Number of bottlings sampled and approved for human consumption:  3
 

Auchentoshan NAS 'Three Wood' (43%, OB, bottled +/-1999, code L316/245H, 70cl)
(Matured in three different casks; American Bourbon, Spanish Oloroso Sherry and Pedro Ximenez).
Nose: Sweet with lots of sherry. A hint of smoke. Caramel? Wood and fruits too. Tobacco!
Whiff of peppermint. Sweet fruit cake. Organics. Salted peanuts. Spices. Playful. The sherry takes some time to move to the foreground, but when it does it greatly increases the complexity and fruitiness of the nose. Good development! Much more nose than the 10yo, even though it's triple-distilled as well.
Taste: Smooth start. Sherry. Sweet and smoky as well, but with a sourish dissonant.
Mint? Fruits. Wood. Liquorice root. Fried fish? Smoke and tannins in the dry, long finish.
Score: 82 points. Wow! The taste isn't too spectacular but the nose is simply wonderful. It's rich and expressive and shows a lot of the elements I love in older Aberlours, Macallans and Springbanks. Three times a lady...
 

Auchentoshan 10yo (40%, OB, bottled +/- 1993, code 5 010496 700815, 70cl)
Notes will be added later. (40% - Distillery bottling - Auchentoshan Distillery)
Nose: Very light, oily bouquet. Almost grainy.
A bit sharp and - dare I say - unimaginative.
Taste: Surprisingly supple; very smooth. Unfortunately, It lacked development.
Very much so, in fact; perhaps as a result of the triple-distillation.
Score: 68 points.
 

Auchentoshan 10yo (40%, OB, bottled +/- 2000, code 100/0000275/18, 70cl)
Nose: Phew. Seems very oily. Overcooked vegetables. Cannabis? Salted peanuts?
Fish? Noticeable improvement over time; the aroma's seem better 'integrated'.
Taste: Yuech! Oil. Cod liver and eucalyptus. Very smooth. Watery. Eucalyptus?
Faint chemical sweetness. Faint liquorice? Gritty in the finish - chalky like rhubarb.
Score: 58 points . This bottling seems far worse than my first batch! Distilled cod oil.
 

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Auchentoshan is one of the 3 remaining (active) Lowland distilleries. Together with Bladnoch and Glenkinchie it managed to escape the fate of fellow Lowlanders like Killyloch, Inverleven, Kinclaith, Ladyburn, Littlemill, Rosebank and Saint Magdalene (a.k.a. Linlithgow).

Hmmm....
That's one way of putting it.
'A single malt for blend drinkers' would be another.
If you're drinking SMSW because you like a drink with more character and personality than the average blend you have no business with the Auchentoshan 10yo. And if you don't care about individuality and style you might as well save yourself some money and stick to blends...

Founded in 1800 and located just North of Glasgow, Auchentoshan seems like the kind of distillery that could attract plenty of tourists but the distillery has no facilities to accomodate visitors. That's too bad because Auchentoshan has a remarkable feature that sets it apart from most other distilleries. This Lowlander is triple distilled, as opposed to the double distillation that is customary in the industry. According to the 'information' provided on the label of the 10yo 'triple-distillation gives the whisky a very light and delicate character with a sweetness and fruity flavour enjoyed even by those unaccustomed to fine malts'.

But hey, that's just my opinion. If this is the way you like your whiskies, feel free to enjoy them as much as you possibly can.
That being said, I like the 'Three Wood' bottling a lot and I've heard some great things about some older expressions.

Anyway - let's get back to the historical facts.
Auchentoshan was rebuilt after WWII and aquired by Eadie Cairns in 1969. After another refitting in 1974 the predecessors of Morrison Bowmore (now controlled by Suntory from Japan) bought the distillery in the 1980's. They already owned Bowmore on Islay and Glen Garioch  in the Highlands so this move made perfect sense. One thing's certain: they know how to market their whiskies at Suntory. Bowmore and Auchentoshan are commercial winners in their own regions.

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