It's Aberlour's ever-popular A'Bunadh single malt Scotch whisky! Each batch of this single malt is matured entirely in Spanish oloroso sherry butts, bestowing huge helpings of dried fruit and festive spice notes to the whisky, after which it's bottled up at full-on cask strength with no chill-filtration.
Zesty notes of chocolate-coated orange wheels join sticky ginger loaf and sherried fruits.
Plump sultanas, prunes, cakey spice, and marmalade, with biscuity malt and toffee apple in tow.
Sweet spices and rich oak linger.
I'm not a Speyside aficionado (usually a fan of Irish and peat-forward Islays), so I'm writing this review on behalf of similarly inclined whisky drinkers. As soon as I opened the bottle I has a bad feeling this wasn't going to be for me. Heavily sherried aroma noticeable from the start. Dark fruit and perhaps hints of Christmas cake. Palate is much of the same: sherry boldly asserts itself and finishes with a warming spicy kick. Quite smoky this one, and as MoM points out, hints of tobacco and cinnamon. I wouldn't call this whiskey harsh but does have boozy profile - which at 60% ABV is to be expected - but it does taste slightly young in my opinion. I think this is a decent after dinner whiskey but is sitting on my shelf longer than most other bottles do, unfortunately.
This is a perfect NAS. Really delightful.
First bottle and a great taste
One of the best. Rich and full bodied
What an exciting whiskey! Strong fruit and chocolate, spicey and flavoursome. A much appreciated birthday present.
