The Toshan Man

Mash

Let us return to Douglas Laing again, but shift into higher gear with their Old Particular series.

I have tried their 15 Year Old Auchentoshan 1997 before, but this single cask was bottled in January 2014. I tried it at the whisky festival in Ghent and took a sample home. Time for a little tasting.

Hmm, the nose is somewhat atypical. Sure, this is Auchentoshan with lemongrass, grain cookies and some grapefruit, but it is also a little dirty, if you know what I mean. That makes it quite interesting. Freshly cut grass and wild heathery flowers make it floral. But the heart of this nose is sweet malt. You can actually smell the mash.

It is nicely zesty and powerful on the palate. Loads of ginger and icing sugar on a basket of tropical fruit. Think oranges and lime, but also a bit of peach. Honeysweet with loads of caramel.

The finish lingers nicely and is spicy with the emphasis again on the sweet malt.

Good stuff. I hope Fred and Cara have more of these beautiful casks.