News

15/05/2012

The collection is really getting momentum now. Another four items in the collection from days long gone. Two 1970s bottle neck labels (one even says Glentoshan, which was the name Auchentoshan used in Italy), a 1980's 16-page full color vintage German booklet, a sealed pack of marmalades (best before end 2001, so we will not be enjoying that, thank you very much...) including marmalade with Auchentoshan 10 Year Old and a 1994 frosted display bottle promoting the new 'kite' label.

14/05/2012

Remember the Toshan Night, my all-Auchentoshan tasting that I recently hosted in Belgium? As promised, I have posted the tasting notes for three of the old bottlings that we tasted, including the amazingly fresh 1980s bottling of the Auchentoshan 12 Year Old. Check them out!

12/05/2012

Since the beginning of 2012 I had started with Whisky Ramblings: tasting notes on video. You can find them on my YouTube Channel. Whisky Rambling no 10 is (at last) about my favorite distillery. I am reviewing the much acclaimed Auchentoshan Valinch. Enjoy!

11/05/2012

Busy times for the Toshan Man. I was just able to track down two old bottlings, a rare independent for Daily Record / Sunday Mail of 10 Year Old Auchentoshan and an 80s bottling of the Auchentoshan 5 Year Old (with box) for the Australian market.

10/05/2012

Ah, a fantastic new addition to the Auchentoshan collection. A 1986 crock of Auchentoshan 12 Year Old, bottled by the proprietors of the Auchentoshan Distillery to celebrate the Centenary of Clydebank 1886-1986. Alas, empty, but I'm still very happy to have found it at an online auction for a more than fair price.

07/05/2012

I will never lose my keys again. The collection now boasts three different Auchentoshan keychains.

01/05/2012

I just hosted a tasting as  a birthday gift for a friend. Little did I know that he would recompense me for my time with two beautiful gifts for my Auchentoshan collection: a glass jug and a 200ml bottle of Auchentoshan 11 Year Old from the McGibbons' Provencance series. Thank you, Jan!

28/04/2012

I was recently invited to present my favorite distillery at a local tasting. Under the banner A Toshan Night, I poured 7 whiskies from the Lowland distillery just outside Glasgow and convinced the audience that Auchentoshan is indeed a fine dram. Read the full report in the Toshan Tales.

15/04/2012

I have just tried the Froach 22 Heather Ale, a beer finished in an Auchentoshan sherry cask. Check it out in the Toshan Tales.

14/04/2012

The Toshan Man is wishes Master Blender Rachel Barrie a very happy birthday. Looking forward to meeting you soon, Mrs Barrie!

13/04/2012

Strangely enough, I did not yet own a full bottle from the 1980s. So it came as a bit of a surprise when I won this bottle at a recent auction, that it was in fact a Belgian import bottle. This 5 Year Old Auchentoshan was imported by Ets Delhaize in Brussels. Nice addition to my collection.

07/04/2012

Happy Easter, everybody! I got myself a little treat for that passover holiday. I visited a local Vom Fass shop (original concept created in Germany) where they offer oils, liqueurs, vinegars and distillates, such as cognacs, grappas, calvados, rums, sherry's and dessert wines and of course single malt whisky. I had heard that they had recently added a 13 Year Old Auchentoshan to their range, so I popped into the store to get me a bottle. Tasting notes will follow shortly.

01/04/2012

I recently organized my first whisky quiz, aptly named Qwhizky, and obviously an Auchentoshan question was inserted. One of the clubs that came to defend their colors, Maltclan (they ended in a respectable fourth place), had brought a little gift. The box and empty bottle, both in pristine condition, of the Auchentoshan 31 Year Old 1973 Sherry Butt 803 (bottled at 50,8% ABV, but now alas completely empty, it does not even contain any smell anymore). While I am still hunting for a full bottle, this is the next best thing at this point, of course. I am very happy with it! And for those who are still wondering: I would very much like to add an empty bottle of the Auchentoshan 50 Year Old 1957. I will gladly pay a reasonable price for it too, so if you have one and are willing to part with it, please get in touch!

