Auchentoshan 12 year old
Auchentoshan is one of the few Lowland distilleries still operating in Scotland. This style of whisky is typically characterized as “lighter” than most other single malts. Although you shouldn’t rely on geographical location for flavour, as previously observed, this is one case where the traditional triple-distilling method of lowland malts does produce a gentler base spirit. That said, there is more flavour to this malt than you might expect, earning it a ot in the E flavour cluster in this analysis.
However, our trademark clean, complex character starts with malted optic barley. Moreover, gently kilned, completely unpeated barley lets the Auchentoshan taste shine through.
In addition, we grind the barley to suit our lauter tun. It’s vital we have evenly milled starch grits, maximising the amount of starch that magically transform into sugars during mashing. All this hard graft means a fresh-tasting, clear wort from the lauter tun.
We feed the milled, malted barley – and pure water – into our lauter tun at 63.5°C. The heat helps turn the starches into sugar. After two fillings we are ready for fermentation – the third filling is used as the first water in the next mash.
Many distilleries prefer the consistency that comes with stainless steel washbacks but we use Oregon pine instead – so the results are always a little different each time. This also means that our mash men need to keep an especially keen eye on everything while crafting their unique Auchentoshan Distillers Beer.
WE TRIPLE DISTIL EVERY LAST DROP
Distillation takes our Distillers Beer from around 8% ABV (alcohol by volume) up to 81%. No other Scottish distillery insists on triple distilling every drop – double distillation usually reaches just 70% ABV.
WHAT IS TRIPLE DISTILLATION?
And what does it mean to be the only Triple Distilled Single Malt in Scotland that insist on it for every drop?
WE WAIT
Our oak casks have a huge influence on flavour – so we spend a lot of time and money selecting them.
The right casks, The right setting, The right weather.
In fact, if a spirit wants to be called Single Malt Scotch Whisky, it must be matured in oak for at least three years – no less. We go much further.
In fact, our whisky is matured in casks which held bourbon, sherry or fine wine. A selfless act of recycling? Not quite. It’s an essential step in creating Auchentoshan – the spirit and the wood work together over many years, lending colour and flavour to the finished whisky.
So it’s no surprise we spend so much time and effort selecting precisely the right casks – or indeed in balancing the unique flavours each cask imparts. That way, we create a whisky with flavours right across the spectrum.
