Subtle Balance for the Apprentice and Enthusiast
Enjoy it Neat Before Dinner or with Dessert (Maybe as Dessert!)
photo courtesy of Bacardi Ltd.
Whisky Reviewed: Aultmore 12 Year
Distiller: Bacardi
Region: Speyside
Suggested Retail Price: $80
ABV: 46%
Distiller Rating: 90
Whiskeyreviewer Rating: B
Mark’s Review
Gazing into your (not so) distant memory lives a special person. You never had to “try” or fake it. Friendship came easy. Even slight gestures or their chosen words never ceased to amaze or impress you. To others present then, they might only be wisps in the wind. But to you, looking back, the recall is sharp and poignant
It’s the same with Aultmore; soft, sweet and subtle, with a color of the finest Meursault. The light, airy and honeyed scent sends you on a voyage of graceful peace. Your nose smells floral, fruity vanilla bean rising on a bed of clouds. Then, toasted honey wheat bread devoid of sherry smoke greets your mouth as the smooth finale goes down with a deft touch of pepper. It’s not hot, in fact a mild after taste gives way to a mid-length, gentle, citric finish.
Skip adding water to this. You don’t want to change your mental image into something it isn’t or shouldn’t become. A balanced complexity dwells here. Like that human bond, a psychic flavor grows and stays with you.
Enjoy this faerie of a Speyside neat before dinner. You could also tempt fate by having a dram side-by-side with a dessert. Its innate docile nature pairs well with lemon pound cake and cream or Linzer Torte.
An Apprentice will use this Scotch to ease into the new world of single malts. But the Enthusiast can cite this tasting as a rare chance to learn and teach. They’ll show their friends that some whisky, as with life itself, is not always about what’s in front of you. Sometimes hidden details matter. Just as you noticed those traits about someone unseen by most people, you now found a twin spirit.
Unwind and savor its delicate style. With or without your friend, drink and revel in the past’s beauty.
Mark Garbin’s Evaluation
| Aromas & Flavor Appeals to: | Optimal Client Type | Great For: |
| Subtlety Aficionado | Apprentice | Cocktails |
| Power Flavor Admirer | Enthusiast | Neat Before Dinner |
| Balanced Devotee | Adventurer | With Food |
| Chameleon Lover | Hedonist | Dessert or Afterwards |
Distiller rating: Everything is arranged quite deftly, much like a dessert at a white table cloth affair. A whiff of caramelized bananas, green apples, and shaved dark chocolate on the nose. Creamy vanilla-bean ice cream upfront soon evaporates in a poof of smoke leaving white pepper and dry peat on the finish. Grab the proper spoon, lift your pinky, and dig in! –Sam Davies
Whiskeyreviewer rating: This Aultmore is a nice, easy drinking release. It’s not overly complex (that crown goes to the Craigallechie release, especially their 23 Year Old, which is one of the best whiskies I’ve ever tasted), but it would be a great dram to welcome you home from work and to kick back with. –Kurt Maitland