The Toshan Man

Almonds

The boys of the Dutch Connection had brought an old bottle of Auchentoshan 18 Year Old to the whiskyfestival in Leuven. That was the ideal moment for me to try it, since that meant I would not have to open the bottle in my collection. So I got a sample. The bottle was three quarters empty, making me fear for OBE a bit. But none was to be found. On the contrary!

The nose of this oldie is very aromatic. Sweet and malty, but also very fruity on gooseberries and oranges. Lime too. A hint of green banana. Some wild flowers. Leather and butterscotch. Even some tobacco and dried pineapple. But the top note on the nose is that of almonds.

The palate immediately offers oranges, peel included, toffee, honey and sweet barley. Unfortunately it is a tad light-bodied. Soft on the spices. Almonds again. Reminds me somewhat of marzipan. Very sweet, indeed.

In the rather short finish, I even get a hint of smoke.

The nose and finish were excellent, the taste only slightly less. All in all, this is a beautiful old Toshan.