Whisky Review: Auchentoshan & Christmas Toffee Cake (plus other random topics)
Well, this may be a long and rambling entry as it has been a while since I sat down to write. Firstly, it seems as though I am coming down with something...most likely a cold I picked up from when my parents visited over the weekend. I knew I shouldn't have trusted my mother's statement that it was just her 'seasonal allergies' kicking in early; she doesn't have seasonal allergies! Bah, humbug. Means that I can't really do anything that requires my nose, such as eat good food and/or relax with a glass of whisky. Hopefully I'll be feeling better before the weekend!
Now, I believe in my last post I mentioned something about Auchentoshan and Christmas Toffee Cake...but before I get into that, there is a story. My whisky shelf is all over the place, as many of the bottles have been gifts, which means there is a story behind each one of them. I don't have the resources (ok, well, I probably do, but if I spent too much money on whisky there wouldn't be money left over for groceries, child care, bills, etc., etc.) to go out and buy a bottle of whisky each week so that I can post a review. What I can do, however, is share the stories behind the bottles that I do have. So, here goes...
The end of October 2011 was Meg's and my 12th wedding anniversary. For our 10th anniversary she gave me a bottle of Glenlivet 12 year-old, but given that we were heading to Toronto so she could run in the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, and then later in the month to Philadelphia for Run for Your Lives, we decided that we'd forgo getting each other anniversary presents on the condition that if she was allowed to buy herself some beads for her bracelet following the races, I could buy a bottle of whisky. After some extensive online research, I determined that I wanted to buy myself a bottle of Auchentoshan Three Wood. The only problem with this decision was that after deciding what I wanted, when I searched the LCBO's online inventory to determine where I could purchase it, there was only one bottle in the entire province! Luckily, it was at an LCBO outlet in Toronto, so I called the store and asked them to set it aside for me, and then on our trip down for the half-marathon we detoured across the city to pick it up.
For a detailed description and history of the Auchentoshan distillery (which is located near Glasgow, Scotland, and if I'd known that when we were in Glasgow 11 years ago, I would have wanted to visit), please see Johannes Van Den Heuvel's Malt Madness website. Auchentoshan is somewhat unique in that it is one of only three distilleries left in the Lowlands, and that unlike the majority of Scotch whiskies, it is triple distilled (like other Lowlanders and most Irish whiskies). The triple distillation gives it a much smoother palate and finish, and on first taste I knew it was a dessert whisky. As a result, I haven't had much of it since I opened it in early November. I did, however, pull it out over Christmas to have with our Christmas dinner. Megan's parents had brought up a Christmas Toffee Cake to serve after dinner and I thought it would be good for her father to sample another whisky (he is much more of a wine and craft beer person, but I'm hoping to get him to share a dram or two with me when they visit).
And let's just say that I was not at all disappointed with the pairing! The wonderful toffee and butterscotch nose, along with the smooth brown-sugar and cinnamony (is that even a word?) palate and the long, smooth finish were perfect alongside the toffee sweetness and softness of the cake. It was absolutely divine, although it was better with the cake freshly warmed from the oven; on Boxing Day, with a slice of cake cold from the fridge, it wasn't as good (although both the cake and the whisky tasted good, the combination of the two wasn't quite the same). All things considered, I think the long drive to Toronto to pick up a bottle of Three Wood was well worth it (I don't think I would have driven there just to pick up the bottle, but as we were going there anyway, the detour made sense, or at least it did to me). Of course now I think I'll have to explore the Auchentoshan product range a little bit more...
For a glimpse of what others have had to say about the Auchentoshan Three Wood, you can persue the following reviews at your leisure:
On an interesting side note, apparently James Bond also drinks Auchentoshan. An astute reader/collector of Auchentoshan memorabilia has pointed out that in the most recent Bond novel, Carte Blanche, by Jeffery Deaver, Bond orders a single malt Scotch, and is asked by the bartender if Auchentoshan is acceptable. You can read about it here. Of course, this begs the question, was it a 12 year-old Auchentoshan? And does this mean that I need to revise my post on Scotch & Spies?
