Aultmore 21 years 1997 Cadenhead's Bourbon Hogshead - One of 234 - bottled 2018 Authentic Collection (Brown)

Built in 1896 by Alexander Edward near the town of Keith, Speyside, Aultmore has long been used for blends. Popular in this role with its successive owners—Distillers Company Limited (now Diageo) until 1988, and John Dewar & Sons, who briefly owned the distillery from 1923 to 1925—Aultmore's range of single malts was not launched until 2014, which is a shame as the slow distillation in small stills with downward lyne arms gives the whisky a wonderfully aromatic and strong character.

A single cask from Aultmore distilled in 1997, aged in bourbon casks and bottled in 2018 as part of the Authentic Collection range. Cadenhead was founded in Aberdeen in 1842 by George Duncan. William Cadenhead then joined the company and, when George Duncan died in 1858, took over and renamed the business after himself. William’s nephew Roberth Duthie developed the company in the early 20th century and it remained a family business until 1969. William Cadenhead Ltd was then sold to the Springbank distillery’s owner J. & A. Mitchell and Co. Hedley G. Wright, a direct descendent of Archibald and John Mitchell, became William Cadenhead Ltd’s CEO. In the past, Cadenhead had mainly sold its own brands, such as Putachieside, The Hielanman, Seven Stars and Green Label rums. Under Hedley G. Wright, the company began to take more of an interest in single malts. This led to the creation of the legendary collection of dumpy bottles in 1977. This series of single malts stood out for its very gentle filtration, lack of artificial colouring, and relatively high bottling strength for the time (80 proof/45.7% ABV). The labels included lots of information, including the month and year of distillation and bottling, and whether or not sherry casks were used. Also in 1977, the business moved to another address in Aberdeen, and finally to Campbeltown. In the 1980s, Cadenhead sold casks to legendary bottlers such as Samaroli and Corti Brothers through the subsidiary Duthie’s. Finally, two new whisky ranges were created in 1991 and 1992, the Original Collection bottled at 46% and the Authentic Collection bottled at cask strength. Other special series to mark Cadenhead’s major anniversaries (150 and 175 years), as well as new ranges launched since (Small Batch, World Whiskies, etc.), have all contributed to the company’s ongoing history up to the present day. A limited edition of 234 bottles.