Connoisseurs Choice: Aultmore 1995 (Scottish Highland Single Malt Whisky: 12 Years: 43% ABV)
Visual: Pale grain.
Viscosity: Quite fast medium thickness streaks.
Nose: Pencil shavings. Alcohol. Heather. Water adds rice cakes.
Body: Lime and kiwi. Toffee. Tangerine. Soft custard. Lightly oily. Water smoothes but keeps the same general character for the most part. Adds apples, nut oils and nut chocolate.
Finish: Malt chocolate. Orange and tangerine. Nut oils. Water makes more sharp orange, but generally similar.
Conclusion: This seems to be the first Highland whisky I could have mistaken for a Speyside. To my memory at least. While it has that robust sweetness I see a lot in Highland whisky, I was more drawn towards the fruity notes that seemed at the forefront. If this had been a Speyside whisky I would have called it prototypical for the area, as it is, I’m now just puzzled.
It’s all in the main body, as the aroma did little to amuse me – the main body however, especially with water, though that is not required – is rock solid.
There is a soft but solid toffee backing, and a mix of soft green and fresh orange fruit all tied up in a nut oil bow. It’s hardly pushing the envelope, but it is a letter sent straight to “get the job done street”.
This is, therefore, the job done, not a masterpiece, but, ya know, done. Admittedly it seems like Speyside rather than Highland job, but if the job is done I don’t complain.
My metaphors may be getting a tad hard to follow again…
All in all a solid dram, and one that will win your enjoyment, but not awards.
Background: Yay for tiny bottles, yay for Connoisseurs Choice. Or in other words, more exploring distilleries I haven’t tried before. The 12 year age is based on some googling, which indicates it was bottled 2007, as the miniatures don’t tend to list bottling dates. This was picked up from the Whisky Exchange as part of a batch of miniatures for sampling new distilleries. Drunk while listening to the History Of Guns’ EP Disconnect.
