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Aberlour 10 y.o. Review

Oct 202012

Aberlour 10 y.o.

40% abv

Score: 84.5/100

Wow. How does a whisky this good sneak under the radar at $30-35 a bottle? Truly astounding. While not a stunner by any means, when one considers the alternatives in this price range, this is really quite a find.

Relativity is key to many things in life. This whisky is one. In its own way, it is nearly as astounding as the a’bunadh (which, of course, I am a fan of). The 10 year old is a beautifully balanced sherried Speysider, full of character and individuality.

So…let this fine young Aberlour be a lesson to the snob in all of us. Though I generally do not shop based on age statement, price point or region…I will confess to never having found a whisky this good in this price point. And for this very reason, I simply stopped looking. Many moons ago, for one of our club gatherings, one of the lads had a few dollars of his whisky budget remaining and saw this on the shelf. We’d yet to have a go at it so he nabbed it blindly and threw it out to the rest of us. The reception to such a young and unassuming malt was quite incredible. At least three in my immediate dramming circles have been swayed to keeping this as one of their ‘house’ bottles for daily dramming.

Nose: Fresh baking cookies, rich in vanilla and cinnamon. Light spiced rum. Possibly some walnut. Orange rind and dried apricot and sultana. Nice balance. Nothing too out of character yet, but the potential for greatness is already showing its face (i.e. Give this another 8 or 10 years in oak and bottle at natural strength…wow!)

Palate: Doesn’t diverge much from the nose. Dried fruits, sweet sherry and slightly syrupy, even at this rather neutered abv. Still somewhat fruity, with a smooth vanilla richness. Typically, it fades into sodden woody notes and wine-like tartness. Not bad at all.

Great entry level malt for anyone reluctant to take on the buckings of peat or the added price point of some of the older, more storied malts. At this price…highly recommended.

- Reviewed by: Curt

- Photo: Curt

Aberlour a’bunadh (Batch 21) Review

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Aug 012012

Aberlour a’bunadh (Batch 21)

59.5% abv

Score: 88.5/100

At the time of writing*, sister site, ATW‘s review of Aberlour a’bunadh Batch 28 is the most viewed review on the site. First thought…folks out there are looking into the right whiskies. Second thought…time to get around to writing up a few of the other batches.

Batch 28 was such a revelation (sadly I missed 23 and 26 which were said to be the measure against which others were held) that I knocked off a bottle, then hunted for a couple more to shelve for that fabled ‘rainy day’. I’ve gone out of my way to try many batches now, and those which I have access to will be reviewed. For now…Batch 21.

My jaded palate is somewhat overcritical of the a’bunadh bottlings now. When I say that, what I really mean is that the average soul out there could likely add a mark or two to most of my reviews in this line-up. This all comes down to knowing just what heights these can reach. Even the lesser bottlings are head and shoulders above the average dram out there. If you’ve not had your socks knocked off by one of these cask strength sherry bombs…get shopping.

Right off the the bat…you gotta know you’re going to get your tastebuds knocked around a bit. This is an immense and intense heavily-sherried whisky at a cask strength of no less than 59.5% abv. I’ll concede I am not generally a water-in-whisky guy (and certainly not when reviewing!), but in all fairness…this one can handle a few drops. Oft-times a sherried whisky will fall apart when water is added, but this one should be safe.

The nose carries amplified notes of densely-soaked oak, rum, caramel, sweet and sharp raisin and buckets of nutmeg and strong cinnamon. I got tantalizing hints of dark cherry and a touch of slightly over-baked hot fresh bread. Butter-drizzled bread. And finally…somehow amid this dark forest of sherry, a hint of sparkling barley still manages to peek through. Sadly…and maybe this is just me…in the tangle of all of these glorious bits and pieces I still find one or two…off…somewhat jagged notes. Just a little off-kilter, mind you. While still a great dram…this is not the best of the a’bunadh line I’ve met.

Sitting atop the aforementioned notes, I got a touch of anise and a hefty dollop of molasses on arrival. Gorgeously mouthcoating (as they all are), these flavors will cling to the backs of your teeth. The oak and a mild tartness were the hangers-on for me.

One caution. In embarassment I just want to add a brief tip. Do NOT spill this stuff. A ruined slip cover for my couch attests.

If out hunting for your first a’bunadh, and fence-sitting due to mention of batch discrepency, rest easy…these are damn fine drams. As I mentioned above…the worst a’bunadh will often kick the hell out of the best another distillery might offer.

