July 2, 2014

A’bunadh and older compadre

It’s time to have one of last year’s A’bunadhs, but first, let’s have an old 8 for which I’ve never written proper tasting notes.

Aberlour-Glenlivet 8 yo (43%, OB, Rinaldi, square bottle, 75cl, +/-1975)

I have to say I know the one that was bottled at 50% vol. much better. A glorious one, that one. Colour: gold. Nose: I often find butterscotch in my malts, but this time this is plain and pure butterscotch! Right, you may add a little milk chocolate, crumbles of millionaire shortbread, two or three sultanas and just a little toasted brioche, with a faint smoky side. Simply magnificent. Mouth: it’s incredibly big, starting on pineapples flambéed and oranges, going on with roasted nuts and raisins, and further developing with some honey sauce and orange marmalade. The power is astounding for a malt at 43% vol. that was bottled forty years ago. My god, forty years, already! Finish: very long, punchy, with a touch of smoke and rather more tart citrus to complement the raisins. Comments: these cube bottles were all great, and they’re still quite easy to find. I said nothing. SGP:552 - 88 points.

Aberlour 'A'bunadh' Batch #45 (60.28%, OB, 2013)

A'bunadh is a series that everyone loves, rightly so. I couldn't try all batches, this is not aberlourfun.com, but something does puzzle me a bit. Indeed, the label states that it consists in 'single cask Spanish oloroso butts'. What does that really mean? Colour: amber. Nose: the filiation is obvious, we’re well in the same family, even if this baby’s much rougher and a tad more winey. There’s a little gunpowder too, then bags of Seville oranges, some leather, a heavy chocolate and some chestnut honey. With water: earth and gunpowder. Malt extract. A battlefield. Mouth (neat): huge! Raspberry eau-de-vie straight from the still, cassis, ganaches, prunes, middle-aged armagnac to match them, and obviously raisins. Very big stuff, as they say. With water: all good. Gingerbread, cinnamon, raisins, figs, chocolate… Err, wouldn’t that be Christmas cake? Finish: long and even more on dried fruits and oak spices. Comments: excellent, just a notch roughish, but it’s probably not very old whisky. SGP:661 - 87 points.

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

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback in St Tropez



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