Auchentoshan Heartwood Whisky

On our trip to Dullstroom, we stopped off at the ‘Wild about Whisky’ bar. There we worked our way through a tiny bit of their selection.  I tried to taste whiskies that I have not seen before. At one of the tastings, I tried various whiskies aged in sherry casks, and one of the nicest ones was the Auchentoshan Heartwood single malt Scotch whisky.

Lucky for me, Wild about Whisky had one in the store that I could buy. Auchentoshan (pronounced ock-en-tosh-an) is a Lowlands distillery, and the name translates as ‘corner of the field’ from the local form of Gaelic. Auchentoshan is unique among Scottish whisky distilleries in that they triple distil using three stills.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the common practice is to distil twice. Triple distillation produces a spirit that is lighter and more delicate in flavour. Auchentoshan has a core range that include the American Oak and 12 yo whisky release and have also produced a range exclusively for the retail travel market.

What it means is that if you are not travelling through Heathrow airport – or get lucky – this bottle may elude you in the usual places. That would be a tragedy, for this is a fine whisky indeed. The Auchentoshan range consists of four core expressions, with two limited-edition releases coming out each year.

The whole range pays tribute to the wood, and each whisky in the range is inspired by the phase of a tree’s life cycle and named to reflect the whisky’s flavour as if it were part of the tree’s life. The Auchentoshan Heartwood single malt whisky is aged in Oloroso sherry casks, as well as charred American oak bourbon casks.
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Auchentoshan Heartwood Whisky Review

REGION: Lowlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Some commentators have described the colour as a dark honeycomb. To me, it looked far more copper in colour. It reminded me of beautiful copper pots that had been polished and caught the light just the right way in sunlight. It is indeed a warm, inviting colour.

NOSE: From a nose perspective, the Auchentoshan Heartwood is quite complex. I picked up some sherry and notes of orange. Other commentators have picked up honeycomb – proof if any was needed that it’s a complex nose because I did not pick that up.

PALATE: Whilst you may not remember the Auchentoshan Heartwood for its nose, you won’t easily forget it on the palate. On the palate, the Auchentoshan Heartwood feels lighter than other Scottish whiskies. It may be a testament to the triple distillation rather than the standard double distillation.

The Heartwood flavours that came through were sherry, vanilla and honeycomb. I thought of ice cream at first! While it is light, there is a richness to it, with oak coming through as well as some hints of citrus.

FINISH: The finish is not long, with quite a short tail to it. It does not distract in any way, and it finishes in a nice, mouth-filling, fresh way.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Auchentoshan is a wonderful whisky, and we both instantly reached the same verdict.  Not only is it delicious, but it’s also probably one of the most “moreish” whiskies I have tasted, and you quickly find yourself pouring another glass before you realise it.

I’m glad it’s a 1L bottle because it’s not going to last for very long! I have also tried the Auchentoshan American Oak whisky and captured my tasting notes.

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