And the fourth in a row of the new Boutique-y batch 1 releases. Again, there is a batch 2 of Ardbeg, Macallan and Caperdonich, but those I have not tried (yet).

Aultmore is one of those distilleries that you don’t hear much about, pretty much ever. Recently there was/is a 5 year old from Master of Malt, and they thought to follow it up with a no-age-stated release. I tried the 5 year old at Maltstock and was positively surprised by the complexity and depth of such a young and ridiculously strong whisky. Didn’t do proper notes though, since I was handed a dram about 3 seconds before the whisky quiz started, but I do remember it’s quality.

So, no age stated, but the label of a dinosaur fighting a shark warrant buying this one. Thanks for pointing it out, Billy!

Sniff:
Also a tad spirity like the Aberlour, but much less so. Quite some grain and wet wood. Slightly spicy with lots of sweet fruits in the background. Mango and banana. I think there is quite some young whisky in here and therefore it’s a bit spirity, like I said.

Sip:
Pretty sharp for a whisky at 53.40%, I would have estimated this one higher. Sweet with toasted oak and charcoal. The fruit is less pronounced than it was on the nose but still there. I don’t get an overly deep flavour from it, but still pretty tasty.

Swallow:
The finish is very spirity and goes a bit more like the Aberlour. Quite sharp, intense and slightly spicy again. Not overly long, but a very nice woody flavour remains.

Stating that this was my second to least favorite would be doing this one an injustice, since it would be ridiculously hard to match the Bens quality. I mean Benrinnes and BenRiach. Although by calling it the Bens, I get the feeling that a certain someone at Master of Malt might have been trying extra hard on those.

Anyway, this is a very solid and tasty dram, and again, very affordable. Would I buy a bottle if my budget allowed it? Certainly, although I just wasted it all on the BenRiach.

The combination of spices and wood with a fruity undertone make this a highly enjoyable dram. More a drinking dram than an exploratory one though.

Aultmore batch 1, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 53.4% ABV, available from Master of Malt at £ 34.95!