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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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September 10, 2019 |
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Little Duos, today Aberfeldy |
Another lovely (although a tad touristy) place in Perthshire and a whisky that I always enjoyed. I’ve always had a soft spot for the often shier Midlanders anyway. Nah, okay, Edradour isn’t exactly shy… |
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Aberfeldy 10 yo 2009/2019 (51.9%, Hidden Spirits, bourbon, cask #AB919, 171 bottles) 
Hidden Spirits, those are the good people who almost killed me with their recent Clynelish. They should add some warnings to their labels, like ‘Explicit Whisky’. Colour: white wine. Nose: crushed chalk in green apple juice, with a spoonful of sourdough and a few drops of ale. No straight ethanoly notes despite the youth, this is malt whisky alright. With water: mashed potatoes, a tiny drop of cologne, then melon soup (you may call that melon gazpacho but you may well run into problems with the Andalusians). Gets then easier and fruitier. Mouth (neat): not exactly shy, really very punchy, raw in a good way, very hipflasky (I know what I’m trying to say) and full of grass, cider apple, bitter leaves, and lemon skins. Hits you a wee bit, I have to say. With water: more spritzy. Tonic water, lemon squash and a touch of green liquorice. Finish: medium, with more leaves and green tea. Comments: rather tight and sometimes a bit brutal, but very close to nature. I told you, rather for the hipflask. Like it.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
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Aberfeldy 25 yo 1993/2018 (58.8%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, first fill sherry puncheon, 444 bottles) 
I suppose this would have ended up in the ‘Cask’ series in the old days. Colour: full gold. Nose: there, biggish varnish, then walnut cake and earl grey, then cigarette tobacco, miso and fresh sawn wood. It’s a slightly unusual combo that works very well so far. With water: wet earth, menthol and an old humidor (cedar wood and tobacco). Ticks all the boxes on the nose. Mouth (neat): totally huge and almost brutal, another one that hits you between your eyes. So much for any expected shyness. Raw tutti fruity running from the still (at like 80%), some kind of cinnamon mints, and some heavy herbal tea that you’ve forgotten in the teapot. Last night. With water: oak essences and cinnamon, looks like the cask had a lot to tell us, but I do not found this baby unbalanced or over-oaked. Finish: long and spicier, as expected. Huge bags of cinnamon and the traditional marmalade in the aftertaste. Comments: a shy Midlander, he said. Do you think one could you distil some kind of speculoos brew, Belgium?
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
Bonus: only for science, let’s see if that one was a one-of… |
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Aberfeldy 24 yo 1993/2018 (58.7%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, first fill sherry puncheon, 586 bottles) 
In theory… Colour: full gold, slightly darker. Nose: similar, as expected, but rather a little more on regular cakes, sponge cake, chocolate, liquorice ice cream (how good is that? Fan-tas-tic!) and something floral that you would rather expect from a red wine. Peonies. With water: cancel that, it’s become a rather perfect spicy and jammy nose, with more notes of pipe tobacco and some earthy mead. Mouth (neat): huge again, but rather gentler than its sister (it’s all relative), tighter at the same time. Some very spicy marmalade, I would say. With water: splendid, just a tad extractive for me. Some huge liquorice yet again, strong honeys and quite some muscovado sugar. No, really, it’s beautiful, with a spirit and an oak that tango to perfection. Finish: long, on green teas and yet more speculoos. Comments: these two sister CCs were top notch. And certainly not shy. Who said Aberfeldy was shy?
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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