Aultmore 25 Year Old 1990 A.D. Rattray

Aultmore was only really put on the market as single malt in 2014 when owner Dewar’s & Sons launched the so-called Last Great Malts series. Highlight of that series is a 25 years old. But today I find myself at my trusty desk with a sample of a 25 years old Aultmore from a sherry butt by Glasgow based independent bottler A.D. Rattray. It is very dark and bottled at almost 53%. My saliva glands go into overdrive just by looking at the glass.

OMG, a grand nose. Dark sherry notes with leather, rum, furniture polish and lots of cinnamon. Butter in the frying pan, orangettes, dades and fresh figs. A stew of dark fruit, actually. But I must add that there is little left to remind me of the distillery character of Aultmore (on the other hand, this is only my 11th encounter with this Speysider). This malt, when nosing blind, could easily be mistaken for an exceptional sherry.

The arrival is both creamy and piquant. My mouth is on fire! Creamy and spicy on ginger, lots of wood spices (with a rather big bitterness) and some resin. The malt struggles to show its fruity side, but from the second sip forward, when the taste buds have accustomed to the high ABV, the dark notes shine. Again dark fruit and chocolate, upholstered with candied orange peel and cherry liqueur. I am in heaven!

The finish is very long, warm and spicy, but sweet at the same time. Nevertheless, it leaves the mouth parched. At the death, a nice hint of coffee grounds and rum raisins appears.

Delicous sherry… err… single malt! Ah, when it’s this good, who gives a f*ck?

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