Aultmore
Aultmore distillery is located in Keith, Banffshire. Its name comes from the Gaelic 'An t-Allt Mòr' which translates as 'Big Burn' a reference to the distillery's water source: Auchinderran. The distillery was founded in 1895 by Benrinnes owner Alexander Edward and has had several periods of closure during it's 100+ years of operation. It was one of the very first distilleries to use draff (post-production spent grain) as animal feed. The first official single malt bottling was not produced until 2004, when a 12 year old was released as a followup to both Flora & Fauna and Rare Malt releases.
Distillery Bottlings
I attended a very interesting Whisky Squad last night where the theme for the evening was competition scoring. Divided into ‘pods’ of four, we were asked to score some recent medal winning drams and then compare and contrast with colleagues within our pod to award an overall medal (or not) to six different whiskies. Scoring in a collaborative and collegial manner is quite intriguing and provides yet further proof that spirits appreciation really all is a matter of opinion.
In 2014, John Dewar & Sons launched 'The Last Great Malts' Collection to highlight new expressions from distilleries within their portfolio. Over the past 3 years, bottlings from Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, The Deveron and Royal Bracka have been launched into markets across the world, as well as limited editions into travel retail.
Independent Bottlings
SMWS
14 year old Aultmore drawn from a refill-ex-bourbon barrel that was filled in September 2002. Sweet, Fruity & Mellow profile.
Over to Speyside for a 16 year old Aultmore that’s been aged in a refill ex-oloroso butt. Full term or finish – I’m not certain, but I’d guess at the latter. Sweet & Spicy profile.