The Toshan Man

Muscled

A lot of casks of my beloved Auchentoshan have appeared in the Un-Chillfiltered Collection by Signatory. In November 2016 this 16 Year Old – taken from 2 bourbon barrels – was released. Strangely enough, only 142 bottles were released, making me think this must have been split casks. Unless, of course, they had leaked like a sieve. Sister casks (and there are many) have yielded a lot more bottles. Anyway, let’s just be happy that we were able to secure one of the 142 bottles and give it a go.

On the nose, this is textbook Auchentoshan on a bourbon cask. Citrus, buttercups, gooseberries, pineapple and lemon grass. Spring in your glass and a smile on your face. Nice!

Pretty oily, but silky soft on the palate. And still, it has something that many Auchentoshan lack: oomph. Despite the drinking strength, this one has a sturdy arrival, warms the mouth and happily surprises the taste buds with grapefruit, icing sugar, gooseberries, unripe banana, a bit of pepper and some liquorice.

The finish is medium to long, sweet and sour on lemon and oranges with quite some spices.

Very nice, very typical Auchentoshan, but very muscled. Around 80 EUR. Recommended (for those who love textbook Auchentoshan, like me).