Bakers Dozen Auchentoshan OB Nas-40 years old 1965 onwards

[lincoln imp]

I like Toshan and one of my favourites was the older 21 year pre 2008 shape and for this tasting I cracked open a 21 year bottled in the mid 1990's.
The old 5 & 10 year offerings were a little lack lustre but the 40% 1980's was ok compared to the others.
The Valinch bottle I have has been open over 6 years and still tastes pretty decent, the latest 18 year was not that good either.
The old 18 year CS was nice and the 24 year blood Oak was a big surprise, very good indeed.
The 32 year 1st fill sherry was really juicy and got a good score but I knew before I started this tasting that that the 1975 35 year would come out on top and it still does because comparing the bourbon to the 32 year oloroso, it is obvious that Toshan shines best in a bourbon cask.
The massively expensive 1965 40 year had an unusual sweetness but was too fragile to get over 90 points and in truth while pretty good I much preferred both the 21 year offerings in this tasting.

Tasted in this order
[u]
5 year 40% OB 1980’s White Label – 83/82/85
10 year 40% OB 1980’s White Label – 84/85/85
10 year 43% OB 1980’s White Label 1 litre – 77/65/70
10 year 40% OB 1990’s Kite Label– 73/75/72
18 year 43% OB 2015 Limited A Release bourbon casks – 72/65/75
Valinch 2011 57.3% – 85/86/86
18 year 1988 cask 4446 53.9% – 89/88/89
21 year 43% 2005/6 - 88/90/89
21 year mid 1990’s WB ID 146397 – 88/90/90
24 year 50.3% 2015 Noble Oak 2015 – 88/91/91
32 year 1979 50.5% 1st fill oloroso – 88/90/90
35 year 1975 46.9% bourbon cask – 91/92/92
40 year 1965 40.6% bourbon barre l– 90/88/87

Tasting notes

5 year white label
Not a strong nose but it is pleasant on white wine and fudge.
The palate is spicy with a candy sweetness and while the attack at first is not powerful in the finish it seems to grow power.
The finish is lingering and by far the best part.
While this is not a high scoring whisky it is a good example of a young Lowland malt.

10 year 40% white label
The nose is similar to the 5 year OB 88548 but there is a lot more depth to the palate, the double maturation time is obvious in the taste.
You can taste the sherry here which is mixed with caramel and spice and a slight orange note.
I like the taste, pretty good with the spice lingering on the finish

10 year 43% 1 litre bottle
This on the nose is almost musty when compared to the 40% 10 year with the same white label 20852 also from the 1980's.
It is also a little vinegary?
The palate has a banana note and also a little sourness, not sure if this is how it is supposed to taste or whether air has got to this one?
Not for me, strange one this is.

10 year kite label 40%
A light fragrant nose is followed by a spicy peppery palate which has a reasonable amount of sweetness and a slight toffee note.
The palate is on the light side but decent enough I suppose, that said drinking a lot of this would not be possible, you would die of boredom.

18 year
Honestly this is really poor, it is weak, with a manufactured flavour.
The finish is ok but that is as good as it gets, I cannot be bothered to even describe it.
Boring, boring, boring

Valinch 2011
Re taste over 6 years later, this bottle has been ignored by me since August 2015.
I had to put it in a signatory CS Collection bottle, as the cork got lost.
This has plenty of power and is really peppery and spicy with pineapple cube sweets and the lighter coloured American hard gums, pretty good.

18 year 1988
A light, lemon zest nose is mixed with sherbet and icing sugar.
Chewy palate , and very spicy with it neat and drying but pretty good.
I added a little water and it gets syrupy, still chewy and a little peat comes through, still masses of white pepper spice with a long finish now that fades slowly.
I think this is a good example of a middleweight Toshan, from a good cask, tasty with plenty to say, I like it

21 year 2006
Great nose, fresh, zesty, mixed with cream, lemon juice, mango and hints of peach.
The palate is creamy and spicy, very spicy, it has (developed since it was opened)
As you go on you get the faintest banana note but the spice masks it
Water brings out more fruit, namely mango and still faint banana, good balance.
Finish is not long as such but long enough and lip smacking, it is the sweetness that being balanced by the wood spice from bourbon barrels that you notice.
This is still my favourite Auchentoshan bottle up to now.

