Auchentoshan Springwood Review

“Deadwood”

Country: Scotland

Region: Lowlands 

Brand: Auchentoshan Springwood

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Pale Straw (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Light, Young, Waxy and Grassy. I find Cereals, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Straw, Heather-Honey, Charred Young Oak, Peanuts, Apple Vinegar, Nail Polish Remover, Orange Peel, Fresh Herbs, Cinnamon and hints of Dairy and Cooked Vegetables. The Alcohol is quite present and reminds me of perfumed Vodka from time to time. I would guess that this Whisky matured for 5 years or a bit more. The casks haven't been very active as well. The end result is a Young and not very Interesting Spirit.

Taste: Thin, Yeasty and Bitter-Sweet. This comes very close to being Peppered Vodka. I find Vanilla, light Milk Chocolate, Buttery Cereals, Charred Young Oak, Straw, Orange Peel, very light Heather-Honey, Apple Vinegar, Nuts, Pepper, Salt, light Aniseed and Herbal Tea. 

Finish: Very Short as far as Flavours are concerned. The sharp Alcohol however remains in your throat for a bit longer. It's not easy to detect anything slightly interesting in this department. Slightly Bitter Orange - and Lemon Juice spring to mind. I also find some Buttery Cereals, Vanilla, Nuts, Charred Young Oak and a sprinkle of Pepper. Quite Dry in the end.

The Auchentoshan Springwood does not improve with added Water.

Rating: 72   

Nose: 19 - Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18

General Remarks: As you will probably know, Auchentoshan (Gaelic for Corner of the Field) is triple-distilled like Irish Whiskey. The idea is to produce a smooth dram. The Springwood is part of a special range released in 2012, initially for Travel Retail only. The four main expressions of this range all relate to the big importance of Wood in the production process of Whisky. The other three are named Heartwood, Silveroak and Solera. The Springwood is the youngest of the pack and matures in American Oak Ex-Bourbon Casks. It costs around 35 US Dollars (January 2016).  

Drinking Experience Neat: Below average. Too Young, too Thin.

Conclusion: I'm not a huge fan of Auchentoshan and Triple-Distilled Whisk(e)y in general. Therefore my expectations were not very high. But this Springwood was even worse than I expected. By law it's a whisky of course but in reality it comes dangerously close to being a flavoured white Spirit like Vodka or Gin. It's quite cheap of course and given today's Whisky Market you can't expect a top class Single Malt at that price. I sometimes feel the industry uses Travel Retail as a Test Market for low priced, indifferent young Whiskies accompanied by an interesting story and attractive packaging. Exploring the borders of what is still marketable as it were. True or not, in my opinion the Auchentoshan Springwood leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, I can't recommend it.

Jan van den Ende                                                                January 14, 2016