Today Aultmore


June 30, 2023

WF's Little Duos, today Aultmore

Not much to say, not much to add. The Flora & Fauna 'Cask Strength' was really good when the Distillery was still belonging to Diageo. Bacardi/Dewar's current official 12 is really good too in my opinion.

Some excellent Rosé des Riceys by the house Boizel. No bubbles in the rare Rosé des Riceys! (Champagne Boizel)

Aultmore 10 yo 'Discovery' (Gordon & MacPhail, bourbon cask, +/-2021)

G&M never did a lot of Aultmore, it's intriguing that they would have added one to their 'entry-level' range. No, we've stopped using the word 'budget' for Scotch malt whisky. Colour: white wine. Nose: vanilla, biscuits, English tea, chamomile, dried flowers, overripe apples, Golden Grahams, malty beer. Mouth: it could have been an official, it is well in the style of Speyside's heavy sellers, especially ex-refill Glenlivet. Some nuts, a little marmalade, cakes, beers, a little chocolate, then vanilla and cold tea. That's right, peach-flavoured cold tea. Perhaps zucchini flower fritters? Finish: medium, with citrus now at the helm. Marmalade and cinnamon in the aftertaste. Comments: it's good, its fresh, it's flawless, and it does what it says on the labels.
SGP:441 - 82 points.

Aultmore 12 yo 2010/2023 (55.7%, Infrequent Flyers, independentspirit.de, ruby Port hogshead, cask #6351, 325 bottles)

A finish in shiny red ruby Port. Those keep popping out these days, but we've already stumbled upon good surprises. Red surprises… Colour: dark rosé wine (Burgundy, Riceys) with partridge-eye and onion-peel hues. A whole new vocabulary to build! Nose: fermenting red fruits and garden compost, plus mushrooms (oyster mushrooms) and pipe tobacco seasoned with cherry. Purists will frown but I used to enjoy that when I was an avid pipe smoker (circa 1985, ahem). With water: it takes water with grace, which is not always the case. Pralines, white asparagus, beets, cherries. Nice earthiness. Mouth (neat): the premix works. Don't we keep claiming that we can make our own mixes, like 90% malt and 10% Port or 95% new malt and 5% Laphroaig or… whatever… But us blusterers never do. Good spices from the oak, some cherries, blood oranges, clove, crème de cassis, pepper… With water: it really swims well. Old boy's jam, pepper, rooibos and cherry stem tea… Finish: medium, grassier and spicier, with a rooty background, on various beets. Comments: very good winesky. It really loves water and never gets disjointed. Excellent, within its own style.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Check the index of all Aultmore we've tasted so far