Another distillery under the ownership of massive conglomerate Bacardi, Aultmore is predominantly used in the brand’s blended whisky powerhouse, Dewar’s. And in recent years with the resurgence of the Old Perth brand by Morrison Distillers, Aultmore now finds itself as a component of this popular blend as well. The distillate is prized as a blending malt so much in fact that when Diageo was negotiating the sale of Dewar’s to Bacardi, Bacardi was willing to walk away from the deal all together if Aultmore wasn’t included.

Aultmore was founded in 1896 by Alexander Edward, the owner of the nearby Craigellachie Distillery and visionary behind the still legendary Craigellachie Hotel. Alexander’s father, Edward had built the Benrinnes Distillery, but Alexander took the family business to a new level by adding a total of four more distilleries to the portfolio: Aultmore, Craigellachie, Dallas Dhu and Benromach and contributing to the Speyside tourist boom that continues to this day.

Located just outside the Speyside village of Keith, Aultmore was built in the heyday of Speyside distillery construction. During WWI, Aultmore suffered the same fate as many distilleries and was shuttered. When it re-opened it fell into the hands of John Dewar & Sons, a subsidiary of its current owner Bacardi.

During the 1970’s the distillery was refurbished, and the still house now houses 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills. Its stills are short, its fermentation long, both contributing to the Aultmore spirit’s character. Despite its primary use in blends, Dewar’s/Bacardi have in recent years released several age statement Aultmore single malts, unlocking some of the mystery. Independent bottlers, however, have always been fans of the Aultmore liquid and deliver exceptional value with single cask bottlings.