Auchentoshan 37 Year Old 1974 Barrel #5611

A little over two years ago I tried sister cask #5613, of which bottle 90/100 sits in the Toshan Man collection. I even made a Whisky Rambling on video about it, because it is such a grand whisky. I was not even aware that cask #5611 was also bottled, until my German whiskybuddy pointed it out to me and immediately sent me a sample. This cask only yielded 92 bottles and the strength is a tad lower. But I do expect them to be quite similar. Let us taste.

Oh, what a wonderful fruit salade on the nose. All kinds of citrus (oranges in the lead), but also soft apples and even some kiwi. Mirabelles? Hint of orangettes, hint of espresso with chocolate shavings on the milky foam. Some nuts, maybe roasted. Soft and very inviting.

It is wonderfully creamy and even a tad feisty upon arrival. But it softens up real quick to make the mouth warm with coffee, toffee, Sevilla oranges and a leaf of mint. Mildly floral. Well-seasoned without over doing it. Think ginger, nutmeg and some pepper.

I get a mildly bitter touch from the oak in the medium long finish, but nothing to be alarmed about. Nice balance. It dies a spicy death.

Yes, it is clearly in the same league as cask 5613, but surprisingly different. Very good nose and on the palate almost as good. Thanks, Michael, for the very generous sample.

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