Aultmore 12 of the Foggy Moss is often overlooked by whisky enthusiasts and deemed simplistic. But, just as the name suggests some of its subtle, yet remarkable notes are shrouded in mist & mystery. It is quite different from most other Speyside whiskeys; I will give you that. But definitely worth being patient with. So, let’s cut through the fog and unravel the mysteries this single malt has to offer!

Why is it Called “Aultmore of the Foggy Moss”?

Okay, lets break the name down into 2 parts: “Aultmore” and “of the Foggy Moss”. The name “Aultmore” is derived from a Gaelic word “An t-Allt Mor” which essentially means ‘Big Burn”. Again, this leads to more questions than answers to let’s carry on. “Big Burn” is in reference to the Burn of Auchinderran which is the distilleries water source.

Coming to the “foggy moss” part, it essentially is a homage to the area where the distillery is situated which is typically shrouded in a thick fog (primarily because this was an industrial area). The fog is in fact known to be so dense and widespread that it not only cloaks the boggy moor where the distillery stands, but also the surrounding village.

Seems to me a very picturesque site for whisky distillation and I love the way they market the foggy moor on the bottle.

Distillery History

The distillery as been around since 1895 and was founded by Alexander Edward, who also founded the Craigellachie distillery. The distillery did go through some rough waters in the initial years including coming to a halt due to bankruptcy in 1899. And after that again coming to a halt during the World War 1 era but this time owing to shortage of barley. Such troubles continued until eventually the distillery was bought by Dewar.

During the downtime from making whisky in the initial years, the distillery did make a name for itself in things apart from whisky. For example, in 1950s the distillery was known to be a leader in animal feed. The feed was based on draff which is a biproduct of whisky and they were known to be pioneers in this.

Apart from the founders, owners and timelines, another interesting fact about the distillery is also the power source they used. Initially the Aultmore distillery used the water wheel to drive power from the burn. Later on, the steam engine was used as a power source and the water wheel was kept as backup. The steam engine was used for about 70 years until about 1971 when the distillery was rebuilt with modern equipment under the leadership of Dewar. It is said that during the steam engine days, the released steam would add on to the fog of the moor making the whole area a lot foggier and live up to the name; “Aultmore of the Foggy Moss”.

The whiskey’s Past and Present

Aultmore has been predominantly used as an expression in blended scotch whiskeys. It is used to bring in the more earthy and light floral notes in whiskeys. Up until recently, Aultmore was not released as a stand-alone single malt besides the exception of the 12-Year-Old in the Flora & Fauna range, a 16-Year-Old for the 100th anniversary range, and finally as part of John Dewar & Sons new ‘Last Great Malts’ range.

Aultmore 12 Core Details

• Whisky Type: Single Malt
• Country: Speyside, Scotland
• Age: 12 Years
• Distiller: Aultmore Distillery (Now Owned by Dewar)
• ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 46%
• Colour: Natural Colour, White Gold
• Maturation Casks:
  • Ex-Bourbon American Oak

• Notable Awards & Recognition:
  • Gold – Speyside Single Malts up to 12yo – The Scotch Whisky Masters 2015
  • Silver – Distillers Single Malts 12 years and under – 2019 International Spirits Challenge
  • Silver – Scotch Single Malt Speyside – International Wine & Spirit Competition 2017

• Price Range: $60-$70 (Approximately)

On the Nose

The nose gives out sweet ripe fruit and honey notes at first and then moves into a more malty-cereal notes. There is oak in the background combined with some pepper. The most common nose references in my opinion are:

• Cereal
• Earthy, heather
• Ripe apples
• Honey
• Oak
• Pepper

On the Palate

What Aultmore 12 brings to mind a very common childhood memory for most of us. As a child we would sometimes pick up flowers like honeysuckle and taste its core. If you recall the taste, it would be slight sweet at first and then mostly plant-like or earthy. Something similar is going on here. There is definitely sweetness from the fruits and vanilla but its also a lot more malty, peppery, and woody from the oak with a long aftertaste. The most common tasting notes for this one:

• Ripe Apples
• Malty cereal
• Vanilla
• Vegetation
• Pepper

In Conclusion

Aultmore 12 of the Foggy Moss is definitely a hidden gem. It’s very different from its Speyside counterparts and even if I can’t say it’s one of the best, I definitely would say it’s unique and should be tried out at least once.