I headed out to by my usual malt, the auchentoshan 12 for Xmas, but two whisky shops I visited put forward a strong case to forget the 12 and try the three wood..... initially I wasn’t getting much on the nose, the flavour is smooth but maybe a slight to much dry oak for my taste, maybe.... there’s a pleasant Carmel/treacle teaser in there. I don’t pick up the cinnamon that it mentioned in the distillery notes. I am in LOVE with the colour. I did a side by side comparison with the 12 - and yes, the recommendation is right, but twice the price better??? Hmmm