Aultmore 18 Year Old Whisky

A great Speyside whisky. Probably my favorite. The 12 is also a very good bottle, but this ramps it up a notch. It's just so good! I love the flavor profile and it doesn't disappoint. Definitely worth the money over the 12 if you are only going to get one it the other. I bought the 12, then bought the 18 after I loved the 12, and now have bought the 21 after loving the 18 even more. Grab a bottle of the 18 for yourself, best value in the bunch!

This whisky, after being open a couple of weeks, just gets into a hell of a stride. The bitterness in the palate really settles down to be almost unnoticeable, almost, because it becomes a backdrop for the rest of the flavours and elevates them well.. There is a real malty richness and a nice, oily mouthfeel which complements the flavour profile. I've never had a whisky change this much over a few weeks so it is something I am paying for attention to now moving forward. This is a nice bottle which benefits massively from being allowed to breath. The one downside which is still present though is price and availability, not easy to acquire and if you do see it it'll run you 80quid+. Hard to say whether or not that is value, really depends on what you're looking for.

I left the last review and, at the time, I stand by what I said. However, after some oxidation to the bottle the taste has changed and improved considerably. For a start, with oxidation, the bitterness has dissipated almost entirely - that was a huge irk so I am delighted that has gone. There is more of a richness to the mouthfeel and more pronounced flavors is every aspect of this whisky, from the nose to the palate to the finish, it has improved after being opened. There is still way too much of a boozy/alcoholic finish in my view and, for an 18 year old, it is still too harsh. However, it is not the disaster I thought it was and certainly is a much better whisky than my original review suggested. I suggest giving it a week, after opening to breathe, before trying and you will enjoy it a lot more.

Going to just be brutally honest and say I don't like this whisky but I will explain it's good and bad points:

Good:

- the nose is nice (and easily the best part of this whisky) with a decent amount of complexity and variety.
- it is certainly smooth, little if any alcohol burn.

Bad:

- a promising start on the palate gives way to a bitterness that does not leave, quite unpleasant.
- the finish takes that bitterness and runs with it, leaving you with an unpleasant, and often metallic, flavor in your mouth.
- overall thin feeling, not at all rich in my opinion. It has a few core flavors which could be rich but they feel too distant and the thinness of the mouth feel just underlines that fact.
- texture and mouthfeel are just way too thin, even rolling it around your glass it acts more like water than a luxurious whisky.
- for 18 year old whisky you would expect much more.
- for the price you pay you have the right to expect more.

This whisky would be fine if sold as a cheap bottle without an age statement, but at the price, with 18 years emblazoned on it, you expect a lot more. I've got whiskies half the age of this which dismantle it with ease. It is one of the few whiskies I would actually recommend avoiding.

Bought a bottle at duty-free in Seoul. Smooth as silk, immediately had corkand wood on the nose, then leaves, moss and palm sugar. On the palate I detected honey, dried fig and marmalade. A long finish with honey, citrus, and tangerine candy mid-tongue. Lovely, mature whisky.

Lovely, slight sulphur bite with a honey sweet finish. Complex and luscious.

Incredible dram for the money. Aultmore doesn't disappoint with this 18 year release. Tasting notes are spot on - lovely fruit and syrup maltiness with a great mouthfeel. You will NOT be disappointed in this scotch!

Not disappointed. When the nose was subtle I could only tell it reminded me of the candy store back in my young years. Sweet vanilla peaches slowly added more complexity, European oak and lemon tarts let the strength and controlled 46% take over for a wonderful finish.

9.5 - Nuff said.

A wonderfully smooth drop