31/03/2012

My Dutch whiskybrother Imanuel strikes again! This time he found the new Auchentoshan Bar Mat and a couple of coasters. Very happy with those!

24/03/2012

The Auchentoshan 1999 Bordeaux Cask Matured won the World Whisky Awards 2012 as Best Lowland Single Malt. Congratulations!

12/03/2012

Duthies is the name of one of Cadenheads' ranges of whiskies, named after the cousin of William Cadenhead, who ran the company from 1904 until 1931. Duthies' job was selecting casks (he was one of the people who selected many of the exclusive casks for Samaroli in Italy, which made the reputation of Cadenheads). The range also has three Auchentoshan in them, and they are now all in my collection of independent bottlings: 11 Year Old, 16 Year Old and 19 Year Old. On another note, I was also able to add a fifth miniature truck to the collection of vehicles. It is - wihtout a shadow of a doubt - the ugliest whisky truck I have seen in my lifetime. And the cabin sticker even says 'whiskey' with the additional 'e'. Oh, the horror!

06/03/2012

With the release of the new Global Travel Retail bottles (see below), the Auchentoshan Select will no longer be bottled. Personally, I think that is a shame, as this is a very accessible and gentle dram, something for everyday. So, if you want to taste this wonderful aperitif whisky, get it while you can. Once they are gone, that's it! For my tasting note of this Tax Free Pleasure, click here. It is a dram that I always have on hand. Now, knowing that it will phase out, I'll definitely stock up on this baby asap.

04/03/2012

Well, this is something else. While not a whisky, but a beer, it still belongs in the Toshan Man Collection, I'm sure you will agree. This is the Froach Heather Ale, produced by the Williams Bros Brewing Company from Alloa - the historic center of the Scottish brewing industry. It is number 22 in their so-called Vintage Cask Collaboration, a series of limited edition premium beers, matured for over a year in vintage wooden casks from a Scottish whisky distillery, in this case ex-sherry casks used by Auchentoshan. I was able to secure 5 of the 12.000 75cl bottles :)

01/03/2012

Thanks to my good buddy Imanuel from Holland (I often refer to him as my Whisky Brother as he is responsible for tracking down quite a few of the Auchentoshan collectibles that end up in my collection), I was able to add yet another great independent bottling of a young Auchentoshan to my collection. This is bottled for the Dutch whiskyclub 'Commitment to Malt' of which Imanuel is, of course, a member. Thanks for thinking of me, buddy! It brings my total of Indies up to 29.

27/02/2012

Auchentoshan invites you to their Open Doors Weekend on Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 April 2012, offering free tours of the distillery to all visitors. But if you really want to see what Auchentoshan is all about, then you'll make arrangements to visit them during the bi-annual Auchentoshan Festival on Saturday 16th June 2012. I'm aiming for the Festival myself, so hopefully I'll meet you there! LMK if you are going, won't you. Let's meet up for a dram or two (or three or ...).

26/02/2012

Just got back from a wonderful vacation in Austria, where I sipped some more of my Auchentoshan 1965. Ah, what a draml! Upon returning home, today, I have uploaded another couple of special collectibles that I was able to get for the ever expanding collection, such as a vintage polo shirt, a brand new pin (thank you, Imanuel) and a tin measuring cup of 3cl.

13/02/2012

This weekend was absolutely brilliant for the Toshan Man. I'll update every day, starting with a great gift from Stephan De Bolle, Auchentoshan importer in Belgium. He presented me with this wonderful Auchentoshan Tin, containing samples of the new make spirit and Three Wood, a booklet and three small glass jars containing cask shavings of the bourbon barrel, oloroso sherry cask and PX sherry cask that was used to create the Three Wood. Wonderful!

e-mail:
info@whivie.be

 

 

 

I'm always looking for samples, so contact me for a trade/sale!