Aultmore 2012 whic (whic – Whiskycircle)

Bottled by whic - Whiskycircle in 2025 as a 12 year old single cask release drawn from cask 800972 of 2012 vintage Aultmore with 198 bottles distributed to the German market at cask strength of 57.8%. whic - Whiskycircle is a German independent retailer and bottler based in Hamburg, with its own bottling line presenting single casks at natural strength.

Distilled at the Aultmore distillery near Keith in Speyside, founded in 1896 by Alexander Edward and owned by Bacardi via John Dewar & Sons since 1998. The wash is made from unpeated plain malted barley with soft Auchinderran Burn water, mashed in a stainless steel full lauter mash tun and fermented for 56 hours in six larch wood washbacks. Aultmore runs the spirit through two wash and two spirit stills of plain pot still shape, with steam heated wash stills and shell and tube condensers giving high copper contact for a light, ester forward Speyside character. The spirit was filled into a single Sauternes wine casks cask for 12 year on site maturation.

Primary ester development sat alongside French oak Sauternes chemistry. Botrytised Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc residues bring concentrated monosaccharides for honey and dried apricot, while botrytis derived sotolon adds subtle curry leaf and fenugreek. Gamma butyrolactone from the French oak gives soft sweet wood, integrated with Aultmore's underlying light ester signature at 57.8%.