The Toshan Man

The American Oak is the successor of the Classic, which is the entry level malt that even I am not very fond of. The big difference with the Classic is not so much the age (for there is no age statement on this bottle either), but the fact that only first fill bourbon casks were used for this American Oak. It is a creation from Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender whom I will meet in a couple of weeks.

The nose is fresh and sweet. Freshly cut grass, apple juice from Golden Delicious, lemon peel, pecan nuts and soft oak. A lot more creamy than the Classic and hence more interesting. Frangipane cake, coconut and vanilla. A very pleasant surprise.

The arrival is rather soft, but very flavorsome.  Light and fruity with apples and citrus (somewhat zesty now). Mildly drying. Becomes warmer with the second sip.

It is not a very long finish, but it remains nicely fruity.

Clearly a young animal (I suspect around 6 years), but quite an improvement over the Classic and a great introduction to the new, modern Auchentoshan. Around 35 EUR, which is a steal. With a big thanks to Jen at Auchentoshan for the sample.