James Eadie Aultmore Tasting Notes

James Eadie Small Batch Aultmore 2010 (8 year old) 46%

A vatting of 2 First Fill Bourbon casks – 800025 and 800027

Dist: 2010 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2018

The nose is a little neutral and high toned with white fruit, barley, granulated sugar and minerals. Quite young and fresh with developing toffee’d oak which fills out the nose with time.

The palate is quite oaky and toffee’d with barley, granulated sugar and hints of gooseberry, lime, kiwi and minerals. The citric notes comes through quite strongly on the middle and continue through the finish, making it quite mouth-watering with distinct ‘Bourbony’ oak in the after-taste.

Aultmore Distillery Bottlings Tasting Notes

Aultmore 12 year old 46%

Tasted: Apr 2015

A crisp, very mineral and fresh nose with underlying barley and orange blossom honey. Beautifully deep with hints of vanilla oak and later a touch of toasted toffee and herbs.

The palate shows a little more of the toffee’d oak so it isn’t quite as fresh as the nose would suggest. Gently honeyed with hints of apricot, barley and developing stony notes. Good fresh finish as the alcohol and mineral notes cut through. Conclusion: The nose displays a lovely freshness and although the rather dominant oak reins that freshness in on the palate it is still a thoroughly enjoyable aperitif style whisky.

Aultmore 21 year old 46%

Tasted: July 2015

The nose is dense and oily with dusty pollen, thick set honey and barley. Robust and full with developing leafy, herbal notes and a touch of what appears to be maturing fruit. With time the honey becomes lightly floral.

Full and barley’d on the palate with some dense but unobtrusive oak. Mouth-coating thick set honey and fruit follows giving it an unctuous mouth-feel. A touch of nippy spices balances adroitly. Long and stony with a lovely, fresh mineral and citrus (lime, mandarin) finish. Conclusion: A classic, full bodied Spey, worth buying for the finish alone!

Aultmore 21 year old 46%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2015

Fresh and herbal on the nose with plenty of barley, dusty apricot and gentle buttery/ toasty oak. Great fruity depth with apricot, banana and lime.

The palate is fresh, citric and barley’d. Vibrant and juicy with hints of fleshy apricot. Lovely grassy and bitter spice middle, which is balanced by the buttery oak. Long, intense, mineral and citric. Conclusion: Displays a wonderful purity and intensity.

Aultmore 25 year old 46%

Tasted: Oct 2015

A gorgeous nose of dusty barley and succulent, mature honey. The aromas seem to imply that this has some age to it as the fruit displays that lovely aged, tropical character – melon, pineapple, banana and apricot. With time a teasing note of lime appears along with a hint of herbs. Classic!

The palate is gentle, deep, mature and utterly gorgeous! Full of luscious tropical fruit, honey and sawdusty oak. Superbly deep and absolutely heavenly! Long and gently spiced with a sliver of mouth-watering citrus and lingering honey and oak. Conclusion: A beautiful, mature Spey. I’m running out of superlatives for this whisky!

Aultmore 25 year old 46%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2015

A very grain whisky-like nose with rum-like dried fruit and hints of prune and raisin fruitcake. Quite earthy and manurey with a touch of wood spice and smoke.

The palate shows more sherry character – more fruitcake, treacle, prune and walnut. More Armagnac-esque than rum-like with hints of wood spice and smoke. Long and juicy with the Armagnac-esque character lingering with fresh mineral and citrus notes. Conclusion: A lovely whisky with a great finish.

Hunter Laing Aultmore Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Aultmore 1991 (21 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2270/ HL9869

Dist: Sept 1991 Btl: July 2013/ Tasted: Aug 2013

A real oak and honey fest of a nose! There’s plenty of wonderfully mature, sawdusty oak, honey, lightly tropical fruit, malt and castor sugar. Deliciously aromatic and pleasantly balanced.

The palate is crisper and displays a lot less oak than the nose would lead you to believe. There’s more citrus, apricot, apple and crumbly spices with a liberal dollop of honey. Tart and tangy on the middle with a lovely cleansing piquancy. The honey counters and coats the mouth though. Very long with lingering notes of cinnamon coated apple and some lightly woody spices. A glorious palate!

 

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Aultmore 2010 (6 year old) 46%

Bourbon Barrel/Code: HEP0265/ Dist: July 2010 Btl: 2017/Tasted: July 2017

A malty and cereally nose with hints of herbal honey and sweet vanilla oak.

The palate is full and malty with oily fruit, honey, cereal and a touch of oak. Good depth and length with a youthful, herbal, cereal finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Aultmore 2010 (7 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: HEP0306/ Dist: Jul 2010 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Dec 2017

Quite perfumed and very coconutty (desiccated). Hints of barley, honey, mint and coriander leafy follow.

The palate is pretty full and maltier with less oak influence and more sweet barley. Medium length with the oak slightly bittering the finish. I don’t think it has enough complexity to be bottled as a single malt.

Vintage Malt Whisky Company Aultmore Tasting Notes

Coopers Choice Aultmore 2006 (9 year old) 46%

Bourbon Cask 7120/ Dist: 2006 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: May 2016

Fresh and grassy aromas with gisty barley and hints of lemon, honeysuckle and sugared almonds. With time the barley notes become pleasantly sweet.

The palate shows the freshness of the nose with a little more creamy oak and toffee. A touch of straw, barley and apricot comes though on the middle. Pleasant, straightforward, medium length with hints of black pepper in the finish.

Carn Mor Aultmore Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Aultmore 2010 (5 year old) 46%

Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Aromas of burnt toffee and treacle. Extremely herbal and youthful, but not spirit. Relatively simple though with prune and raisin notes.

