2008 Aultmore 9 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Sovereign” Single Sherry Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($49.99)

Aultmore isn’t one of Scotland’s most recognizable whisky names, but ever since Bacardi’s move to establish the Dewar’s distilleries as veritable single malt brands, names like Craigellachie, Royal Brackla, Aberfeldy and Aultmore are moving more to the forefront on the global stage. Originally founded in 1896, Aultmore was sold by Diageo to Bacardi over 100 years later as part of the big Bombay gin deal, resulting in a rarely seen 12 year old edition half a decade later. Located in the Speyside region, the distillery’s sherried malts are often described as having flavors of “milky coffee” and that’s most definitely the case with this heavily-sherried 9 year old expression. Coffee in both its color and its aromas, the nose is pungent with heavily-roasted aromas and savory Oloroso rancio. Don’t be confused by the color, however, because despite its dark hue this is no supple, sweetly-flavored Sherry bomb. In fact, it’s a robust malt, dry on the finish and almost savory in its profile. The mid-palate is loaded with toasted almonds, tobacco, and bitter orange, but the finish is short and simple. While many of our casks are meant to be pondered and savored, this 9 year old Aultmore is very much to the point. It’s a cask strength, sherry-matured edition of everyday quality single malt, priced to drink and enjoy in volume. The high proof is almost unrecognizable with the saturation of the sherry and its very much drinkable at full strength.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 11, 2018

WOW! Aultmore is kind of one of those sleeper malts you just don’t think about much, but I’m going to be dreaming of it now! This ultra dense style sherry reminds me of samples of young sherried ‘farclas or Mac. There nose at first gives off a little amontillado funk which pairs perfectly with the underlying dark malty tones. On the palate its big, supple, and powerful. I found a nice dollop of water is exactly what I want in this whisky. The fruit comes forward and the malt takes a slight back seat to the complexity of whatever special butt this aged in. It’s not so old, but this ones a cracker by any measure.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 11, 2018

I remember sitting in the office in Scotland, tasting through these Sovereign samples, and looking up information on Aultmore distillery as I approached this 9 year old cask sample. It was a bit of an odd duck, but I appreciated it because it was so different in its character: dry and herbal rather than sweet and supple, the opposite of what I expected from such a dark and saturated sherry-matured whisky. The Single Malt Whisky Yearbook had tasting notes from other expressions of Aultmore that they described as having the flavor or coffee or even “milky coffee” and then I went back and tasted the 9 year old cask sample again…..there it was. Coffee. Not only in its color, but in its aromas and flavors! While the price is indeed incredible, this is a one trick sherry pony for sure. It’s big and spicy right off the bat, but that initial sweetness quickly fades and turns into herbaceous notes of dried herbs, pepper, toasted nuts, with a very dry finish. It’s a whisky meant purely as a bang-for-your-buck bargain and I couldn’t pass it up. It’s so different from anything else on the shelf and I get a kick out of that coffee note! Those of you who enjoyed some of our older Glenfarclas Family Casks of yesteryear may get a bit of nostalgic bliss from this earthier sherry expression. It’s definitely of the same ilk as that robust 1970 vintage barrel we did a while back.

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 10, 2018

Let the people drink whisky!! This seems to be the theme of stuff I have been getting to taste recently, super tasty whisky for the sake of whisky that is actually affordable. Case in point, this delightful bottle of Aultmore from our friend Hunter Laing. On these chilly grey evenings this is going to be a spectacular bottle to become friends with. The aromatics practically leap out of the glass, big rich nutty and almost amaretto notes from the heavy sherry casking here are layered with some dark fruit. The age of this bottling really comes through in fantastic richness and power, itis bombastic but balanced. The casking allows the youth to shine without making you feel like it is too young. Rich barley sweetness, vanilla, clove and cinnamon all enhance each other and at cask strength there is a bite and spice that never overwhelms. Simply put, this is a drinking Scotch, perfect for here and now.