Distillation

Auchentoshan is the only distillery in Scotland to triple distil its entire production. First the wash still, then an intermediate still rarely found anywhere else, and finally the spirit still. What emerges is a spirit at around 81 percent alcohol, considerably higher than at most other Scottish distilleries. This strength later determines how much water the cask can still take on during maturation.

Glenkinchie, by contrast, relies on classic double distillation, but with some of the largest stills in Scotland. This very size keeps the spirit light. The more copper surface area relative to fill volume, the fewer heavy aromas make it past the swan neck.

Bladnoch also distils classically twice, in pot stills at the very southern edge of the Scottish mainland. Three distilleries, three approaches, one shared goal: a spirit that emerges from the still leaning toward fine rather than bold.

The region's large grain distilleries work quite differently. Cameronbridge, North British, Strathclyde, and Girvan run continuously in column stills, multi-storey columns through which the mash flows without interruption. This happens in an unbroken stream, rather than in batches as with a pot still.

This continuous process delivers vast quantities of mild base spirit for blends in a short time. Auchentoshan, Glenkinchie, and Bladnoch, by contrast, work in small batches in pursuit of finesse. In the Lowlands, both distilling methods are often no more than an hour's drive apart.

The cut, the separation of heads, hearts, and tails, is drawn especially tightly across Auchentoshan's three distillations. Only the purest heart of the third run goes into the cask. This is one of the reasons the spirit comes off so mild.