Dreaming-of-Islay
Auchentoshan Three Wood
Single Malt — Lowlands, Scotland
Reviewed
July 8, 2017 (edited February 3, 2020)
This scotch is a sherry bomb for sure. Cherry pie and stewed plums on the nose, very rich, very sherried. The palate is another episode of the sherry show -- raisins, dates, jam, treacle, honey, and that cherry sweetness again. It's like a liquefied dark berry tart. It has a wonderful full texture, and I'm surprised the ABV isn't higher, as this scotch does not feel much watered down. I rate this scotch higher than Aberlour A'bunadh and Macallan 12, it's richer and sweeter. It has a bit of brandy or port character to it, not typical for a scotch. The finish lingers just long enough, and has some coffee and chocolate echoes. I may need to try some more Auchentoshans, this distillery knows how to execute a sherry finish!
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Nice review! I found the "Auchentoshan 21" to be world class, and their "Blood Oak" as a really delicious dram. IMO, the "Three Wood" is tasty, shows great craftmanship and quality, but could use some more whisky flavour in there! :)
Joe, that's fair -- I haven't had Macallan 12 in about a year, so perhaps it was just recency effect (and inebriation! Had a few before getting to this one while out last night). I'll revisit Macallan 12 and may revise, I have enjoyed it a lot in the past.
Auchentoshan is one of my favorite distilleries and they produce some pretty decent malts!
Great review, but I'm not sure about this one faring better than the Macallan 12. I think my issue with this expression is that it feels contrived , which kind of doesn't make sense because all whiskies are contrived in the sense that they were crafted. But whereas the Macallan 12 had a quality barrel do its magic, the Three Wood took a lot of blending wizardry to accomplish.