I first tasted this independent Auchentoshan, which is a part of my collection 'A Toshan Man', at my favorite whisky restaurant in Belgium, during my birthday dinner. It is bottled at the Bruichladdich Distillery (which is owned by independent bottler Murray McDavid) in 2009 in their Mission range. It has matured on bourbon casks for 10 years, but got a finish in Chenin Blanc wine casks.
The nose is soft with buttered toast, apples, lime and even some melon. Not overly complex, I'll admit, but quite pleasant. The bourbon cask did what it had to do, albeit somewhat reluctantly, it would seem. Refill cask, maybe?
On the palate, it becomes quite creamy and develops some character. The nose returns, but almonds (marzipan) and a touch of honey come to the fore. Again, not earth shattering, but on the other hand there is nothing wrong with this Scotch. I am, however, clueless as to the influence of the Grenache wine casks. I didn't find any red grapes in there.
The finish is warm, but rather short.
It's a flawless Toshan, albeit one with little character. The tasting notes on the label are spot on, but that doesn't mean the whisky is more than ordinary. As a sidenote, the label on the tube and the bottle both mention Auchentoshan, but there is a small typo in the details of the text: there Auchroisk Distillery is mentioned. Clearly a typo, for this is definately Auchentoshan. I would recognize a Toshan anywhere...
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