Aultmore 10 Year Old Oloroso Cask - Darkness (50cl, 53.8%)

This is a ten-year-old Aultmore single malt from Speyside, selected by the independent bottler Atom Brands for its Darkness series. It spends a further three months in a small, handmade Oloroso sherry octave, and is bottled at 53.8% in a 50cl bottle, without colouring or chill-filtration. An octave has more wood surface in relation to the liquid than a large cask, so the whisky meets the sherry-influenced timber more closely during the finish. The nose offers dark cherry syrup, prunes and blackberries with chocolate-coated cocoa beans, nuts and gingerbread. The palate is full and rich, with candied orange, dark chocolate, hazelnuts and roasted almonds. Sweetness and chocolate remain in the finish, with a light herbal note.