Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Aultmore.
Bottler: Cadenhead’s.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 49.7%. Cask strength.
Age: 16 years. Distilled in 2006. Bottled in 2022.
Cask type: Bourbon hogshead.
Price: Seem to recall £15-20 for 200mL, though I’ve lost the receipt.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: cooked apples, malt, coffee cake, cinnamon, earth, a hint of soot, cocoa powder.
Palate: rich and buttery ~ more malt, bubblegum, lemon, malted chocolate (Ovaltine), soapstone, dunnage.
Finish: medium length ~ black tea, mint, more Ovaltine.
Conclusion: This is the first independent bottling from Aultmore that I’ve been able to pick up, and what strikes me first is the richness of texture here with the undiluted-but-somewhat-low ABV. Like with the Cadenhead’s Glencadam I reviewed recently, I feel that the earthier dunnage notes in this are at least partly attributable to maturing in the bottler’s Campbeltown warehouse. Along with the tea tannins and cocoa, those notes add a welcome layer of complexity to the base profile, which remains very simple but pleasant (much like the OB 18yr, which I compared with this many times, and which the independent outpaces by a fair bit.) I can’t help but feel that for the age there could still be more going on here, but it’s still very enjoyable—and picks up an extra point for that buttery mouthfeel.
Final Score: 83.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 