Naming your whisky American Oak is a bit like naming it John Doe. There’s nothing unique to use in our marketing, but we didn’t want to disclose the age and we had to pick a descriptor, right? Auchentoshan American Oak was introduced in 2014 to replace the Classic. It ages in first-fill and second-fill bourbon casks, although that isn’t exactly adding more precision.
In the core range there’s no direct counterpart to make it stand out, but in the travel retail range they also have Dark oak (adding sherry casks), American Oak Reserve (only first-fill ex-bourbon) and Blood oak (adding red wine casks to the mix).
Auchentoshan American Oak (40%, OB +/- 2023)
Nose: fairly creamy but very middle-of-the-road, on apples, banoffee and vanilla, as well as sweet lemon and a hint of coconut. Youngish, sweet oak is taking center stage. Then also breakfast cereals and floral notes. Over time it loses some depth and folds back to alcoholic grains and fresh wood.
Mouth: not really exceeding a decent blend. Bland flavours like apples, vanilla, a bit of pepper and fresh, almost plankish wood. Then the seemingly contradictory combination of a low ABV with raw alcoholic notes. Hints of dried grasses, porridge and cereals. Drops of limoncello. Overall rather vague and thin.
Finish: short, with sawdust, coconut and soft fruits.
The first impression was pleasant but you quickly notice there’s little to discover beyond that initial easy-going character. Of course we’re in the lowest price range so we shouldn’t expect too much. However, once you’re willing to pay a few extra euros there are better options. Even the Auchentoshan 12 Years isn’t very expensive and is already a step up. Check The Whisky Exchange.