Auchentoshan distillery ( ) is a single malt

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

in the west of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The name Auchentoshan is from

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

() and translates as "corner of the field". The distillery is also known as "Glasgow's Malt Whisky" due to its proximity to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and "the breakfast whisky" due to its sweet and delicate nature. Auchentoshan is located at the foot of the Old Kilpatrick Hills on the outskirts of

Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...

West Dunbartonshire West Dunbartonshire ( sco, Wast Dunbairtonshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar, ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the west of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter town ...

near the

Erskine Bridge The Erskine Bridge is a multi span cable-stayed box girder bridge spanning the River Clyde in west central Scotland. The bridge connects West Dunbartonshire with Renfrewshire and can be used by all types of motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrian ...

. It is one of six malt whisky distilleries in the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

along with

Bladnoch Bladnoch may refer to: * Bladnoch, Wigtownshire * Bladnoch Distillery, and ''Bladnoch'' whisky * River Bladnoch The Bladnoch is a river in Wigtownshire in the Machars of Galloway in southwest Scotland. One of the earliest descriptions of it i ...

Glenkinchie Glenkinchie Distillery is a Scotch single malt whisky distillery in East Lothian, Scotland. It is one of the six distilleries in the Lowland region. It is owned by the drinks giant Diageo. The Distillery Glenkinchie lies, as the name might s ...

and recently

Daftmill Distillery Daftmill Distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery, located in a converted barn at Daftmill Farm in the Howe of Fife. The distillery was granted a licence by HMRC in 2005 to produce whisky and the first was produced on 16 December 20 ...

Annandale Distillery Annandale distillery is a whisky distillery producing single malt Scotch whisky in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Annandale Distillery was established in 1836 by George Donald and was later bought by Johnnie Walker in 1893 and was cl ...

and Ailsa Bay Distillery.

History

The Auchentoshan distillery was built in 1823. The original distillery was built by a corn merchant named John Bulloch and managed with his son. Following their bankruptcy in 1834, the distillery was sold to Alexander Filshie, a local farmer and it remained under control of his family until 1877, following a bad harvest when it was sold again to several owners. In 1877, the distillery was acquired by the Glasgow distillers John & George MacLachlan. The area around the distillery was damaged during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and a bomb crater behind the distillery now acts as a pond for cooling water. The distillery was bought by Eadie Cairns in 1969, who rebuilt it completely. Cairns sold Auchentoshan to whisky blenders Stanley P Morrison (later to become Morrison Bowmore distillers) in 1984.

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

invested in Morrison Bowmore in 1989 and in 1994, they acquired 100% of its holdings. In May 2014, Beam Inc. and Suntory Holdings Limited merged to create Beam Suntory Inc, who are now the owners of Auchentoshan and other Morrison Bowmore holdings.

Production

Unusual for a Scottish distillery, Auchentoshan practices triple distillation. The

mash tun In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of ground grains – typically malted barley with supplementary grains such as corn, sorghum, rye, or wheat – known as the "grain bill" with water and then heating the ...

at the distillery is a modern stainless steel semi-Lauter mash tun, with a copper canopy. Generally the final stage of Scotch whisky production involves distilling the fermented mash in two copper

still A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been used ...

s. In Auchentoshan, a third still (known as the "Intermediate Still") helps to give a final spirit strength of 81%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

(162 proof). This triple distillation, in addition to an unpeated malt, gives Auchentoshan a more delicate and sweet flavour than many Scotch whiskies. Maturation is mainly in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry butts, though some Auchentoshans will mature in French wine casks. Special bottlings are released periodically, including the oldest, a 50-year-old Auchentoshan distilled in 1957 and released in 2008. The distillery has a visitor centre and conference facilities, both completed in 2005, and is open to the public for tours every day of the week.

Awards and reviews

Auchentoshan offerings have performed well at international

spirit ratings With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

competitions. Its 16- and 18-year scotches received double gold medals at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The ''Auchentoshan Three Wood'' expression won "the best Scotch Whisky and Cigar Combination" in the world when paired with the Bolivar Inmensas.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Auchentoshan official website

Morrison Bowmore Distillers, Limited
(distillers of Auchentoshan and other Scotch whiskys) {{coord, 55.922, N, 4.439, W, display=title, source:dewiki Distilleries in Scotland Scottish malt whisky Buildings and structures in West Dunbartonshire Tourist attractions in West Dunbartonshire 1823 establishments in Scotland British companies established in 1823 Companies based in West Dunbartonshire Food and drink companies established in 1823