The Toshan Man
Mark Dermul
Distillery Visit
28 September 2017
This time, we only stopped by Auchentoshan for a very quick visit after returning from a week on Islay. We needed to be in Glasgow to take the plane back home after our holiday in the Queen of the Hebrides, but one does not simply pass through Glasgow without visiting Auchentoshan. If your name is Toshan Man, than you simply must pass by.
Distillery Visit
In
September 2023, Auchentoshan
celebrated it's 200th anniversary and they did so in style. A festival
was organized on the distillery grounds with local musicians, cocktail
bars, food trucks, malt tastings and a limited edition release. I guess you could say that it was inevitable that the Toshan Man would be there as well. I would not have missed this for the world!
Boiiing
It’s hard to believe that it had already been almost 6 years since I had last visited the Auchentoshan distillery, but in September 2023 I had the best excuse ever. After all, my favorite triple distilled Lowlander celebrated 200 years – being founded in 1823.
So Sofie and I jumped on a plane to Edinburgh and then on a train to Glasgow. On Friday 1st September we went on a distillery tour again, simply to see what had changed. Not much, to be honest (which should not come as a surprise), but it felt like coming home again.
The only change, which was impossible to miss as we entered the distillery grounds, was the façade of the distillery building. Street artist Boiiing was busy putting some fantastic artwork in flashy orange hues on the wall. Only the next day would we realize why – but you’ll need to read the Toshan Tale elsewhere on this site to find out more about that.
Our tour guide – a lovely young lady by the name of Ashleigh – told all about Auchentoshan with flair and humor – and in a delicious Glaswegian accent, I might add. She was somewhat flabbergasted with my Toshan Man t-shirt and soon realized who she was dealing with, especially after Wendy – the visitor center manager – came out to greet me and Dearly Beloved (and graciously accept the box of Belgian chocolates we had brought for her).
After the tour, we said our goodbyes, but with the promise that we would be back the very next day for the Auchentoshan 200th Anniversary Festival.
I refer to the Toshan Tale mentioned above, but below are already some photos for you to enjoy. One thing is for sure: it will not take another 6 years before I come to visit Auchentoshan again. It had been way too long. That mistake will not be repeated.
Photo Album
Click for full size