Aultmore 18 Year

Stop number 44 on the SDT is Aultmore. This Speyside distillery flies a little under the radar. They don't seem to have much vested in marketing or distribution as I haven't really heard anything about them. This 18 year old is bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered. It is a natural golden color. It is available here in Michigan for $150, but my brother found it on his Naval base in Maryland for $100 so I had him grab it for me. $100 for an 18 seems like a good price in my opinion. The nose is very light. Honey, cereal malt and barley sugar are the predominant notes here. Light fruits, apricots, peaches, melon and plums. Hints of toffee and butterscotch and maybe a touch of mint. Some distant sherry notes, but they seem weak and bitter. Strawberry flavored hard candies. There is a musty/damp feeling to it. An odd rye-like warmth appears at times, it's earthy even though this scotch in unpeated. Sadly there is an off metallic note that comes and goes. Really a disappointment of a nose for an 18 year old. The palate is fruity with a spicy kick. Stronger than the nose would imply, but still not very powerful. Melon, apricots and old oak. Light bourbon notes, weak vanilla and toffee. The spice really comes into play after a few sips suggesting European oak. This is also where some bitter tannins appear, suggesting that European oak is in the form of old refill casks. Some bitter nuts, like raw walnuts are in there. I do enjoy walnuts but in this case not so much. Honey, malt and a touch of dark chocolate rounds things out. A light to medium bodied mouthfeel with a light oiliness that turns very dry. The finish is medium length. Dry, wood spice and a big helping of those bitter tannins. This finish really reminds me of the finish on the Tomatin 12 year old, which I forgave because it was only $35. A big disappointment for the age and the price. Far too light on the nose and if it didn't have the spice on the palate the whole thing would have been immensely boring. The finish is too bitter and makes me not want to continue drinking it. In other words, I have half a bottle that I'm willing to trade... I would have scored this a 3.25, but the price knocks it down to 3. Cheers

I decided to put a little work in tonight on the scotch tour: anCnoc Flaughter, Glenkinchie 12 and this Aultmore 18 year old. This one was supplied by my friend Paul for our scotch whisky tag team. Aultmore was once owned by the same gentleman that owns the Benrinnes distillery, but it’s now owned by Dewars & Sons. The strange pronunciation of Aultmore (an-tAllt-mor) is Gaelic for “strong burn”, which is appropriate for this whisky. It’s brutish, harsh and very bourbon-like. This one comes in at a robust 46% ABV and is a sparkling gold in the Glencairn. The initial nosing was almost all cereals, honey and lightly charred oak. The palate stayed along the lines of most American bourbons, too: Vanilla, apples and honey. There was also a light, biscuit flavor there before the finish rolled in and just took over. The finish is where this one fails: it’s incredibly bitter and harsh. It’s mind-blowingly difficult to grasp how this one didn’t mature more gracefully in those 18 long years. I’d like to place blame on cask quality, but then after reading a bit into Aultmore’s history and current purpose (experimental distillery for Dewars, I believe)- I came to the realization that maybe this is what they were aiming for. As it is, it’s hard to recommend this as a single malt. Perhaps it is suited more for blends, although I’m not sure what good characteristics it adds to blended whisky because I don’t even want to think of what this stuff tastes like at cask strength. Thanks to Paul for the sample and for eating the high cost on this one (above $100). I guess we should keep on moving....2.5 stars. Cheers, fellas.

This is another whisky I rarely see or read anything about. That made interested in it and so I added it to my sample collection. Nose: really nice. Delicious, smooth and fruity, nice sweet spices, little bid of that familiar highland-honey, loads of fresh vanilla, bubblegum, a good portion of oak wood. Then the fruits take a more prominent place with some creamy strawberries and also a bid of raisins. It is a familiar nose (positively reminds me of Balblair) and really enjoyable. Palate: soft and sweet at first, then a bid more woody, citrusy juices Finish: cotton candy, ripe grapes, needless to say - very sweet - fruity sweet like ice cream. But also a good bid of wood and mild baking spices. All in all I really like it. It is not ultra unique but still is a nice little experience and interesting non the less. The funny thing is even though its sweetness is the most present characteristic it doesn’t feel too sweet. It is well balanced in that regard. Strange this one doesn’t get more attention. I had a lot other whiskies that are all over the place and popular that are for sure not better as this one.

Another Sunday evening arrives. I find myself sitting by the trimmed (artificial) tree and a cozy fire in the wood stove. Christmas music is piping through the speakers. All this after having enjoyed The Last Jedi. A good day; now time for a pour. After a good, long opening, a vanilla nose with orange creamsicle and ripened apples arrive. Cereal notes of oats with a touch of honey and a out-of-theme, fresh ginger, round out the nose. The palate is greeted with sugary sweetness over a medium body Ginger, again, with cinnamon and pie crust are the main flavors touched with a small amount of woodiness working to the finish. The finish is a touch spicy of white pepper and a dash of wasabi with a ginger zing that slowly fades to the end. Though this is an 18 year old, it honestly feels more on par as a 12 year old. A good dram, but considering it's age and price, I would expect a sophistication or complexity greater than what is delivered. The sweetness makes it enjoyable and work well as an after-meal dessert. Many thanks to @GenerouslyPaul for providing this sample. [85/100][Tasted: 12/17/18]

18? Wow, nice find Paul, and thanks for the chance to "simma down" with this one. The nose is full of nice vanilla, honeysuckle, barley, and sweet white grapes. The palate is a warm inviting layer of butter cream icing, oil, with a heavy mouth coat. Vanilla is definitely in your face neat, and the finish is a tad hot with dry alcohol. I put a few drops of water on it to see what else we can get from this glass. Grapes and light fruit come more to the forefront on the nose. It now almost has a white wine quality. The water helped with the finish for me. The nice mouth coat is still there, with a buttery finish, but it's far from a complex dram. I'd lean toward a 3.25. This is "Bread and Butter" by The Newbeats. Try not to laugh! =)

I was a bit torn on this one. I wanted to like it. I really did. Afterall, it's 18 years old, and it's got a come-hither fancy label. Thanks to Paul, as part of our little distillery trading team, I got to try this one. Aroma starts off really nice. Sweet honey, cereals and summer fruits. Palette starts off really nice as well...more summer stone fruits and butterscotch. But, the mid-palette falls apart. Turns bitter. Really bitter. What just happened? I feel like Forest Whitaker in the Crying Game. You know that scene. Just when I thought was going to have a sweet sweet Speysider, it then turns on me. Solid 3 to 3.5 though, based on the nose and palette entry alone.