Auchentoshan Three Wood

Nose: Dense, thick, syrupy fruits. Stewed blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries sweetened with sugar and with lemon zests tossed in the pot. Bananas and persimmons. Slightly sulfuric, rubbery character. Splashes of malt, cocoa, and leather, alongside warm baking spices and roasted nuts. Ther's a touch of "green" notes - some vegetal and some piney. This smells sweet and unashamedly displays the cask influences. Palate: Though still sweet, it's not as much as the nose would make you believe. Cocoa, dusty leather, and cinnamon are all here. We've traded stewed fruits for ripe ones with a touch of honey drizzled on top - berries, cantaloupes, mangoes, persimmons, etc. Warm and rounded. There's a touch of black pepper "zing" here, though nothing too intense. Where the nose really displays the PX cask, the palate is more Oloroso-forward, with roasted salted almonds coming into play. Very much on the back of the palate, and very much focused between the mids and bass of flavors. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: Chocolate covered nuts, red grapes, cocoa, and black pepper. Strawberries and bananas slowly reveal, with some dense balsamic vinegar. A bit of mint and vanilla come into play, and we get this nice ground coffee note to round things out as we fade away on this long finish. Other notes: I really want to pair this with thin mints. A fun expression, the cask influence here is unmistakable. Sweet, but wonderfully balanced and with plenty to explore. This is one of those bottles I could suggest to the bourbon or irish drinker in your life looking for a place to start with Scotch - casks and sweetness will give them a good anchor point, with enough "scotchy" character to really hold their interest and give them something new to explore. I may not find myself purchasing this again for my home bar, though I'll absolutely be exploring more of their expressions given when I'm seeing here. Cheers!

Smooth Scotch, listening to some smooth jazz. Happy New Year.