Traditionally, whiskey is considered one of the tricky drinks to comprehend. It has a huge variety of taste notes, aromas and aftertaste. In terms of these indicators, it surpasses many distillation products: peat, with creamy chocolate notes, with citrus or vanilla flavors. The smell and taste of this alcoholic beverage are unrivaled.
Scotch whiskey, or scotch, is the most famous spirits in the world. Two types of whiskey are known: grain and malt. The latter is produced from barley malt by double distillation in a copper distillation container (very similar to an onion). But there are exceptions. For example, whiskey "Okentoshen", which is obtained after a triple run.
"Field Angle"
In the distant 1800, a distillery was opened in the vicinity of Glasgow (the second largest city in Scotland). It is located on fertile lands: on the banks of the deep Clyde River in the heart of Kilpatrick Hills. The name of the Gaelic distillery sounds like “Field Corner” (okentoshen). She received a license in 1823.
Special Irish Distillation
Okentoshen Distillery is located in Laulend, one of the most famous districts producing whiskey. In these places (as historically happened) the drink is made by the method of triple distillation. This method is famous for having to use mash more than usual. The output is true alcohol, completely refined, crystal clear and weightless. Therefore, “Okentoshen” whiskey (reviews of gourmets from all over the world is a vivid confirmation of this) has the title of Lowland malt whiskey.
Special water and vats are not easy
The unique Irish triple distillation is not everything. For Okentoshen whiskey, water is taken from the freshwater Loch Catherine Lake, located in the Trossax National Park. And in a huge hole formed from bombing in March 1941, water is drawn for the cooling system. The malt for this drink is ordered special (for example, it does not pass smoke treatment). The process of making Okentoshen drinks takes place in a mash tub, which is made of stainless steel, and the dome that closes it is covered with copper and fermentation tanks from the famous Oregon pine.
For distillation, a system of three cubes is arranged. After the first, alcohol is obtained at eighteen percent, after distillation in the second, this indicator increases to 54%, and at the exit from the third cube they have a product with a strength of 81%. This method gives the strongest alcohol produced in Scotland. They are aged Okentoshen in barrels after American corn whiskey and dry or sweet Spanish sherry.
The taste remains the same
During the Second World War, the distillery was severely damaged due to repeated bombing of shipyards. By the beginning of the 60s of the last century, it was restored and sold. After several owners, the place is in the hands of the Japanese (Santori company), who highly value Okentoshen Scotch whiskey. Production facilities are being modernized, and all production is being perfected. In January 2008, the company's management made a radical decision: to change the sticker, bottle and packaging.
Distillery in the 21st century
Auchentoshan Lowland Single Malt has changed more than that. The range of drinks has expanded significantly. There was a stunning Whiskey Classic and an incendiary Whiskey Select (they do not indicate the aging period in barrels). Another line was updated whiskey with an indication of excerpts - “Oktoshen 16 years” and “Okentoshen 12 years”, as well as there are drinks that are 18 years old and 21 years old. And another novelty of this line - whiskey “Oktoshen Three Wood”. It is filled with the taste and aromatic compositions of “three barrels”: a twelve-year-old drink after corn bourbon and annual maturity in a vat after Irish sherry - dry “Oloroso” and sweet “Pedro Jimenez”.
We must not forget about the retro drinks of 1977-1978, which received original flavor notes after aging in vats from the Irish sherry "Fino" and American bourbon, as well as about "Okentoshen 1988", insisted in a container after French Bordeaux. The oldest in this line and the most seasoned is the Oktoshen 50th Anniversary malt whiskey.
The brand's products have repeatedly become the gold medalist at the international class exhibition IWSC.
Classic Okentoshen
In online stores of elite alcohol, there is always the Okentoshen Classic classic. Reviews about it are always positive: a refined taste, a pleasant smell of a green apple with a slight admixture of tobacco. The aftertaste is fresh with a weightless notes of chocolate, mint and tangerine ... Gourmets recommend a try. The disadvantage buyers call one is cost. Although, probably, a real single molt should not be cheap.
This whiskey refers to the malt from Louland (or Plains). The color distinguishes it from other varieties: candy caramel with a golden hue. This is achieved by triple distillation, rather than tinting or other additives.
On the packaging (required in English) there are several suggestions that the drink was made at the famous Okentoshen distillery, which stands on the banks of the Clyde River between Glasgow and Loch Lomond, in the shadow of the old Kilpatrick hills. Aging Classic Classic whiskey is aging in oak vats. Absorbs the taste and smell from the former in the barrels of strong Irish bourbon and dry sherry.
Many sommeliers believe that the first sensations are fruity: a ripe peach or summer pear, then honey with a linden flavor appears ... The manufacturer specifies (on the packaging): this whiskey has a pronounced sweet smell of vanilla, as well as coconut and notes of mint.
The classic Okentoshen reaches noble old age in eight years. The strength of the drink is 40%.
12 year old drink
Each drink of the new Okentoshen line has its own aroma and aftertaste. Whiskey "Oktoshen 12 years" acquires a noble antiquity in vats (volume of 250 liters) "Hogshead." It is keeping the drink in these containers that helps the whiskey to get a hint of spice, and light nutty shades are heard in the smell. What do the reviews say about him? Comparing this whiskey with the classic one, people note that “Okentoshen 12 years old” is darker and has a more generous aromatic composition. In the area of the palate, there is always a smack of citrus. The drink has a barely noticeable oily structure.
Matter of chance
The story of the appearance of the Oktoshen Three Wood whiskey deserves special attention. Distillery experts say that it turned out quite by accident, due to staff error.
There was some overabundance of Okentoshen ten-year aging in bourbon vats. For the experiment, it was poured into barrels of dry sherry. At the end of the experimental period, it became clear: it was not what was intended. At the end of the experiment, the company's employees mistakenly poured the drink into the vat from the sweet sherry Pedro-Ximenez. When the oversight was discovered, it was too late to fix anything, and they wanted to destroy the whiskey. But after taking the samples, it turned out that the drink was amazing!
Thus, the famous “Oktoshen Three Woods” means ten years of aging in bourbon vats, a year in Oloroso sherry dry vats and a final year in sweet Pedro-Ximenez vats. It was a sensation: an amazing mixture of smells and tastes (from sweet to sour and bitter). This "Okentoshen" is much darker than the rest, with a bright smell of coffee and coconut. They mix notes of leather and elite cigars. Judging by the reviews, for lovers of cigars this is the No. 1 drink!
"The share of angels"
After triple distillation at the Okentoshen distillery, alcohol is obtained with a percentage of alcohol of 81.5. When filling the barrels, approximately 5% alcohol per year evaporates. And the "share of angels", according to the current law, is no more than two percent per year. Therefore, before pouring alcohol into barrels, it is diluted with water.
Experts estimate that approximately 1.5 million liters of alcohol evaporate from the Okentoshen distillery during the year. They say that very happy "angels" live there ...