852
Hello, readers. Let’s talk Aultmore. Aultmore is a Speyside distillery that’s mostly used in blends so no one ever hears about it, although it recently got some respect as a line of OB single malt releases. It’s owned by Dewars so I’m going to assume that they use it in most of their products. This particular bottling was done by upstart independent bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Here is their description of this bottle’s label:
‘That Boutique-y Whisky Company’ searched high and low to find a wealth of interesting stories and legends about this Speyside distillery but to no avail. So you get a Velociraptor fighting a shark – enjoy.’
Velociraptors? Now you’re talking my language!
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Straw with a slight gold tint (No color added). Sticks to the glass well. |
| Nose | The nose was actually pretty harsh at first so I gave it 10-15 minutes in the glass and it really really helped. This must have some pretty young spirit in it. Smells like boubon barrels to me. Layers of fruit: raisins, plums, and cherries. Oranges in the background. It took a few minutes in the glass for me to find the vanilla. I eventually realized that this reminds me of a more flavorful Dalmore. With water, more sweetness. Butterscotch and chocolate. Nosing the empty glass the next day STRONGLY revealed raisins soaked in vanilla extract. Wonderful! |
| Taste | A nice sharp delivery as this is over 50% ABV. Serious dried fruits: raisins, dried cherries, vanilla and some toffee sweetness. With water, some spice shows up. Carmel apple. |
| Finish | Long and lingering. Complex. The vanilla is the first thing to show up and the last to go in this finish. With water, it's a little more complex. The fruitiness lasts a lot longer and there's some burnt sugar. Surprisingly drying. |
| Overall Thoughts | I've never had an Aultmore before this (at least in single malt form) and I'm really glad I got this sample. I can't help but compare this to Dalmore but unlike all the Dalmores, this isn't just a raisin explosion. This whisky is much more balanced in terms of sweetness, vanilla oakiness, and dried fruits. That Boutiquey Whisky Company is doing some good work with their bottlings and I'm looking forward to checking out more of their offerings! I have a Cask Strength Autmore 5 Year bottling by Master of Malt that I'm interested to try next as a comparison. It's a whopping 66% ABV so I'm curious to see how such a young spirit compares to this one! |
| Total Score | 89/100 |