The palate opens with the intrusive burnt toffee and a touch of sulphur. Green fruit, nuts an herbs lead to a slightly creamy middle. Short and a little hot with lingering burnt toffee and herbal notes.

Berry Brothers Tasting Notes

Berry Brothers Own Selection Aultmore 1982 (28 year old) 57.8%

Refill Hogshead 2224/ Dist: 1982 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Aug 2012 

The nose is quite an alcoholic and a touch spirit with hints of dried cereal husks and herbal notes. It smells old and there is a slight confected note. With time some dusty spice and brandy butter notes emerge. 

Soft and dry on the palate with plenty of tannins and alcohol. Like the nose there is a semblance of fruit but it’s predominantly old cereal husks. Quite herbal on the middle but the alcohol is very intrusive and masks, although some slightly sugary vanillins appear at the death. 

With water the nose is a lot better. It now has an old grain like character with some thumping oak! An almost unbelievable transformation! Very luscious now with some silky, slightly honeyed fruit. There’s still plenty of old cereal character but it definitely has some shine and lustre now. With time the oak becomes sawdusty and a light tangerine note appears. The palate mirrors the nose with a touch of cereal husks an brandy butter followed by a lovely, light, spicy middle with some fizzy sweets and parma violet notes. The oak does bitter the end somewhat but it has a pleasant granulated sugar after taste.

Douglas Laing Aultmore Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular Aultmore 1990 (25 year) 54.4%

Sherry Butt/ Code: XOP0055/ DL11066

Dist: Feb 1990 Btl: Feb 2016/ Tasted: Mar 2016

Big, rich aromas of juicy, sun dried fruit with hints of orange rind and wonderfully mature, pruney, dark fruit. Gently and sweetly spiced with some subtle oxidation notes. With time a touch of malt biscuits.

The palate displays a huge depth of sherried rancio. Sweet raisins, oxidation, earth and sweet spice are layered over grippy but soft, chocolaty tannins. Quite crisp and mineral on the finish with the dried fruit and mocha notes lingering. Quite fresh and balanced for a sherry monster.

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Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Aultmore 1982 (30 year old) 50%

Bourbon/Code: OMC2189/ DL8533

Dist: May 1982 Btl: May 2012/ Tasted: July 2012

A hugely spicy nose. Sweet nutmeg, ginger, leather, tobacco, light coriander and herbal wood aromas come at you from all directions! Very, very dense with apricot, sawdusty, mature American oak, a touch of malt biscuit and earth. Really complex stuff!

Soft and spicy on the palate too! Leather, toffee and dark spices lead off, followed by plenty of slightly toasty mature oak, milk chocolate and yet more spice! It unfolds to display some beautiful Armagnac-esque dried fruit on the middle. The finish is quite dry but the dried fruit balances. Luscious and mature, with seriously lingering spices.

Douglas Laing Provenance Aultmore 2011 (6 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1337/ DL12072

Dist: May 2011 Btl: Aug 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

Young and slightly feinty, actually it’s very feinty. Maybe some subtle barley but that’s about it!

The palate opens with subtly sweet barley and thankfully less of the feintiness! Not much oak but a touch of citrus. Good length with lingering barley and a touch of spice.

Douglas Laing Provenance Aultmore 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV1170/ DL11064

Dist: Jun 2008 Btl: Mar 2016/ Tasted: Apr 2016

The nose is a bit subdued to begin with. Sticky, sweet sherry, dried grape, malt, treacle and wood smoke follow. Give it time and it opens up pleasantly to show a good herbal intensity.

The palate is quite sweet and sherried with dried fruit, herbs, malt and treacle. The alcohol balances the sweetness well and the finish is long and very spicy with hints of pepper and some drying tannins.

Douglas Laing Provenance Aultmore 2011 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV01489/ DL13731

Dist: May 2011 Btl: Sept 2019/ Tasted: Jan 2020

The nose opens with plenty of creamy American oak and gristy barley. With time the citrus and grassy/ herbal notes come through quite strongly.

The palate is crisp, citric and barley’d. Quite grassy with a pleasant malty core and subtler oak and spice. It does become quite oily on the middle and that follows through to the finish which is barley’d with lingering grass and malt.

Square Barrel Aultmore Tasting Notes

Square Barrel Aultmore 1990 (16 year old) 49%

Sherry/ Dist: 1990 Btl: 2006/ Tasted: Sept 2007

Leafy sherry. Fresh amontillado aromas with classic green nuts and salt. There is a slight perfume with hints of dry fruit and earth. But where is the character? The palate is straightforward, just like the nose. Very tannic. Medium length, quiet mouth watering. In conclusion it’s a good cask, but where is the character of the spirit?

Scotts Selection Aultmore Tasting Notes

Scotts Selection Aultmore 1987 (20 year old) 55.8%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1987 Btl: 2007/ Tasted: Sept 2007

Crisp and nicely floral. Surprisingly one-dimensional with hints of earth, herbs and oak. Almost Lowland-esque with very little cask interaction.

The palate is soft and very citrusy. Straightforward and grassy. A bit short and sappy with hints of spice and oak. A slightly bitter after taste. Water makes it a touch sweeter and brings out some barley water notes. But it’s only average.

House of Macduff Aultmore Tasting Notes

House of Macduff ‘Golden Cask’ Aultmore 1989 (14 year old) 58.3%

Bourbon Cask 3067/ Dist: 1989 Btl:2003/ Tasted July 2003

A lovely, soft, cereal, earthy nose with hints of peat, biscuity fruit and salt. Aromatic with a developing floral character – white flowers, honeysuckle.

The palate has elegance, purity and a wealth of biscuity white fruits, tangy acidity and spice notes. Complex and serious with an earthy/ smoky character and a long, dry finish.