Showing posts with label Aultmore 1991/2011 (Wilson & Morgan). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aultmore 1991/2011 (Wilson & Morgan). Show all posts

Aultmore 1997 15 Years (Master of Malt Cask 3560) Review - Aultmore 1991 20 Years (Wilson & Morgan Cask 2683) Review


Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the next months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with a specific distillery like today or with specific bottlers, countries or regions. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't go into too much details of distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In today's special I will review two Indie expressions distilled at Aultmore - Speyside. Enjoy!
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Whisky Review # 759

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand:  Aultmore 1997 - Distilled: May 15
Bottled By: Master of Malt - Single Cask Series - Bottled: April 1, 2013
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky - Cask # 3560 - 261 Bottles
Age: 15 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 55.8% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Refill Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: Information Not Available Anymore -  Discontinued
Buying Advice: 😋 Very tasty Speyside Malt. I wouldn't mind own a full bottle!

Colour:

Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Sweet, Waxy, Fruity and Floral. Pleasant although the Alcohol is noticeable. Not really complex. Lots of Fresh Fruit and Puff-Pastry.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Vanilla, Orange, Grass, Straw, Lemon, Wax, Caffe Latte, Warm Apple/Peach filled Puff Pastry, Banana and Mint.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Floral Perfume, Toffee, Herbs, Charred Oak, Toasted Almonds, Butterscotch, Milk Chocolate, Pear and Mineral notes.


Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Fruity and Buttery. The Cask Strength is noticeable and Herbs and Spices come to play.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Butter Biscuits, Apple and Melon filled Puff-Pastry, Banana, Hay, Grass, Orange and Lemon Peel, Vanilla, Pepper and Menthol/Mint.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather Honey, Toasted Almonds, Pear, Cinnamon, Dried Herbs, Ginger, Licorice, Cloves and Charred Oak.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and slightly Hot. Lots of Fruit again accompanied by Herbs and Spices. I find Toasted Barley, Butter Biscuits, Salted Butter, Apple-filled Puff-Pastry, Banana, Vanilla, Grass/Hay, Lemon and Orange Peel, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Pepper, Cloves, Licorice, Menthol, White Chocolate and Caffe Latte. A slight Metallic note pops up every once in a while.

Drinking Advice:

I added a few drops of Water and the Alcohol basically disappears on the Nose. Palate and Finish benefit as well. The overall Aroma/Flavour profile does not change a lot but this Aultmore certainly benefits from a little added water!

Rating: 87

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Very nice!

Conclusion:

The Aultmore distillery is located in Keith (Banffshire) and was founded in 1896 by Alexander Edward. It is owned by John Dewar & Sons since 1923. Dewar used to belong to the Diageo Group but was sold to Bacardi in 1998. The core range was extended in 2014 and now includes the 12, 18, 21 and 25 Years. All these are Non Chill-Filtered, Uncoloured and bottled at 46%.

This is only my second Aultmore and once again I'm pleasantly surprised. Very nice Fruity and Buttery Malt. Cask Strength is perhaps a tad too much Alcohol so I advise you to add a few drops of Water. Unfortunately, this Single Malt has been discontinued and it will be hard to find a bottle. I have no idea about the price but I would certainly love to have a bottle of this Aultmore in my cabinet. It's not really a complex Single Malt but it's damned tasty. Good stuff!


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Whisky Review # 760

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Aultmore 1991
Bottled By: Wilson & Morgan - Barrel Selection - Bottled: September 29, 2011
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky - Cask 2683 - 744 Bottles
Age: 20 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50%
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 100-150 (August 2018)
Buying Advice: 😀 Good Sherried Speyside Malt. A bit too much Sulphur.

Colour:

Tawny/Auburn (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Sherry cask without any shadow of a doubt. Sweet with lots of Dark Fruit, Nuts and Christmas Cake. Quite some Sulphur as well although it barely stays within my personal limits. The Alcohol is nicely integrated.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums and Apricots, Mixed Nuts, Dried Herbs, Straw, Dark Chocolate, Mandarin Juice, Hot Rum Coffee and Mint.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Floral Perfume, Caramel, Vanilla Biscuits, Nutmeg, Cloves, Nutella, Orange Peel, slightly Sour Berries, Apple, Leather and Maggi Seasoning Sauce.


Palate:

Sweet and Medium-Dry. Lots of Tannins. The Oak is quite noticeable and so is the Sulphur I'm afraid.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Apricots and Plums, Nuts, Sour Berries, Dark Chocolate, Oak, Orange Peel, Cloves, Nutmeg and Roasted Coffee.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Blackberry Muffins, Treacle, Rum, Overripe Banana, Buttered Toast and Honey, Pepper, Licorice, Tobacco, Menthol and Leather.

Finish:

Long, Woody and Tannic. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. The Sulphur remains quite present. I find Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Dried Fruit (Plums and Apricots), Blackberry Jam, Oak, Seville Orange, Straw, Hazelnuts, Salted Butter, Brandy/Rum, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Black Espresso, Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Menthol and Leather.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Aultmore despite the high ABV. It doesn't get bad mind you but it looses intensity.

Rating: 86

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Good Sherried Speysider. Quite a bit of Sulphur on the Palate and in the Finish. 

Conclusion:

A Completely different Aultmore but again it does not disappoint. The 1997 is a well-made Speyside Whisky and if you like GlenDronach, Glenfarclas or Aberlour you should give this sherried Aultmore a chance if you can find it. It's got quite a bit of Sulphur but I still fully enjoyed the sample. If I were to choose between the two Aultmore Malts I've tasted today I will go for the 1995 15 Years (Master of Malt). It's really good that Aultmore has extended its core range. I certainly hope to find one or more expressions during my upcoming trip to Europe and the Travel Retail shops! This new core range will certainly bring this distillery on the Single Malt map. And deservedly so!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   August 6, 2018