*(over a year ago now, as of Aug 2012)

- Reviewed by: Curt

- Photo: Curt

Aberlour a’bunadh (Batch 27) Review

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Aug 012012

Aberlour a’bunadh (Batch 27)

60.1% abv

Score: 87.5/100

By this point we all know what we’re going to get from a batch of a’bunadh. Enormous mountains of sherry sweetness…cask strength bottling nearly big enough to melt the glass it is decanted into (60.1% abv)…bold fruitcake pungency and cloying winter spice…hints of a few other dark and seductive nuances. These nuances are what make each batch magical. Some are exceptional. Others merely great. Saying something, isn’t it?

Though the batch release idea implies variation, consistency of quality is a forte of the a’bunadh line. There is variation, to be sure, but such is the spice of life, isn’t it? I don’t shy away from picking up each successive bottling, as I am almost guaranteed to like it.

A’bunadh is Gaelic for ‘origin’, as in this is an attempt to replicate the whisky of days past. Just like others that have done this, we’ll simply never know how close they’ve come to cloning these dearly departed drams, but we can appreciate the thought and historical bent that drives these creations, and simply be content in the proffered bounty.

So back to those subtleties and nuances we spoke of, and what defines this batch. There are some domineering tobacco notes banging drums amidst the sweet cacophony of rum, chocolate and treacle. Dates and figs provide a big bottom end while defined and rigid spices (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon) come in sharp and high. The sherry is the melody that brings this all together, imparting these flavors to the Aberlour spirit. I find this batch slightly more ‘green’ than others I’ve tried. More of the Speyside fruity profile shows through here as well.

Splashed across the taste buds are chocolate, dried fruits, sherry and oak. The finish is long and rich. One would expect nothing less from this expression. Something a little tangy and tart toward the back though.

To be honest, this one is simply not as cohesive on the nose as some of the other batches. This serves to make it easier to dissect for the purpose of reviewing and taking tasting notes, but it makes it a somewhat less engaging and whole experience. This does not a bad whisky make, however.

- Reviewed by: Curt

- Photo: Curt

Aberlour a’bunadh (Batch 28) Review

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Jul 292012

Aberlour a’bunadh (Batch 28)

59.7% abv

Score: 92.5/100

Presentation is so much of the product nowadays. I admit it, though I may preach otherwise, in the end I’m no better than anyone else. I still occasionally get suckered in by flashy packaging. In this case? A beautiful deep red amber liquid in a wide stubby bottle with a badass old school wax seal. Absolutely awesome.

“a’bunadh” – Gaelic for “original” or “origin”.

This massive Speysider is Aberlour’s take at replicating the style of whisky predominant in times of yore. Un-chill-filtered…no age statement…straight outta the cask (59.7%!!). Hence…’the origin’.

This particular bottle (which I am sipping from and reviewing) is from Batch 28. Yes…indeed there were 27 previous batches (and another double fistful since), each exhibiting a slightly different character. Though not single cask, these are single batch. Aberlour selects a handful of casks to marry which they believe will most closely retain the character set forth in the a’bunadh tradition.

This whisky is so much more than simply a young Aberlour on steroids. It is huge and almost overwhelming. Full of character and aggression. It is heavy, complex and absolutely magnificent. On the nose…big and bold rich caramel and sweet (Oloroso?) sherry notes. Maybe even suggestions of cognac. Creamy vanilla, cocoa and burnt sugar (not a bad thing) right out front with black cherry, raisin, sweet orange, and spice making up the body of this whisky. On both the nose and palate there is a very definite rum characteristic.

The huge warmth that blankets the mouth is viscous and syrupy. There is something dark and earthy sweet here as well. All of those fruity/rummy/sherry and fruitcake notes open right up. As it slowly expands and colonizes the far corners of the palate, that earthiness takes a bit of a back seat to raisin, demerara and dried fruit. The finish is long and warm (to be expected), with a nice thick coating that lingers on and on. There is a deep dark complexity that will leave you pondering this one well after the glass is empty.

This particular batch is, quite frankly, astounding. I’ve had many of the others, but none approached the flawless sherry casking here. Thankfully I managed to find a couple of dusty bottles in some local ma-and-pa shops. Two more bottles for future years.

- Reviewed by: Curt

- Photo: Curt