Bacardi Global Travel Retail Division launches Aultmore Cask Finish Collection
Bacardi Global Travel Retail Division has launched the Aultmore Cask Finish Collection of single-malt whiskies, first revealed at the recent TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition in Singapore.
This new travel retail exclusive range is now available in Europe and IMEA, and will launch later in the year in the Asia Pacific region.
Comprising four 12, 18, 21 and 25-years-old expressions, the Aultmore Cask Finish Collection is an elevated development of the existing range with a move to different cask finishes for each expression, as well as smaller, more sustainable and giftable 50cl bottles. For each variant a different cask type and finish has been chosen to enhance and complement Aultmore’s light, herbal, grassy character, not mask it.
The primary cask type for all four whiskies in the Aultmore Cask Finish Collection are refill hogshead and barrels. The 12-Year-Old is then finished in second-fill Oloroso sherry casks which impart soft, creamy toffee notes while the 18-Year-Old is finished in second-fill Madeira wine casks, delivering exotic fruit aromas and a hint of dry spice. The 21-Year-Old boasts a finish in second-fill Calvados brandy casks, full of apple and toasted almond notes, while the oldest expression in the range, the 25-Year-Old, is finished in rich first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, offering intense tropical notes, beeswax and spice.
The Aultmore Cask Finish Collection whiskies are available now in travel retail in Europe and IMEA, and will launch later in the year in the Asia Pacific region
All four whiskies in the Aultmore Cask Finish Collection are bottled at 46% ABV and are non-chill-filtered with no caramel coloring. The switch to a smaller 50cl bottle size is a more giftable and easy to carry size that is also a perfect collectible set and allows wider travel-retail distribution of what is one of Speyside’s most in-demand single-malt whiskies.
The new collection also features fully recyclable secondary packaging and a new tin seal on the bottle top means that all the packaging for the Aultmore range is plastic-free, in keeping with Bacardi’s global sustainability commitments.
“Aultmore is usually all about heralding its spirits and the wood, with little intervention,” said Malt Master Stephanie Macleod. “This collection takes a different approach and shows Aultmore in a contrasting light, while still allowing the distillery’s character to shine through.”
Leila Stansfield, Managing Director, Bacardi Global Travel Retail, added, “With their unique cask finishes, the Aultmore Cask Finish Collection is a very special opportunity for whisky lovers seeking out new discoveries on their travels. The fact that they are travel-retail exclusive and come in a smaller, more giftable format only adds to their appeal.”
According to recent research from travel-retail research consultancy m1nd-set, nine out of ten travelers are likely to purchase duty-free exclusive spirits for themselves or as a gift, while over half of travelers identified a ‘unique spirit’ such as a cask finish as the most important aspect of a travel-retail exclusive spirit.
Edward Thomas, a forgotten hero of the Scotch whisky industry with six distilleries to his name, founded the Aultmore distillery in 1897. Located on the Foggie Moss along a remote nine-mile Buckie road in Speyside, it is an area once renowned for illicit stills and smugglers. The Speyside distillery quickly became prized by the big blending houses of the day for its smooth, finely balanced spirit. Today, the distillery still prides itself on the purity of its whiskies, ensuring they are non-chill-filtered and free from caramel coloring.
Tasting notes
- The Aultmore Cask Finish Collection 12 Years Old 2nd Fill Oloroso Finish: elegant and floral with summer fruits and soft creamy toffee notes with hints of cinnamon.
- The Aultmore Cask Finish Collection 18 Years Old 2nd Fill Madeira Finish: Freshly mown grass, accompanied by sun-ripened red cherries with a twist of orange peel and dry spice on the finish.
- The Aultmore Cask Finish Collection 21 Years Old 2nd Fill Calvados Finish: Fragrant, flowering apple orchards alongside almonds and delicate oaky notes.
- The Aultmore Cask Finish Collection 21 Years Old 1st Fill Oloroso Finish: Balanced and complex with fresh figs, sultanas and dried tropical fruits mingling with hints of beeswax and cinnamon spice.
The recommended retail prices are: 12 Years Old US$58; 18 Years Old US$170; 21 Years Old US$250 and 25 Years Old US$500 (all 50cl).
