Auchentoshan Triple Distilled Single Malt Scotch Whisky And Distillery Tour
The Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch Whisky Range
The closest whisky distillery to Glasgow
Situated just off the a82 on the banks of the River Clyde and just a stones throw from the Erskine Bridge lies the Auchentoshan Whisky Distillery
Auchentoshan is pronounced "Aw-khen-tosh-an" which translates into the Gaelic language as "the corner of the field". The Auchentoshan Distillery is one of just five Scottish Lowland Whisky Distilleries
The Whisky has another of other names- "Glasgow's Malt Whisky" due to the distillery's proximity to Glasgow (which makes it a great trip for tourists either staying in proximity to Glasgow or passing through Glasgow)
Auchentoshan Distillery near Glasgow Location
auchentoshan - The View on entry to the Auchentoshan Distillery
Fancy a visit to the distillery and a tour?
The Auchentoshan Distillery offers a number of different tour options with various tastings of the Auchentoshan Whisky range.
The Classic Tour. A 60 minute long tour of the distillery which runs daily at 10am, 12 noon, 1pm and 3pm and includes a tasting of an Auchentoshan single malt whisky. Cost £5 for over 18's.
The Personal Tour. Offering a private distillery tour with your own personal guide. Minimum 3 people at a cost of £10 per person. Booked privately through the visitor centre. Includes a tasting of two whiskies from the Auchentoshan range.
If you fancy a more indepth tour. The distillery offers more tour and whisky tasting experiences including the option to bottle your own Auchentoshan Whisky and private viewings behind closed doors. Contact the visitor centre for more info
The Entrance to the Auchentoshan Distillery Visitor Centre
Auchentoshan Distillery Visitor Centre- Reception and Shop
Auchentoshan Distillery- The Mash
The Mash
Auchentoshan Whisky is made from three simple ingredients-
- Water
- Yeast
- Barley
To make Auchentoshan Triple Distilled Whisky milled, malted barley and pure water are mixed together in a giant lauter tun. Heat helps to turn the starches into sugar and gets everything ready for fermentation.
Auchentoshan Distillery- Looking in on the Mash
The mixtures fermenting
Fermenting in Oregon Pine washbacks
While many whisky distilleries use steel washbacks- Auchentoshan use Oregon Pine which slightly distorts the taste of the mixture each mixture. Yeast is added to the mixture in these huge pine containers for the fermentation process to occur and for the breakdown of the starches into alcohol.
The Distillatation process- triple distilled the Auchentoshan way
Triple Distillation the Auchentoshan Way
The liquid produced from the fermentation process creates a liquid with a relatively weak alcohol content of 8%
Triple distillation raises this alcohol percentage up to a very high 81% which is far in excess of that achieved by other Scotch Whiskies as part of their distillation. The triple ditillation removes all impurities from the liquid and leads to what could be considered the smooth and delicate taste of Auchentoshan Whisky.
Every drop of the whisky is triple distilled- no half measures
The mixture then gets filled into barrels and allowed to mature.
Auchentoshan use mainly Bourbon and Sherry barrels which give the whisky it's distinctive flavour
The whisky is then stored in Auchentoshan's warehouses
You might think that the warehouses would be temperature controlled to regulate quality- however surprisingly you'd be wrong. The thick stone warehouses allow the barrels to breathe and expand in the warmth of the summer which allows the whisky to infiltrate the wood of the barrel and draw out the flavours of the Bourbon or Sherry which has forced itself into the wood of the barrel.
Auchentoshan Single Malt Barrels
Ready to be tipped out into whisky stills in the bottlery
The whisky is then mixed
The whiskies are then mixed together to ensure the correct colouration so every bottle of Auchentoshan appears like the last before bottling.
Bottling Auchentoshan Whisky at William Bowmore's Bottlery
Fancy a Wee Dram?
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Comments
Hi, CyclingFitness. I have tasted so many single malts over the years, I honestly can't remember whether I've tasted Auchentoshan. For the same reason, it's difficult to name a single favourite. If pushed, however, I usually go for Bowmore Darkest, from the Bowmore distillery on Islay. It's not the cheapest single malt but it is absolutely superb.
Thanks Deborah Brooks- you don't have to like the drink to take a tour of a distillery and it's a great way to spend an afternoon understanding to effort that goes into production.
great pictures... very interesting.. I have never like whiskey myself...but I know people that love it... great article. I voted up and interesting..
Thanks Gordon. I've done a few tours and the Auchentoshan Distillery was the best i've done so far! The tasting is the best part- What would you class as your favourite Islay Malt? Have you ever tried Auchentoshan?
Great photos and informative Hub. I have toured several distilleries here in Scotland but only on the Isle of Islay and never one on the mainland. It is a fabulous experience - especially in the tasting room at the end... ;) Slainte!
CyclingFitness 5 months ago
Thanks Gordon. I love good Islay myself and really like the taste of Bowmore