21 year mid 90’s kite label (just opened)
I will re taste in a few weeks, initial impression is good.
Nose
The nose has plenty of fruit, fig, guava, a little gala melon, hints of banana skin but they are faint.
Taste
The first I notice is the balance, very creamy but also bags of peppery spice, stewed fruits, a little apple, yellow plum, faint nectarine.
As you go on the spice increases, possibly hints of peat but I thought Toshan in the 90's were not using peat?
Finish
The finish remains spicy, with the sweetness fading and a slight metallic note on the tail.

With Water:-
The nose seems more expressive now and the palate has more spice which has overtaken the juicy fruit in a nip & tuck battle.


Nobel Oak 24 year
This is a really nice Toshan, I might have to get a bottle of this.
Worth 90 points easy

Nose
Pleasant spiciness, hints of orange marmalade, slightly burnt brown sugar.
Palate
Really spicy at first again with some orange, a little honey & menthol, ginger, and various fruit gum flavours.
Finish
The balance is slightly out as the spice starts to overtake everything, but very tasty.
Remaining spicy , seems to increase in power, lovely warmth as it goes down.

With a few drops of water:-

Water has dulled the nose a little and the palate is creamy now with a lovely orange note and the spice is still singing loudly.
The finish is long, warming and remains fresh, lovely.

1979 32 year
I x'd out of this page so my notes were lost.
Nose
Rich sherry, fig, plum, fruit cake and a little menthol.
Palate
There is some present, verging on bitter, bags of spice, rich forest fruits and damson jam, balance is good.
Finish
quite long with the fruit finally getting past the wood,

1975 35 year, notes from June 2020, still happy with them today.
Nose
Dried orange peel, very faint hint of menthol, barley sugar and plenty of dried grass/straw notes.
You know there is some stewed fruit in the mix but it can't get out as the grass note masks it.
There is a an almost burnt brown sugar smell after a few minutes. crème brulee anyone?
There is so much going on I am struggling to describe, you can tell it's old by the constantly changing smells from the glass.
This is a little unusual, but very interesting all the same?
You need to leave this one in the glass for at least 5 minutes as it definitely improves once the air has got to it.

Palate
Spicy sweet, barley sugar, butterscotch, mulled wine spices, oranges soaked in mulled wine and them it gets sweeter and the spice kicks in with it.
Great interplay of flavours and as you go on the sweetness subsides but then comes back in waves and neat it is almost like there is first a big wave of flavour followed by lots of fruity ripples of mainly orange, mango & papaya.
In amongst the fruit & spice there is a peat kick which gives it more punch which is welcome

Finish
remains slightly sweet & spicy, your palate is coated your tongue fizzes and there is a lovely warm sweet finish, just great.

I am hoping that water may improve this even more so here goes.

Nose:-
Definitely better with 4 drops of water, still constantly changing.
Palate:-
Sweeter, thicker, more spice but a little less fruit which as you go on becomes more noticeable to the point that the fruit has been knocked out the park or so I thought but, if you hold the liquid in your mouth the sweetness is there but also a grassy dryness.
Finish:-
Shorter but not by much but just as pleasantly warming with the spice remaining.


1965 40 year
I like this old Toshan but it is a little light for me, it is all front loaded and lacks a little depth of profile, a very fragile , old light whisky

Nose
Candy sweetness, lemon sherbet, faint lime, faint banana (possibly), barley sugar , candied peels
Palate
This has an unusual sweetness that reminds me of the coating on sugared almonds.
Some spice from the wood and a little lemon, faint lime, and also buttery icing
Finish
Reasonable length with the spice from the wood taking control
_________________
Pour me a glass please.