinary softness with a very significant – from 40 to 57 degrees, strength.
For aging, the manufacturer uses barrels of sherry, bourbon and sherry (sherry brandy) – thanks to this, Akkentoshan is full of flavor nuances. The main note of the brand is a green apple with subtle hints of citrus. The older the whiskey, the more pronounced the aroma of vanilla and cedar.
Historical reference. The root cause of the appearance in Scotland of a drink obtained as a result of three, and not the traditional two distillations, was the Irish settlers who brought their customs and technologies to the country. It all started in 1823. Having lost hope of profitably selling barley, merchant John Bulloch decided not to give grain at bargain prices, but to process it, turning it into raw material for whiskey.
Balloch built a distillery on the edge of the lowlands, resting on a mountain range just north of the large port city of Glasgow. (Auchintoshan means “field coal”). Moreover, water for whiskey is taken from the mountain lake Cochna. Soon, a soft and at the same time strong drink gained fame in Foggy Albion and beyond the borders of the country.
By the beginning of World War II, Auchintoshan was one of the ten most popular Scotch whiskeys. During an air attack, when German bombers were trying to wipe out the port of Glasgow, a bomb hit the production buildings. A golden river flowed from broken barrels, flooding everything around. 80% of the whiskey was lost, production facilities were only partially preserved, but after the war, the production of the drink was resumed.
In 1969, the Auchintoshan plant was bought by entrepreneur Edy Cairns, who began to restore and re-equip the enterprise. A complete reconstruction of the distillery was completed in 1974, and 10 years later Morrison Bowmore became the owner of the brand. Another decade – and Morrison Bowmore becomes part of the Japanese corporation Suntory, which by that time already owned factories on the island of Islay and in the Highlands.
The corporation was headed by professionals who, over the course of several years, made Akkentoshan a brand with an excellent reputation. The annual turnover of Auchintoshan today is more than one and a half million liters of whiskey.
Production features
The classic Scotch whiskey recipe is double distilled in copper stills. The right to triple distillation at the legislative level is granted to a limited number of plants, Auchintoshan is one of them.
Triple distillation and aging require significant time and material costs, special expensive equipment and professional actions.
- Firstly, 3 stages of distillation take longer than 2. After the first distillation, the so-called “weak wine” is obtained with a strength of about 30 degrees, the result of which is a liquid twice as strong – about 70 degrees. But only the middle fraction is sent for aging, and the first and last distillates are mixed with the next batch of weak wine and distilled again.
- Secondly, the distillation apparatuses of each distillery are unique, they have containers of different volumes and shapes. The development of stills (at Auchintoshan they are traditionally copper) is entrusted to high-class specialists, since it is believed that the final taste of the drink depends on the shape of the still.
- Thirdly, barrels for aging a drink, like copper cubes, have different shapes and sizes, a good selection determines the taste. The exposure period is individual, depends on the size of the vapors, and therefore – on temperature, weather and general climatic conditions. Overaged whiskey in a barrel loses its taste and other unique properties, which is why professional experience and intuition are so important.
Types of whiskey Akkentoshan
- Auchentoshan Classic. Sunny whiskey aged in bourbon barrels for seven years. The taste is slightly sweet with notes of apple, vanilla, with a refreshing mint aftertaste. A light vanilla aroma is complemented by hints of citrus.
- Auchentoshan Three Wood. The bronze-colored whiskey with the telling name “Three Trees” is aged in three different barrels – two from Spanish sherry and one from bourbon. Delicate creamy taste is tinted with notes of currant and burnt sugar. Thanks to triple aging and three different types of wood, the whiskey has acquired some oiliness and astringency.
- Auchentoshan American Oak. Scotch aged for eight years in American bourbon oak barrels, which gave the drink the name “American oak”. The taste of whiskey is traditionally soft with hints of peach, vanilla and grapefruit. The aroma is harmonious – notes of citrus and vanilla predominate.
- Auchentoshan Valinch. The lightest and strongest drink – 57.%, is rightfully included in the top five among single malt scotch, made without the traditional stage of cold filtration and aged in bourbon barrels. The name of whiskey is symbolic, Valinch is a characteristic tool of the distillery master, the so-called “whiskey thief”, with which samples are taken from barrels for tasting. Scotch has a complex sweet taste, in which vanilla and orange are combined with hints of honey. Warm pleasant aftertaste with hints of cinnamon and caramel. An ideal digestif, good on its own or in combination with coffee.
- Auchentoshan 12 Years Old. A honey-colored scotch with a mild flavor that intertwines notes of lime and mandarin, and a rich aftertaste with hints of ginger and walnut. In a light refreshing aroma, citrus fruits are combined with spring greenery.
- Auchentoshan 18 Years Old. Scotch liquid gold color with a pleasant aroma of tobacco leaf and caramel, aged in bourbon containers. The taste is sweetish, with floral notes, the aftertaste is persistent, with an unobtrusive piquancy of mandarin.
- Auchentoshan 21 Years Old. The whiskey is bright copper in color, chocolate notes are harmoniously intertwined with honey sweetness and freshness of a green apple, and cedar and vanilla are harmonious in the aroma.
