Aultmore 13 Year Old - 82 Chapters to Newcastle (Creatures of Cask Strength)
Rich, Dried Fruits2022-12-24
Matured for 13 years from a single red wine barrel, this single malt is striking for its intense colour. Among bottlers, both red wine casks and rum casks are considered to be the cask types with the greatest risks as far as the quality of the final result is concerned. Minor spoiler: Everything worked out here.
Smell
Unexpectedly, we first perceive pear, closely followed by a combination of cherries, currants, dates and plums. The heavy aroma is accompanied by Christmas spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of clove. The composition is rounded off by a certain oak spiciness.
Taste
Whew! This is sweet. If we had expected a slightly sour base, we are surprised by a decent fruit sweetness with a combination of sugar syrup and wild berries, which, however, later turns into a sour-grapey and very mouthwatering note. The oily single malt also impresses in the mouth with Christmas spices, dates and plums. The 57.4% abv. are very well incorporated, yet the Scotch could do with a few drops of water to open up the flavours further. All in all harmonious, multi-layered and pleasant, even if surprisingly sweet.
Finish
Long and dry, the Aultmore from the red wine cask remains with wild berries, dark chocolate and an underlying oak spiciness.
Thoughts
Awesome. This bottling is perfect, especially during the Christmas season. The profile of the Aultmore distillery weaves beautifully with the flavours from the red wine cask to create an all-round harmonious bottling, of which sadly there are only 257 bottles. Must have. There is nothing more to say here.