Aultmore “Darkness” 22 Year Old / 50.2% / £90
Tasted neat
I acquired this 22 year old Aultmore as part of a bundle for a Japanese whisky I wanted more; I usually avoid Master of Malt’s house brand “Darkness” for a couple of reasons:
- Pricing is a little high and 500ml bottles are annoying
- The gimmick of using sherry octaves is sometimes good, but in principle, I don’t much like trendy cask finishes
Cask #10358/3600, this is bottle #42 of 22 year old Aultmore finished for an unspecified amount of time in an Oloroso Octave.
- Color: brown sherry (1.9)
- Nose: five spice, molasses, roast plums, banana bread, chlorine
- Taste: lots of pear, dried fruits, chocolate cake, cream, and oak
- Finish: long, stewed fruits turns to a very strong vanilla
The pear/vanilla notes stand out from similar sherry bomb malts, and make this one a little bit more unique, with more to explore. The vanilla in the finish is perhaps a bit strong, but also quite tasty, if you don’t mind a strong vanilla.
Rating: 6/10
