Just a few miles outside of Glasgow sits a distillery that prides itself in doing things a little different than the other whisky making sites in Scotland. Cause for almost 200 years now, Auchentoshan has been the only Scotch production unit that triple distilled every drop they bottled. As the telling name reveals, the Three Wood – which is one of the most celebrated showpieces of their core range – does even go a step further. Not only did it run through the stills thrice, but also did it receive a triple maturation afterwards. First, it spent the bulk of its years in ex-bourbon barrels. Then, it was double-finished in Oloroso and PX sherry casks. When I visited Auchentoshan earlier this year, I was told that the distillery puts an enormous amount of effort into selecting and obtaining only the best of casks. I hope my memory does not betray me here, but I think they also said that in many cases they do not fill their bourbon and sherry cylindricals more than once. While the Three Wood is a respectable 10+ years of age (but sold as an NAS expression to not disrupt the equilibrium of Auchentoshan’s portfolio), I believe the casks to be working a big chunk of the magic here… the result is a savory single malt Scotch whisky with substantial depth, multifarious character and well-integrated sherry notes. An total winner in my book!
by Tobi
Eye: Fox brown with an orange hue.
Nose: Rather sweet and somewhat autumnal with macadamia nuts, strawberries and plums accompanied by a subtle spiciness and a waxy note. The more you let it breathe, the stronger the last-mentioned two aromas become.
Palate: Blue grapes, plum jelly and elderberry juice meet cocktail cherries, mocca beans and cinnamon powder. Various layers of “darkish” flavors tower up in the Three Wood, forming a very imposing structure of significant complexity.
Finish: This delicate expression from Auchentoshan has a sturdy, medium-long finish characterized by sherry wood and autumn fruits.
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- The dram
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- The label
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- In the glass
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- Promo shot (taken from Auchentoshan.com)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland (Lowlands)
Aged: NAS
Alc. volume: 43%
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
Price range: ~45.00 Euro
More info: https://www.auchentoshan.com/ (Distillery)
BarleyMania | Whisky & Whiskey 
One of my favorites, great price point too!
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Full agreement here. I am quite a big Auchentoshan fan and this is one of my favorite expressions of their. As you said, it offers really good value for money and is readily available. When I visited Scotland earlier this year, I also had some of their hand-filled distillery cask bottlings, which were out of this world! But they were also no bargains and I cannot buy ’em here at home in Germany. So for everyday dramming, it is the Three Wood (and currently also the Blood Oak) for me. :)
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I look forward to visiting their distillery sometime in my life!
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Love this one, so much layers of flavour in a glass
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Oh, yes! What I find particularly great about it is the fact that it has that much to offer without being too converluted. If you just wanna have a casual sip, you can easily drink the Three Wood on the side. But if you wanna dive into it, you can spend an hour with a single dram and you will always discover something new.
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This is a superb dram.
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This is a superb statement. ;)
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