The Toshan Man

Best of Two Worlds

In January I visited Taiwan (business trip with Catawiki). At the airport of Taichung – ready to come back home – I suddenly saw a bottle in the duty free range that was smiling at me. I had not seen it before. For the Toshan Man, this is always a special moment, as you can understand. Despite the price tag of 400 EUR (hey, it is 29 years old, mind you!) I could not leave it on the shelf, obviously. And what a belter of a whisky it turned out to be!

Beautiful layered nose that offers the best of two worlds: bourbon and sherry. Butterscotch, white fruit, a floral note with wonderful sweetness, these all make this nose an absolute delight. I nosed it for at least fifteen glorious minutes. Cherries, oranges, raisins, dark chocolate, caramel and vanilla. But truly a subtle interplay of scents.

The mouth feel is excellent. Oily, sweet and soft with just a slight peppery prickle and some ginger. Sunday breakfast pastry with cherries, caramel, butterscotch and even a hint of bourbon. Some citrus in the background, hidden underneath the sherry sweetness. Neither dominates, the work together hand-in-glove. And the ABV makes it perfectly quaffable.

The finish remains sweet and very fruity. What a party!

I may be prejudiced (no shit, Sherlock!) but this is just outstanding! So far I have only seen it in Belgium in one place (only 9 bottles came to my little country), but at least 20% more expensive. Glad I bought two bottles in Taiwan.