Aberlour – A’Bunadh

Quick Stats:

Distiller: Aberlour Distillery

Spirit: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Aged: 5-25 year blend

Price: Around $94.99

Proof: 122.4

Abrlour House


About The Distillery
“James Fleming founded Aberlour Distillery 1879, choosing a location that not only provided a sure supply of pure spring water that flowed over the pink granite of Ben Rinnes, but also a place rooted in ancient times and noted for its magical relationship with water.

Steeped in centuries of legend and surrounded by the dramatic Highland scenery of Ben Rinnes, the village of Aberlour lies at the very heart of Speyside, where the Lour burn joins the River Spey. The exceptionally pure, soft spring water used for making Aberlour whisky is drawn from nearby natural springs.”

About The Bottle
“Meaning ‘the original’ in Gaelic, A’bunadh is made in homage to Aberlour’s founder, James Fleming. A’bunadh is a whisky hand-made from start to finish with each batch being created to ensure a rich and complex flavour of moist raisin, and homemade fruit cake. It is bottled at cask strength resulting in a robust and deeply intense, sherried whisky.”

  • Nose
    (4)
  • Palate
    (4)
  • Finish
    (3.5)
  • Proof vs Heat
    (4)
  • Value
    (3.5)
3.6

Notes & Review

Nose: The nose is bright and sweet, clean and mild. Interestingly enough, it has notes of fresh baked barley bread and dried cherry right on the nose (most likely coming from the malt and the sherry finish). It opens up into a bit of baked turmeric, cedar, baking spice, and smoked black currant tea. 

Palate: The palate is viscous and oily, but sweet on the front. It has notes of sweet cooking sherry that linger through the entire tasting. There are also notes of black pepper, tobacco, dried cherry, burnt birch, and a thin note of smoke. 

Finish: The sherry fades into a more dry and muddled finish. You get a smoldering tobacco, burnt oak, torched honey, and thick smoke on the finish.

 

Review: Overall, this was one of the more approachable scotches we’ve tried. 

It’s incredibly sweet for 122.4 proof, which is pretty darned high for a scotch. But, that sherry finish really cuts through and eliminates almost all traces of peated flavor that might have peaked though. 

It’s not nearly as smokey as we might have thought, but it helps balance out some of the sweetness by lingering in the background before it crescendos in the finish. 

Overall, we’re glad we got one for review, as it is a solid pour that drinks a bit below its heat and carries bold flavors that can stand on their own against the dram’s proof.  

The sweeter profile would probably make it a great starter scotch for bourbon drinkers, or a good place for scotch drinkers to approach more bourbon-like profiles. 

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User Review
4.5 (2 votes)

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