Continuing the CWS tour of Scotland, we arrive in the Lowland region. With Bladnoch temporarily mothballed, realistically we were going to try either Auchentoshan or Glenkinchie on our tour. We opted for Auchentoshan because of it’s traditional triple-distillation method.
Heartwood is a travel retail exclusive which, it says, “combines the perfect balance of rich whisky aged in Oloroso sherry casks, with a nuttiness from bourbon cask maturation”. Sounds alright.
Cost: £50 (for a litre)
100cl / 43% ABV
Tasting Notes*
Nose: Fresh cappuccino. Fresh honey and candied orange peels, with hints of dark coffee and pear drops. A hint of BBQ chippings, rain on dry wood, all-spice and freshly cooked hot dog. Cinnamon and apple doughnuts warmed in the oven. Quite a lot going on. It’s got a wonderfully complex nose and is meaty for a triple distilled whisky.
Palate: A light sweetness develops into a rich, fruity mouthfeel. Nuttier than the nose, it’s got a core of hazelnut and almond, surrounded by chocolate buttons, apple and fresh ground coffee again. In the mouth, the flavours give strong oak, with the meaty natures throwing roast lamb and thyme at you followed by Satsuma and some light citrus notes. May roast duck with plums. With water, the whole thing dampens down a bit. Drink this one neat.
Finish: Dark and drying, with rich fruit lingering on and on. Blood orange with some lemon drizzle and dark chocolate.
*Tasting notes from Auchentoshan, Master of Malt and Cask Strength.
Packaging
A big ol’ bottle of whisky in a cardboard box. What’s not to like ?
Verdict
Rich, smooth and surprisingly complex. To be honest we weren’t expecting much flavour with words like smooth, delicate, and triple-distilled being bandied around, so we were pleasantly surprised with how tasty this is. We’d definitely be more inclined to try the more famous Three Wood after this.
Crookes Whiskey Society 