It was extremely hard to get up for work this morning after spending what was a great weekend with my boyfriend and his family up in New Hampshire for the 40th Annual Highland Games. The festival was filled with music, games, events and most importantly, whisky tastings.

Laphroaig and their North American Ambassador, Simon Brooking, held the whisky tasting. Brooking hosted a very witty and informational whisky tasting session. One of the comments he said that I couldn’t agree more with was when he stated that in whisky you find the flavors you enjoy most. To me that is extremely accurate, everyone’s palate is different, just because someone tells you it tastes a certain way; it doesn’t mean that this is exactly how it will taste to you. Your palate will not match everyone else’s palate and that is certainly OK.

One of the four whiskies presented to us during the tasting was Auchentoshan American Oak. I wanted to write about this one today because I believe that Auchentoshan is a great brand to start with, if you are starting to get into whisky. It also happens to be one of the first brands of whisky I initially wrote about when I started writing my blog a bit over two years ago. That post was about the Auchentoshan Classic. For those that aren’t aware, Auchentoshan is no longer producing its Classic single malt. This American Oak has now replaced that range.

Just like the Classic, Auchentoshan American Oak is very light and refreshing. I enjoyed the Classic very much, but I think this American Oak replacement is far better. The flavors brought out by the bourbon casks edges out what used to be the Classic recipe. The hints of spices I found in this whisky make for an even better dram than the Classic.

Tasting Notes
Nose: sweet and vanilla
Palate: vanilla, light notes of coconut with hints of spice
Finish: light, smooth with ending notes of spice

You can drink this whisky on its own or even in a cocktail. A lot of the Auchentoshan cocktail recipes I make come straight from their website. What’s even better, it’s a whisky you can acquire at a low cost as it sells for about $39.99. I definitely think this is a whisky non-whisky and whisky drinkers alike will enjoy. I’ll even point out that while at the tasting I did overhear someone say that they had never had whisky before but really liked the American Oak, so I definitely recommend trying.

I truly enjoyed this whisky, so much so that my boyfriend and I purchased a bottle before we left N.H. At this price you can’t go wrong and yes, it’s certainly OK to mix in cocktails as well.

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.