
October 29, 2018

Three Aultmore

A name we’re seeing more often these days, and no one will complain about that.

Aultmore 2009/2017 (43%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills of Scotland, sherry butt, 1134 bottles)

Aultmore 2009/2017 (43%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills of Scotland, sherry butt, 1134 bottles)
It’s good to see this excellent French bottler still around and kicking. Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts a tad butyric but things improve over time. Some mashed potatoes, with touches of olives and celeriac, as well as elderberries and plantain bananas at the fruit department. Mouth: a good, solid, rather old-school sherried malt that tends to go towards similarly aged Glenfarclas. Cornflakes, raisins, a touch of burnt caramel, Mars bar, burnt cake… I enjoy these notes of orange and apple cakes too. Classic. Finish: medium, a tad more on apple pie, with a little cinnamon. Comments: all good malt whisky, a good Speysider that’s a little more than just ‘easy’.
SGP:551 - 81 points.

Aultmore 21 yo 1997/2018 (50.7%, Maltbarn, 144 bottles)

Aultmore 21 yo 1997/2018 (50.7%, Maltbarn, 144 bottles)
Their labels are getting more and more artistic (and not just artsy like elsewhere). Colour: straw. Nose: there’s more grass and raw malt here, more leaves and peel, and more floral notes, such as dandelions and lilies of the valley. That gives it a delicately fragrant side that’s just lovely. A little sunflower oil too. With water: almonds coming out, as well as very fresh walnuts. That’s perfect. Mouth (neat): oh really very good, starting beautifully malty and zesty, and getting then frankly limoncello-y. Excellent tangerines and touches of papayas and guavas. Some very good wood has been in use, as it seems. With water: sweet barley, a little butterscotch, a spoonful of marmalade. All goody good. Finish: medium, clean, a tad cake-y. Comments: another one that’s classic and irrefutable (that’s right, S., but of course).
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Aultmore 21 yo 1996/2018 (54%, OB, Exceptional Cask, for Chief Whisky Society, China, 294 bottles)

This is a 9-year Madeira finish. Interesting to see more OBs bottled for whisky enthusiasts in the People’s Republic of China. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s not the first time we notice that Madeira, just like fino or manzanilla, works particularly well. Besides, this is rather double maturation. So Virginia tobacco, leather, sweet mustard, walnut wine, Seville oranges, roasted pecan nuts, argan oil… What’s not to like here? With water: beautiful notes of old riesling, metal polish, more walnuts… Mouth (neat): really very good, very very good. More sweet mustard, marmalade, walnuts, tobacco, a touch of smoked tea, marzipan, perhaps a touch of mashed turnips… All that works in sync, to quasi-perfection. With water: bitter oranges, tobacco, miso soup, umami, chestnut honey and mead, old Sauternes that went bone dry… Not the first time this happens with Madeira. Finish: long, perfectly balanced, a tad sweeter. Seville oranges keep singing in the aftertaste, together with grape-y touches. Comments: just excellent. Looks like I managed to not mention Chinese duck sauce, but there was some, I swear… (well, some notes were reminiscent of duck sauce, not saying anyone added some to the cask, don’t get me wrong).
SGP:551 - 90 points.

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