Review #838 - Cree Aultmore 13 Year Single Cask
In April 2026, we attended a tasting hosted by local specialty spirits shop Storied Company; this tasting was led by the owners of Sacks Dynamic Operations, a company that owns US-based spirits importer ‘Scotch Drinkers Only.’ This importer focuses on independent bottlers and high-quality craft distilleries; some of the brands they represent are Annandale distillery, Holyrood distillery, and indies such as Cree, Lady of the Glen, and Living Souls. We went through a selection of 7 whiskies on the night; this review is 1 of those 7.
The company behind the independent bottling brand called Cree, sometimes also stylized as Creetown Distillers, is WhiskyBroker. This company is known for providing warehousing for other whisky brands, but they also do single cask sales/distribution and bottle a limited number of whiskies under their own brands.
This Aultmore spent its full maturation in a plain ex-bourbon hogshead; because of that, we're expecting to get a good insight into the real character of the Aultmore distillate. The bottling strength is 52% ABV, and a total of 363 bottles were yielded by this single cask.
Cree Aultmore 13 Year Single Cask
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 114 (2026)
Age Statement: 13 Years
Strength: 52% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask 21247; distilled March 25, 2010; bottled March 27, 2023; 363 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Lemon-lime soda and other light orchard fruits, as well as a mild tropical side: melons, guava. It's bright, and despite the fruity scents, this is also dry at times; we get some malty notes as well, and it's slightly spirity.
Palate: Malty, hay and grass, with bright fruits like lime or maybe lemon-lime soda again. It's a bit of a classic ex-bourbon Speyside whisky, and while it doesn't taste young, it is still spirit-forward, showing off that distillate.
Finish: Vanilla, sweet malty grain. This grows more subtle into the finish, mellowing out, but there's still decent body with that strength. It's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This is a classic ex-bourbon single malt from Scotland, very much in line with our expectations for the flavors of this style of whisky from Speyside. We did find this specific single cask to be a bit plain and simple, but it isn't bad, just mellow. The higher strength meant that this whisky did convey some nice texture in the palate, but it also mellowed out very quickly into the finish.
Value for us is below average here; this isn't cheap for a 13 year single malt, especially one from an under-the-radar distillery.
Our Rating: 6.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.36
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Aultmore reviews:
Review #429 - Single Malts of Scotland Aultmore 15 Year Single Cask
