
Auchentoshan Three Wood
Beam Suntory · Auchentoshan Distillery, Dalmuir
Auchentoshan Three Wood is structural engineering in liquid form. The blueprint is deceptively simple — triple distillation for smoothness, then three deliberate cask chapters that each add a specific dimension. Bourbon barrels lay the vanilla-toffee foundation. Oloroso sherry casks introduce dried fruit depth and nutty complexity. Then Pedro Ximénez barrels — those treacly-sweet Spanish dessert wine casks — apply the final coat of dark fruit richness. The architecture works because each layer is legible: you can taste the bourbon sweetness, the oloroso depth, the PX finish, all integrated but distinct, like the floors of a well-designed building.
Nose
Toffee, sherry sweetness, dark dried fruits, nutty marzipan, a hint of beeswax
Palate
Dark chocolate, brown sugar, orange marmalade, plum pudding, hazelnut, gentle oak
Finish
Long and warming with lingering fruitcake and gentle spiceWhisky
- Distillation
- Triple distilled in copper pot stills
- Maturation
- Sequential: Bourbon barrels, Oloroso Sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered
Cocktail Suggestion
— The Three Wood Rob Roy: 2 oz Auchentoshan Three Wood · 1 oz sweet vermouth · 2 dashes orange bitters · Luxardo cherry garnish. Stir with ice for 30 seconds, strain into a chilled coupe.
Food Pairing
Dark chocolate tart with salted caramel — the PX sweetness and dark fruit in the whisky find their mirror in the chocolate and caramel.
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