Mark Dermul
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Sunday 23rd February I hosted a Toshan
Tasting to celebrate my 44th birthday. No less than 28 friends joined
me. Some of them had to drive for more than two hours, which meant a lot
to me. Some came to please me and not so much for the whisky, but all
returned with raving reviews of the line-up. One person even called it
his best Auchentoshan whisky tasting ever. There you go!
The line-up was indeed impressive. For this
second edition of the Toshan Man Birthday Tasting, I opened up the
following bottles from my collection:
1. Auchentoshan 10 Year Old (bottled 1980s)
2. Auchentoshan 14 Year Old Cooper's Reserve (bottled 2012)
3. Auchentoshan 21 Year Old (bottled 1990s)
4. Auchentoshan 21 Year Old (bottled 2010)
5. Auchentoshan 24 Year Old 1989 (bottled 2013) Save Lars Whisky
6. Auchentoshan 30 Year Old 1976 (bottled 2007)
7. Auchentoshan 31 Year Old 1966 Cask #1005 (bottled 1997)
8. Auchentoshan Cream Liqueur
As an encore, I also served the following
dessert: the Auchentoshan Cream Liqueur Distillery Exclusive. But now
whisky party is complete without the culinary magic of Chef Without
Restaurant Inge Lanckacker. She upholstered the tasting with beautiful
whisky infused snacks.
The Auchentoshan 10 Year Old has been sitting
in the bottle for almost 30 years, so it is a distillate from the early
70s and you can truly taste that. Quite complex and rich, spicy and very
fruity. A pleasant surprise (I had not yet tasted it myself, you see).
But it lost its power quite quickly, so it was a pour and sip dram.
The Cooper’s Reserve, however, needed some
time to breath. It is a little sharp when just poured, but after fifteen
minutes it softens up and displays a very aromatic nose and palate.
The two Auchentoshan 21 Year Old were tasted
head to head. Most agreed that the nose of the older bottling was the
most complex, while on the palate it was the other way around. But both
were very good indeed.
I do not need to explain about the Save Lars
whisky, I take it? Not only a fantastic whisky that I selected with my
friend Imanuel (we bottled the cask ourselves), but also bottled in
honor of that fantastic Star Wars adventure we had in the Tunisian
desert. Sorry, it is completely sold out now.
The highlight for me was the very fruity,
completely devoid of wood Auchentoshan 1976, matured on bourbon casks
for 30 long years. Such a subtle malt, it beggars belief. This is
exactly the kind of Auchentoshan that makes me proud to be the Toshan
Man.
But the bottle most people had been looking
out for was the one from 1966. More than 80% of the group was born after
this one was distilled. Just putting it in perspective. This old style
Auchentoshan, a 31 Year Old single cask, is simply sublime.
And while the audience got to watch my Whisky
Rambling of the Auchentoshan 50 Year Old 1957 before it goes public, I
poured the Cream Liqueur that was described as Nutella in the glass or
milk chocolate with coconut. This is a liquid candy that goes down very
well.
Boy, oh boy, what a party indeed. Those
present will agree as they all said they would come back next year.
Thanks to all the Toshan Men & Women who came down to my neck of the
wood to make this birthday tasting one to remember. We had good stuff to
sip, wonderful bites but most of all a whole lot of laughs.
May the Malt be with you!
Step into the bar and check what Toshan's Mark has tried so far.
Read Mark's reports of his visits to the Auchentoshan Distillery - with loads of photos!