There's something quietly exciting about an independent bottling that takes a well-regarded but underappreciated Speyside malt and gives it a finishing twist you didn't see coming. The Aultmore 2009 St Joseph Wine Finish from the Connoisseurs Choice range does exactly that — thirteen years of maturation capped off with time in St Joseph wine casks, bottled at a confident 45% ABV. At £118, it sits in that sweet spot where you're paying for genuine age and an unusual cask influence without crossing into collector-only territory.
Aultmore has long been one of those distilleries that whisky nerds love to namecheck and casual drinkers have barely heard of. Most of its output disappears into blends, so when an independent bottler like Gordon & MacPhail pulls a single cask or small batch for their Connoisseurs Choice line, it's worth paying attention. This particular expression was distilled in 2009 and finished in casks that previously held St Joseph wine — a Northern Rhône red built on Syrah grapes, known for its dark fruit character and peppery backbone. That finishing choice signals this isn't going to be your typical light, grassy Speyside dram.
What to Expect
At 45%, this sits just above the standard bottling strength that many independent releases default to, and it's a smart call. It gives the whisky enough muscle to carry the wine cask influence without overwhelming the distillery character underneath. Thirteen years is a solid age for a Speyside malt — long enough to develop real depth and complexity, but not so old that the oak takes over the conversation. The St Joseph wine finish should introduce layers of red fruit and spice that complement rather than mask the spirit.
The Connoisseurs Choice range has a strong track record of selecting casks that showcase a distillery's personality while adding something genuinely interesting. With Aultmore's typically clean, slightly waxy spirit as the canvas, a Northern Rhône wine finish has real potential to create something distinctive.
The Verdict
I'm giving this an 8.1 out of 10. The combination of a thirteen-year-old Speyside malt with an unusual wine cask finish, bottled at a sensible strength and priced without the usual independent bottling markup madness, makes this a genuinely appealing package. It's the kind of bottle that rewards curiosity — you're not just buying whisky, you're buying a conversation between Speyside malt and Rhône wine that very few other bottles on the shelf can offer. For anyone who's tired of the same sherry-or-bourbon binary, this is exactly the sort of release that makes independent bottlings worth seeking out.
Best Served
Pour this neat in a Glencairn and give it a good ten minutes to open up. The wine cask influence will evolve as it breathes, and at 45% you don't need water unless you want to. If you're feeling adventurous, try it in a Rob Roy — the vermouth and the St Joseph wine finish will speak the same language, and the result should be something genuinely special. A few drops of water won't hurt if you want to tease out more of the fruit character, but I'd start without and work from there.
