Tag Archives: Auchentoshan

Auchentoshan Three Wood Tasting Notes

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Credit: ianmurray

Credit: ianmurray

At a recent Scotch Night, one of the attendees brought a bottle of Auchentoshan Three Wood. The Three Wood is a whisky that has been matured in three different casks – American Bourbon, Spanish Oloroso Sherry, and then finished off in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. I didn’t know that going into the tasting and was delightfully surprised when we got to the Three Wood, the lone Lowland in the bunch.

You see, my friends are big into IPAs and Islays and all the strong, smokey, bitter, and bold flavors that those types of beverages bring. Personally, I enjoy Islays but I can’t drink it all night. I get tired of it. With Speysides and the like, it’s much easier to enjoy all night… which isn’t always a good thing either!

Auchentoshan is the first Lowland I’d ever enjoyed and there aren’t many Lowland scotches available in the United States. To date I’ve only ever enjoyed Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie, I may have seen Bladnoch in a store once.

So, let’s get to the notes:

  • Color: A lovely bronze that looks a lot like the color of maple syrup.
  • Nose: It’s sweet with raisin and brown sugar. I don’t know if it’s because I associated the color with maple syrup that my brain was playing tricks on me but it does smell sugary, which jives with finish in a dessert wine cask.
  • Palate: Much sweeter than I expected, partly because we started with Islays, but you really got hazelnut and butterscotch.
  • Finish: Moderate finish that continues the sweetness and fruitiness, doesn’t last forever but doesn’t disappear quickly.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I think my notes lean towards sweetness simply because we had so many others that lacked a sweetness (no finish in dessert casks), like Yamazaki 12.

I was a little surprised to learn that the bottle costs around $75 for 750ml so it should be no shock that I enjoyed it. 🙂

World's Most Expensive Whiskies

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Macallan 1926 Costs $38000 a BottleIn mid-2006, Forbes listed the world’s most expensive whiskies with the top bottle netting $38,000. That’s right, a single bottle of the stuff at the top of the list costs more than most of the cars on the road today. Which was it? It was The Macallan Fine and Rare Collection, 1926, 60 Years Old… a single malt of the highest order took the top spot and it’s not actually possible to buy it anymore.

Here’s what Forbes had to say:

The oldest and most sought-after of Macallan’s revolutionary Fine & Rare Collection is now sold out. It is still possible to taste this totally unique Scotch whisky at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J. However, it sells for a nosebleed-inducing $3,300 per dram, so you had better have had a good run at the craps table.

To clarify, the list was created to capture the most expensive of each type, so you’ll see clearly “inexpensive” Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey listed because it’s the most expensive Tennessee whiskey. Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old is the most expensive rye whiskey and Suntory Yamazaki 18 is the most expensive Japanese whiskey. Anyway, here’s the rest of the list:

  1. The Macallan Fine & Rare Collection, 1939, 40 Years Old: $10,125
  2. Chivas Regal Royal Salute, 50 Year Old: $10,000
  3. Glen Garioch, 1958, 46 Year Old: $2,600
  4. Bruichladdich 40 Year Old: $2,500
  5. Glenfiddich 40 Year Old: $2,500
  6. Springbank 32 Year Old: $750
  7. Auchentoshan 1973 32 Year Old: $700
  8. Evan Williams 23 Year Old Bourbon: $350
  9. Midleton Very Rare: $139
  10. Suntory Yamazaki 18 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey: $110
  11. Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old: $55
  12. Johnny Walker Green Label: $50
  13. Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey: $50
  14. Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey: $42