Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Aultmore

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Aultmore

Aultmore Distillery
Keith
Banffshire AB55 3QY
+44 1542 882 762

Owner: Bacardi Ltd
Creation date:1895

The distillery has been build in 1895 by Alexander Edward, son of David Edward, who owned Benrinnes, south of Aberlour. Alexander Edward was an important character in the whisky industry, and he built Craigellachie together with Peter J. Mackie (Restless Peter) in 1898.
The first spirit ran out of the stills in 1897 and less than one year later, the annual production has grown up to 450.000 litres a year.
In the same year 1898, Alexander Edward acquired the Oban distillery, creating the "Oban and Aultmore-Glenliver Distilleries Ltd".
The year 1899 was the beginning of a whisky crisis and the bankruptcy of the "House Pattirsons Ltd", an important blender from Leith obliged both distilleries to close for a few years. Other blenders bankruptcies followed .A short improvement of the market in 1903/1904 encouraged the distillery to reopen for a while, and just like most of the distilleries, Aultmore closed again during WW1, due to a lack at barley.
The prohibition in the United states has been fatal to the distillery, and Oban and Aultmore have been both sold to John Dewar and sons in 1923. In 1925, Dewar worked together with DCL, and as a consequence Aultmore became part of the UDV group.
The distillery closed again during WW2 between 1943 and 1945 because of a new lack at barley. Great renovation works took place en 1970 and 1971, forcing the distillery to close temporarily/
A fusion obliged UDV to sell the distillery in 1998.
A great part of the production is used in the blends VAT69, Dewar’s White Label, and Johnnie Walker Black Label.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Aultmore: independent bottlings

Aultmore
Gordon & MacPhail Reserve
1989


Age
14 years
Alcohol
56,4°
Bottler
Gordon & MacPhail
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Aultmore 1989

The rather discrete nose reveals cereals and is marked by alcohol. The alcohol degree provokes some quite unpleasant tingling's at nosing. In the palate, an nice contrast between some slightly acid hints (citrus fruit or green apple) and the cereal and spices. The alcohol is too present, unlike other whiskies with the same percentage where the alcohol is no hinder at all. The finish is nice, with a touch of bitterness.

Several weeks after the first opening, this bottle seems to be completely different from the first tasting notes.
The nose suddenly became delicate, with nice but also very clear nougat hints. A nougat stick in the middle of a bunch of flowers... In the palate, a very nice complexity, where green apples mix with this strange nougat impression and a touch of spices (cloves?) makes this bottle simply unforgettable.
The finish is lingering, pleasant, and the spicy notes, mixed with nutty hints prolong the pleasure fo this bottle.

A nice nose with floral (heather) notes and wet earth hints. As the time goes along, pleasant fruity notes (plum jam) appear together with some remote citrus smells. Anyway a very nice perfume.
In the palate, first some bitterness developing soon on quite a marked acidity. From nutty hints at the beginning to acid fruit, green apple. Very nice contrasts between bitterness and acidity. The high percentage of alcohol does not hinder at all.
The finish is long and fresh, marked by the memory of the acid notes and woody bitterness.
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Aultmore
The Single Malts of Scotland
Vintage 1992


Age
15 years
Alcohol
46°
Bottler
The Whisky Exchange
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Aultmore 15 Single Malts of Scotland
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Speyside area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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