Aultmore 18 Years Old 1997 Cask #91351 (Ian Macleod)

Bottled by Ian Macleod in 2015 as a 18 year old single cask release drawn from cask 91351 of 1997 vintage Aultmore with 462 bottles distributed globally at cask strength of 55.3%. Ian Macleod Distillers is a family owned Scottish whisky company founded in 1933, owning Glengoyne, Tamdhu, and Rosebank distilleries alongside an extensive independent bottling programme.

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 Manzanilla sherry cask for 18 year on site maturation.

Extended maturation drove biological flor aging chemistry. Manzanilla casks carry residues from Sanlúcar de Barrameda's coastal flor aging, with high concentrations of acetaldehyde alongside the distinctive saline character driven by the coastal microclimate. The result brings fresh almond, green apple, dough, and saline notes, integrated with Aultmore's underlying light ester signature at 55.3%.