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20th August 2013 |
First time
for Auchentoshan, a solely virgin oak
matured whisky.
 After
a bit of a summer break away from
keeping you all up to date with what's
new in the world of Scotch Malt Whisky I
thought I would ease myself back into it
by reviewing Auchentoshan's latest
offering to us malt whisky drinkers.
(It's a tough job but someone's got to
do it!)
The Auchentoshan Virgin Oak is a limited
edition single malt which is non
chill-filtered just as we like it and
bottled at 46% ABV. I am not sure how
limited a release this is but if I find
out I will let you know.
Traditionally the Auchentoshan whisky we
all know is matured in ex-Bourbon casks
or ex-sherry casks or even in a
combination of both but as the "Virgin
Oak" name tells us this new offering
from the lowland distillery on the
outskirts of Glasgow was matured solely
in new virgin North American oak
casks that have never been influenced or
tamed by another spirit.
The worry with using new virgin oak
casks is that the wood can overpower the
characteristics of the whisky maturing
in it especially a subtle floral fruity
lowland whisky like Auchentoshan but if
done correctly it can add a whole new
dimension to a whisky.
Intuition and industry knowledge led the
team at Auchentoshan to believe they
could challenge the firmly entrenched
belief that Scotch whisky must be
matured in ex-bourbon or sherry casks.
Since the millennium, Auchentoshan has
placed small batches of the unique,
triple distilled spirit in virgin North
American oak whose charred surfaces have
held neither bourbon nor sherry.
Auchentoshan Brand Ambassador Gordon
Dundas commented: "Auchentoshan is one
of the few distilleries to produce a
virgin oak Single Malt. The lightness of
the triple distilled spirit makes it
perfectly suited to absorbing the unique
qualities of the charred virgin oak
casks. The result is a lowland whisky
that is subtle as well as complex in
nature."
You will find the Auchentoshan Virgin
Oak available from Whisky specialist
shops priced around £69.99
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Auchentoshan Virgin Oak Tasting
Notes
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William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Vanilla, coconut sugar sweetness, lemon,
nutmeg and as the label says virgin oak
but not too sharp as can be the case
with virgin oak matured whisky.
Taste:
Spicy oak, very smooth,
coconut, sweet vanilla, caramel, rose petal, a
bit of orange.
Finish:
Creamy vanilla, orange, mildly drying
oak spice.
Comment:
I have to say I enjoyed this, virgin oak
casks can sometimes be overpowering,
leaving you with a woody spice monster
whisky to chew on, this is certainly not
the case here. This has plenty of virgin
oak but it doesn't cancel out
Auchentoshan's subtle fruity floral
characteristics. Auchentoshan without
Bourbon or sherry cask maturation is
quite a different expression of
Auchentoshan Scotch single malt whisky,
in a good way. Unfortunately I think the
price tag may be a stumbling block for
those who may have wanted to try this.
It may be a very limited release, I will
certainly let you know the numbers if I
find out.
SMW Score
86/100
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Where To Buy Auchentoshan Whisky Online
|
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Select a country for a list
of specialist Whisky shops who delivers
to you:
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