The distillery's official 12 year old is to steal Mr. Opinions's term (again), unadorned. Which is good! I tried the 18yo OB too, liked it "A lot", then bought a bottle and drank it during Covid Year One. These experiences inspired me to source this week's trio of indie single casks, sherry casks to be more specific.
I'll go oldest to youngest this week, starting with something distilled during the first Reagan administration.
Owner at time of distillation: Distillers Company Limited
Current Owner: Bacardi Limited (via John Dewar & Sons)
Region: Speyside (Moray)
Region: Speyside (Moray)
Bottler: Adelphi
Age: 35 years old (1982 - 2017)
Maturation: sherry something or other
Age: 35 years old (1982 - 2017)
Maturation: sherry something or other
Cask #: 1575
Outturn: 196 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 54.8%
(from a bottle split)
Alcohol by Volume: 54.8%
(from a bottle split)
NOTES
An industrial + dunnage character forms the nose's foundation. Layered upon that are Andes candies (chocolate and mint), dried blueberries, toffee, and tiramisu.
Raw black walnuts, mint leaf, and mothballs start the palate, followed by tar, iodine(!), and tart dried mango. Hints of dried herbs and dunnage decorate the background. And it's all arrives in creamy textures.
The nearly endless finish holds the iodine, black walnuts, mothballs, and tart dried mango.
WORDS WORDS WORDS
I had never tried a DCL-era Aultmore before this. And WOW. This whisky is medicinal, tart, herbal, and intense. The sherry cask does plenty, but the spirit lives on. I'm pretty certain Bacardi doesn't make it like this anymore. This style likely helped lift old school Dewar's blends well above their current namesake. Yum.
I doubt there are many bottles left (see the outturn) in the secondary market, and due to its dark hue, the whisky likely brings a sturdy asking price, so I think I'm going to try another DCL-era Aultmore...
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