Tasting three big sherried Aberlour

April 3, 2013

Tasting three big sherried Aberlour

Aberlour 12 yo 'Non Chill-Filtered' (48%, OB, 2012)

It’s the bigger version of the popular 12 but I’m not sure this one was double-matured. Well it probably is. Colour: full gold. Nose: starts quite winey (old Madeira) and with traces of gunpowder, so there’s probably quite some sherry involved. The good news is that all that tends to vanish while more earthy and even mushroomy touches arise. I also get some spearmint, honeydew, then ripe apricots, warm apple pie, liquorice, blackberry jam and just touches of Williams pears… It just wouldn’t stop improving and becoming more lively, given you give it a little time. Also bergamots, earl grey… A very elegant nose! Mouth: maybe not as bold as expected but it’s very nicely chocolaty and coffee-ish. I also enjoy all these orangey notes a lot, there’s some marmalade, kumquats, then even touches of absinth and fennel. Medium oak, a little leather, cloves… All good. Finish: medium, all on chocolate this time, with the oranges more in the aftertaste. Comments: this baby isn’t expensive so it’s probably the best entry-level Aberlour that one can find, especially since it’s easier to quaff than A’bunadh. SGP:651 - 85 points.

Aberlour (54.6%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 175 bottles, 2012)

Another one from this extremely clever series by Master of Malt. Colour: light amber. Nose: classic chocolaty and orangey Aberlour, I cannot not think of A’bunadh. Then a lot of honeydew as well (fir) and humus, which really lifts it. Sultanas, apricots, a little candied angelica, then pinewood, cedar wood (humidor), flowers (freesia, hyacinth)… A lovely, complex nose that just wouldn’t stop becoming more fragrant, not unlike the official 12 UCF. More and more sherry. With water: became very balsamic. A little sour wood, old wine barrel, just touches of raspberry vinegar… Mouth (neat): excellent and unusually chartreuse-y. Heavy mint on sweet wine and capsicum, ginger, pastis, aniseed… A lot of fun in this one. With water: sweeter again, with raisins and figs. Strong honey, a little walnut. Finish: long, spicier. Barley sugar, caraway seeds, nutmeg. Rather drying aftertaste, with also bitter oranges and apples cooked with cinnamon. Comments: we’re very much in A’bunadh territories. Good news, obviously! SGP:561 - 87 points.

Aberlour 'A'bunadh' Batch #39 (59.8%, OB, 2012)

Colour: light amber. Nose: similar, maybe a notch more closed at very first nosing and less winey. Pinewood again, mint, cough syrup, blackberries, chestnut honey, earth… It’s rather oakier than the two others, with also more leather and less sherry although some very nice whiffs of mentholated oloroso start to rise after a few minutes. With water: more mentholated oloroso (should that exist). Mouth (neat): very rich, very spicy. A combination of Armagnac-soaked prunes and earthy spices, cardamom, ginger, black pepper and sweet Moroccan allspice mix. And let’s not forget the oranges and the raisins. With water: perfect earthy/spicy profile, with many bitter oranges, milk chocolate, mocha and raisins. Spices from the oak. Finish: long, peppery. A little curry. Cardamom and bitter chocolate in the aftertaste. Comments: the latest batch I had tried was #35 and I had already noticed that there was rather more oak. Same here but it remains of very high quality. Perfect Quality/Price ratio as almost always. SGP:561 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Aberlour I've tasted so far