Auchentoshan distillery information
Auchentoshan is Gaelic for “the corner of the field.” Located in Clydebank on the outskirts of Glasgow, it’s one of the most distinctive names in Lowland whisky, built almost entirely around one thing: its exclusive commitment to triple distillation.
Founded in 1823 (the site had been operating before that, but was granted its operating license that year) by John Bulloch, the distillery changed hands repeatedly over the following century. During the Second World War, a German bombing raid destroyed much of its early history, as the archives were lost in the resulting fire; the bomb crater itself is still used today, supplying water for cooling and condensing.
In 1969 the distillery was bought and rebuilt by Eadie Cairns, who sold it on to whisky blenders Stanley P. Morrison in 1984. Morrison Bowmore Distillers, as the company became known, was acquired by Japan’s Suntory in 1994. Following Suntory’s 2014 merger with Beam Inc., Auchentoshan became part of Beam Suntory, and today sits within the renamed Suntory Global Spirits portfolio, alongside sibling Lowland distillery Glasgow Distillery.
Auchentoshan whiskies
Every Auchentoshan whisky is triple distilled, taking the spirit up to around 81% ABV by the end of the process, among the highest of any single malt distillery in Scotland. It’s worth noting Auchentoshan is no longer the only Lowland distillery producing a triple-distilled expression: Glasgow Distillery has since released one of its own.
The process starts as normal, with the wash still. From there, Auchentoshan’s use of an intermediate still, sitting between the wash and spirit stills, is what makes triple distillation possible, redistilling part of each run before it reaches the final spirit still. The extra pass removes further impurities, contributing to the distillery’s characteristically fruity, citrus-led spirit.
The current core range comprises six expressions:
- American Oak – matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks, no age statement
- Sherry Cask Finish – matured in ex-bourbon casks, finished in Spanish oloroso sherry casks
- 12 Year Old Double Cask – matured in ex-bourbon American oak and Spanish oloroso sherry oak casks
- Three Wood – matured in ex-bourbon casks, then finished in oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks
- 14 Year Old Sherry Cask – matured in ex-bourbon and first-fill oloroso sherry casks, finished in first-fill oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks
- 18 Year Old – extended maturation in ex-bourbon American oak and Spanish oloroso sherry oak casks
Travel retail adds three further expressions: American Oak Reserve, Dark Oak, and Blood Oak. A limited-edition 28 Year Old is also currently available as a distillery exclusive.
If you’re lucky, you might be able to find some of the Limited Edition Auchentoshan whiskies, which are indeed special treats.
- Valinch is a non-chill filtered, cask strength version of the Classic
- 1999 is another cask strength non-chill filtered spirit, but has been laid to rest in Bordeaux casks.
- 1974 was distilled in that year, and has matured in American Bourbon casks.
- 1975 was a production of 500 bottles, that slumbered in Oak barrels.
- 1979 is a spirit that has spent over 32 years in first-fill Sherrycasks, and then was bottled at cask strength.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Auchentoshan |
| Region | Lowland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1823 |
| Water source | Loch Katrine |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Suntory Global Spirits |
| Address |
By Dalmuir +44 (0)1389 878 561 |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.auchentoshan.com |
| https://www.twitter.com/auchentoshan | |
| http://www.facebook.com/auchentoshan | |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 6.825 tonnes | 1 (stainless steel with copper lid) |
| Washback | 34,500 litres | 6 (4 Oregon pine, 2 Stainless Steel) |
| Wash still | 17,500 litres | 1 |
| Spirit Still | 8,500 / 11,500 litres | 2 (1 intermediate still, 1 spirit still) |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,690,000 |
Images courtesy of the Auchentoshan distillery
Frequently Asked Questions
Auchentoshan is Gaelic for “the corner of the field.”
Auchentoshan was founded in 1823 by John Bulloch, though the site had reportedly been operating before it was granted its official license that year.
A German bombing raid destroyed much of the distillery’s early history, as its archives were lost in the resulting fire. The bomb crater itself is still in use today, supplying water for cooling and condensing.
Auchentoshan is owned by Suntory Global Spirits. It became part of Beam Suntory after Suntory’s 2014 merger with Beam Inc, having been acquired by Suntory in 1994 as part of Morrison Bowmore Distillers. Today it sits alongside sibling Lowland distillery Glasgow Distillery in the same portfolio.
Every Auchentoshan whisky is triple distilled, taking the spirit to around 81% ABV, among the highest of any single malt distillery in Scotland. An intermediate still sitting between the wash and spirit stills makes the triple distillation possible, redistilling part of each run and contributing to the distillery’s fruity, citrus-led character.
Not anymore. Glasgow Distillery has since released its own triple-distilled expression too.
The core range comprises six expressions: American Oak, Sherry Cask Finish, 12 Year Old Double Cask, Three Wood, 14 Year Old Sherry Cask, and 18 Year Old, plus three further travel-retail expressions (American Oak Reserve, Dark Oak, and Blood Oak) and a limited-edition 28 Year Old distillery exclusive.
Yes, Auchentoshan has a visitor centre.