Aultmore 11 Years Old Darkness! (MoM)

Bottled by Master of Malt as a 11 year old release of Aultmore with 97 bottles distributed to the German market at cask strength of 56%. Master of Malt is a UK based independent bottler and online retailer, focused on small batch single cask releases at natural strength alongside the Darkness finishing series.

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 Pedro Ximenez sherry for 11 year on site maturation.

Primary ester development sat alongside European oak Pedro Ximenez chemistry. Ellagitannins and gallic acid from the European oak build dried walnut and grip, while extended fermentation residues drive high concentrations of sotolon, lending dried fig, raisin, and dark molasses. Glycerol carryover from the sweet sherry adds body, integrating with Aultmore's underlying light ester signature at 56%.