Auchentoshan 2009 Distillery Exclusive Oloroso Cask #4447

Even the Toshan Man sometimes misses out on a release. Despite having great people at my favorite distillery to help me out in getting a few bottles of every Distillery Exclusive release, this one never made it to the Toshan Temple. It was bottled while both my buddy at Auchentoshan and I were on a well-deserved summer holiday. Luckily a friend in Belgium had a bottle and was happy to give me a sample to try it. And what a belter it turns out to be!

Dried plums, roast beef, fresh figs, molded wood, potpourri, sniffing tobacco, autumn leaves, mokatine, rum raisins… do I need to draw you a map? This is damn good ‘deep sherry’ as I call it, raising the nose of this triple distilled Lowlander to the next level. Even a short impression of new bicycle tire – which evaporates before you know it – cannot curb my enthusiasm. Cinnamon and cloves galore, origin chocolate and rum agricole in the back. Heavenly!

Creamy, dark & sweet on the palate. Almost syrup, but heavily seasoned on cloves and black pepper, while cinnamon and liquorice join the fray. But those lovely notes of candied orange peel, rum raisins, maple syrup and apricot marmalade – don’t forget the Italian espresso! – put a big smile on my face. ‘Looks awkward,’ laughs Dearly Beloved, but I cannot help it. This is heavenly.

There seems to be no end to this dark, sweet and spicy finish.

Darn, what a pity that I missed out ont his one… I hope Auchentoshan has many more of these beautiful casks for future release. Always a winner. Thanks, Maarten, for the sample. This was, by the way, my 230th (!) Auchentoshan so far.

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