The Toshan Man

Garden Dram

On the outskirts of Huntly (about halfway between Aberdeen and Inverness, several kilometers south of Keith and thus smack in the middle of the Dufftown region), quite a few skirmishes took place between the different Highland clans in the 16th Century. To commemorate these battles on the hills, Duncan Taylor bottled several whiskies under the 'Battlehill'-label. The range consists of Imperial,  Auchentoshan, Miltonduff, Macallan and Aberlour, all bottled at 43% ABV. Today we are trying - what did you expect? - the Auchentoshan 8 Year Old.

The nose is dominated by citrus, but I also get some green banana and a touch of vanilla. The whole is very soft with a bit of bubblegum - very close to being, but not quite, an off note.

He is very oily and soft on the palate. Quite flowery and very sweet.

The (far too) short finish is softly spiced on citrus.

While this whisky is very one-dimensional, it's hard not to like it. This is a typical, young aperitif whisky that rolls over the tongue without flaw. It will not mesmerize you, surely, but it's the ideal dram to sip while enjoying the first rays of sunshine in the garden.