Scotch Review #91: Auchentoshan Three Wood

Distillery: Auchentoshan

Region: Lowland

Cask Info: Matured in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks, bourbon casks and Oloroso Sherry casks

ABV: 43%

Age: NAS

Price: On sale at $50

Color: 1.6, Mahogany/Henna.

---

Nose: Slightly sweet. You get some fresh currants, some raisins, a hint of toffee, and a big helping of fresh oak.

Palate: Way over oaked. There’s some hazelnut and clove that comes out behind it but really dominated by the oak. With some water, the oak does get tempered quite a bit and you get notes of currants as well.

Finish: Medium to short in length. More currants pop up here along with a hint of butterscotch. It is again very oaky and dry.

Conclusion: When I was really early on in my scotch seeking journey, I had the Auchentoshan Three Wood and I absolutely loved it. Seeing it on sale, I figured I’d go back and give it a shot again to see if it’s still half as good as I remember. Unfortunately, it was an utter disappointment. It was over-oaked like no other and it was boring. I’m not sure if I simply got a bad bottle (which is possible), if Auchentoshan’s quality has simply dropped, if my tastes have simply changed, or what is going on, but it was nothing like what I remembered. An absolute shame. Would I buy another bottle? Highly unlikely.

Final Score: 72.

Scotch Whisky review #91, Lowland Whisky Review #3, Whisky Network Review #119

---

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.