Auchentoshan Classic Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2008) 70cl
Auchentoshan Classic Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2008) 70cl
A no-age-statement Auchentoshan released in 2008, Classic is aimed at drawing in new drinkers to malt whisky, and has the easy-going drinkability to do the job. Not only that, but Auchentoshan Classic has now received a Kosher endorsement.
Auchentoshan is a Scottish distillery known for producing some of the lightest and most delicate whiskies in the world. The Auchentoshan distillery is located in the Lowlands of Scotland, and has been in operation since 1823. Auchentoshan whiskies often have a floral aroma and a sweet flavor profile.
Auchentoshan (pronounced ‘OKKen-TOSHan’) is one of the few triple-distilled single malts in Scotland.
In May 2008 Auchentoshan went through a revamp. Bottle labels were altered, the range was changed and the visitor centre was renovated. The origins of the distillery are quite shrouded, it originally started life under the name ‘Duntocher’, which was first mentioned around the turn of the nineteenth century. In 1834, it was renamed Auchintoshan, taking from the Gaelic ‘achad oisnin’ or ‘corner of the field’.
Auchentoshan lies only just within the Lowlands and, although a Lowlander, Auchentoshan’s water source – near the Cochna Loch in the Kilpatrick Hills is in the Highlands.
During the Second World War, bombing on the Clydebank shipyards, which lie in close proximity, left the Auchentoshan distillery greatly damaged with a substantial loss of spirit. In 1948, reconstruction began and the distillery was also given the new, modern spelling ‘Auchentoshan’.
In 1984, the Auchentoshan distillery was bought by Morrison Bowmore, which itself became a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory a decade later. None of the current range is peated, and at the heart lies the 2008 release, ‘Classic’, an eighteen year-old and ‘Three Wood’; matured in Oloroso, Pedro Ximinez Sherry and Bourbon casks.
About Auchentoshan
Auchentoshan’s claim to fame is that it is the only distillery in Scotland which exclusively uses triple distillation.
The wash still operates as per normal, while the spirit coming from the intermediate still is split into two, with only the high-strength ‘heads’ being carried forward for the final distillation. The low-strength ‘tails’ are mixed with the next distillation from the wash still.
The ‘heads’ are then mixed with the ‘feints’ from the previous spirit still distillation and a cut with an average strength of 81% is taken. A short fermentation gives Auchentoshan a cereal note which acts as a grounding flavour during maturation as well as balancing the high-toned citric notes. Its high strength means that it can easily be overpowered by oak. Consequently, the older the expression, the more ‘relaxed’ the wood influence is.
Legal whisky-making started here on the banks of the Clyde in 1817 when the Duntocher distillery was built by John Bulloch. Like many early start-ups it had a chequered early history and Bulloch went bankrupt soon after. It wasn’t to put his family off however. His grandson co-founded one of the 19th century’s most famous blending and broking firms, Bulloch Lade.
It was bought in 1834 by John Hart and Alexander Filshie who changed its name to Auchintoshan [sic]. The Filshie’s sold up in 1875 to a local grain merchant and again like so many stills, ‘Auchie’ spent almost a century being passed from one owner to another. During the Clyde Blitz of 1941 a warehouse was hit, sending a stream of blazing whisky into the river. A bomb crater has been turned into the distillery pond.
It was one of a number of distilleries purchased by brewers in the 1960s – in Auchie’s case Glasgow-based Tennant’s were owners from 1960 to 1969 when they offloaded it to a publican, Eadie Cairns. The upgraded distillery was then sold to Stanley P Morrison in 1984. It is now part of Beam Suntory. A new visitor facility was built in 2004.
Unusually, all of its production is used for single malt.
40% ABV
70cl
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