The Toshan Man

Toshan Man Birthday Dram

Turning 50 is something you can celebrate only once, right? Being the Toshan Man – lover and collector of Auchentoshan – I could not think of a better gift than my very own official release! The good people at the distillery allowed me to choose my own Toshan Man 50th Birthday Bottling from three cask samples. And after some 4 tasting sessions, my cask of choice was an excellent Bordeaux wine cask that was filled with that wonderful triple distilled spirit in 2010. After almost ten years of maturation, it still boasts a whopping 61.8%. And yes, I got me 50 bottles!

It is wonderfully sweet on the nose, on autumn leaves and a whole panoply of red fruit with a mild sour streak of agrums. Very good. A walk in the forest after the first snow has fallen. Better yet, when given some time to breathe, dark chocolate appears and turns it pleasantly sweet. Beautiful nose for a winter dram. And since I was born in January, that’s right up my alley.

Beautifully oily on the palate, immediately sweet with a mild sour touch. Oranges, strawberry, raspberry, gooseberry and orangettes… this is mightily good! And – if approached with some respect – perfectly quaffable without adding water. Having said that, it copes well with a few drops. It then turns somewhat sweeter and softer.

The finish is sweet and red, if you catch my meaning. But very long and feisty on spices.

It’s not an easy Auchentoshan, to be fair. But then it would not be a challenge, right? This one will be long remembered and will obviously hold a very special place in my heart. A big thank you to the people at Auchentoshan for allowing me the exceptional honor or selecting this cask.