Today indie Aberlour, young and old


August 31, 2021

	Summer Duets Today indie Aberlour, young and old
	Always a joy to try the highly respected Aberlour, especially when the sherry's absent or very discreet…

Aberlour 10 yo 2010/2021 'Marsala Cask Finish' (46%, Hart Brothers, Finest Collection)

All right, I agree avoiding sherry to get into marsala instead does not make much sense, but I'm really glad to be able to try some pretty new stuff by Hart Bros. Colour: white wine. Nose: a fairly sour and porridge-y start, gearing towards chardonnay and brioche, super-fresh walnuts, ultra-fresh panettone, and just more of all that. It's funny how the mind works as I'm also finding other Italian delicacies, maraschino, amaretti, a little banana liqueur (is that really Italian?) and pinot grigio. Pinot grigio ain't the best part, but this is some charming nose. Mouth: really sweet and spicy, with something Thai this time. Thai basil, coriander, small lemons… All that in a whole litre of pink grapefruit juice, apple juice, and once again that feeling of chardonnay. Aberlour's a fruity make but this marsala thing seems to have made it even fruitier. A tiny touch of mustard and curry. Finish: medium, rather fresh, all on yellow fruits and oranges, with this mustardy signature again that would remind us of fino sherry. Not complaining at all. Comments: really pleased with this young indie Aberlour but watch these, with this kind of fruitiness there's much more 'evaporation' than usual. See what I mean.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

And now a much older indie Aberlour. Those aren't common, are they?...

Aberlour 30 yo 1989/2020 (51.5%, The Perfect Fifth, 241 bottles)

I've just checked and indeed, I've never tried such an old independent Aberlour. Rejoice, rejoice! Colour: gold. Nose: the most wonderful notes of artisan cider at first, then mirabelles and quinces (a trait that, in my book, Aberlour shares with Balvenie). It is not a very complicated nose this far, but balance is perfect. Whiffs of crushed mint too. With water: it would get waxy, chalky, and almost a little coastal. There's even a little shoe polish and a drop of linseed oil. Had someone claimed this was HP, I wouldn't have cried wolf. Mouth (neat): excellently orange-y. Orange cordial, marmalade, white pepper, notes of honeysuckle and clover honey, beignets, zests, some chalk too, Sancerre, verbena, riesling… This is pretty perfect, with a fantastic tightness at the ripe old age of 30. With water: decomposes into small herbs and berries. Touch of myrtle, perhaps, lemon caviar, more chalk and even a mineral grittiness. Finish: long and bright, just going on with the same flavours, chalk, lemon, green apples, berries, dry white wine… Comments: will there be more 'natural' old Aberlours or was it a one-off? Only the future will tell… Exceptional whisky if you enjoy these slightly tighter styles.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

Very happy with those indie Aberlours…

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