Last and at the top of new Aultmore lineup is the Aultmore 25 Year Old. Although it’s at the top it is only temporary as there are plans for 31yo and 35yo expressions in the future.

But at the moment the 25yo is the crown jewel of the new Aultmore lineup so let’s check and see how good is it.

Aultmore 25 Year Old (46%, £296)

Nose: Gentle and flowery honey, at first it’s herbal but soon leans toward flowery. There are vanilla and mild sweet cream, musk & layer of drying heather fields at autumn giving it some earthy side, a touch of dried old leather.It’s not sweet as the 21 yo as the earthy side tone it down.

Palate: Spicy, bit of leather, mild honeyed oak, herbal, touch of flowers with violets and I swear there’s some lavender as well. Stone fruits sweetness, earthy moss and nutmeg, drying toward the end.

Finish: Medium-long drying finish with musky oak, tannins, mild oak bitterness & spices and fizzy feeling at the throat.

Thoughts: It’s an excellent and interesting dram but not necessary better than the 21yo as they boast different profiles. The 21 yo is on the sweeter side while the 25yo is more earthy and a tad more complex. If you’ll push me I’d admit that for me the 25 yo is indeed a bit better due to the extra complexity and the lovely earthy touch, but purchase wise I’d go with the 21yo as the 25 yo is outside my reach (unless it will be priced differently in Europe like the Craigellachie 23 was). Oh, and personally I prefer the Craigellachie 23 – it’s more up my alley 🙂

I do hope that Bacardi will add a sherried bottling (maybe a mid-level expression to close the gap between 12 and 21) as those indie sherried Aultmores rocks. Overall, I think Bacardi did a pretty good job with this line up.

(Official sample from Bacardi)