Auchentoshan 17 Year Old 1995 Anam na h-Alba

Anam na h-Alba is Gaelic for the Soul of Scotland. This bottling is the first from Auchentoshan from this German bottler, led by Tom Skowronek. He chose a refill sherry hogshead from 1995 and bottled it at cask strength. It is a 17 Year Old, distilled in December 1995 and bottled in November 2013 – so just one month shy of being 18 years of age.

It may well be a refill sherry cask, but it was quite active. Not much is left of the typical delicate character of Auchentoshan. I am overcome with all kinds of sherry influences: blood oranges, raisins and marzipan. A wonderful trace of woodsmoke. Only a soft floral hint reminds me of my favorite triple distilled malt. But what a beautiful nose!

It is wonderfully creamy and spicy on the palate. A bit piquant, but very tasty. The same fruit as on the nose with blood oranges in a starring role. A touch of leather makes it a bit dry, but the fruit keeps it more than juicy enough. Sturdy body.

The finish is warm, spicy and lingers for a very long time.

A very active cask turned this into a top Toshan. I am a fan! Around 70 EUR.

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