14 year old Aultmore drawn from a refill-ex-bourbon barrel that was filled in September 2002. Sweet, Fruity & Mellow profile.
Nose: Exceptionally pronounced fruitiness – sweet and syrupy. Poached pears, mangos and Seville oranges. Quite lovely. Added to this is a degree of creaminess – custard and yoghurt. There’s a backdrop of florals here – lilies in particular that complement the overt fruitiness and blend nicely with gentle vanilla and dried wood planking. Water adds some bakery aromas into the mix – buttery pastries – as well as a touch of cinnamon spicing.
Taste: Mouth coating with good viscosity, but surprisingly gentle on arrival. Fudge, vanilla cream and light dried oak are amplified with some subtle spicing – cinnamon again, but also a touch a white pepper. The addition of water doesn’t change the overall composition of the whisky, indeed, it just reduced the mouthfeel. Stick to it at its original strength.
Finish: Medium in length and with some spice in the tail in the form of green bell peppers.
A solid Aultmore that possesses a rather lovely nose. The palate is not quite as successful in that it doesn’t deliver a menagerie of well-defined fruitiness, but it is still well judged non-the-less. Whilst water added additional aromas into the nose, it didn’t provide perceptible benefit to the palate. Gentle, relaxed and a game of two halves.