*****UPDATE: May 16, 2012*****
For another take on the Auchentoshan Three Wood (and other Auchentoshan expressions), check out Jason Debly's recent posting over at Jason's Scotch Whisky Reviews.
Now, I believe in my last post I mentioned something about Auchentoshan and Christmas Toffee Cake...but before I get into that, there is a story. My whisky shelf is all over the place, as many of the bottles have been gifts, which means there is a story behind each one of them. I don't have the resources (ok, well, I probably do, but if I spent too much money on whisky there wouldn't be money left over for groceries, child care, bills, etc., etc.) to go out and buy a bottle of whisky each week so that I can post a review. What I can do, however, is share the stories behind the bottles that I do have. So, here goes...
The end of October 2011 was Meg's and my 12th wedding anniversary. For our 10th anniversary she gave me a bottle of Glenlivet 12 year-old, but given that we were heading to Toronto so she could run in the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, and then later in the month to Philadelphia for Run for Your Lives, we decided that we'd forgo getting each other anniversary presents on the condition that if she was allowed to buy herself some beads for her bracelet following the races, I could buy a bottle of whisky. After some extensive online research, I determined that I wanted to buy myself a bottle of Auchentoshan Three Wood. The only problem with this decision was that after deciding what I wanted, when I searched the LCBO's online inventory to determine where I could purchase it, there was only one bottle in the entire province! Luckily, it was at an LCBO outlet in Toronto, so I called the store and asked them to set it aside for me, and then on our trip down for the half-marathon we detoured across the city to pick it up.
For a detailed description and history of the Auchentoshan distillery (which is located near Glasgow, Scotland, and if I'd known that when we were in Glasgow 11 years ago, I would have wanted to visit), please see Johannes Van Den Heuvel's Malt Madness website. Auchentoshan is somewhat unique in that it is one of only three distilleries left in the Lowlands, and that unlike the majority of Scotch whiskies, it is triple distilled (like other Lowlanders and most Irish whiskies). The triple distillation gives it a much smoother palate and finish, and on first taste I knew it was a dessert whisky. As a result, I haven't had much of it since I opened it in early November. I did, however, pull it out over Christmas to have with our Christmas dinner. Megan's parents had brought up a Christmas Toffee Cake to serve after dinner and I thought it would be good for her father to sample another whisky (he is much more of a wine and craft beer person, but I'm hoping to get him to share a dram or two with me when they visit).
And let's just say that I was not at all disappointed with the pairing! The wonderful toffee and butterscotch nose, along with the smooth brown-sugar and cinnamony (is that even a word?) palate and the long, smooth finish were perfect alongside the toffee sweetness and softness of the cake. It was absolutely divine, although it was better with the cake freshly warmed from the oven; on Boxing Day, with a slice of cake cold from the fridge, it wasn't as good (although both the cake and the whisky tasted good, the combination of the two wasn't quite the same). All things considered, I think the long drive to Toronto to pick up a bottle of Three Wood was well worth it (I don't think I would have driven there just to pick up the bottle, but as we were going there anyway, the detour made sense, or at least it did to me). Of course now I think I'll have to explore the Auchentoshan product range a little bit more...
For a glimpse of what others have had to say about the Auchentoshan Three Wood, you can persue the following reviews at your leisure:
On an interesting side note, apparently James Bond also drinks Auchentoshan. An astute reader/collector of Auchentoshan memorabilia has pointed out that in the most recent Bond novel, Carte Blanche, by Jeffery Deaver, Bond orders a single malt Scotch, and is asked by the bartender if Auchentoshan is acceptable. You can read about it here. Of course, this begs the question, was it a 12 year-old Auchentoshan? And does this mean that I need to revise my post on Scotch & Spies?
*****UPDATE: May 16, 2012*****
For another take on the Auchentoshan Three Wood (and other Auchentoshan expressions), check out Jason Debly's recent posting over at Jason's Scotch Whisky Reviews.