Aberlour A'bunadh, Batch No. 55, 60.9% abv.

Nose: intense sherry, concentrated raisins, prunes, blackberries, black currants, intense berries overall. After awhile, many chocolate aromas and "feelings" show up. Intense.

Palate: sweet, oily, front palate is strong and rough, filled with overcooked fruits, back palate is smooth, more like boiled red wine (cab or bordeaux type) that has been solera-ed with room temperature red wine. A variety of chocolate flavors swarm the mouth, old dried apples, old dried pears, and old dried grapes, maybe some cinnamon or some spice related to a light cinnamon, hints of dried and raw orange peel, really intense. Gets spicy with time.

Finish: amazingly sweet mouthcoat, spicy.

Dry glass: like a fruity crayon, but with little impact from the wax component.

What an amazing sherry monster! Almost a sherry nuke! Intense, dominant, dark fruits and chocolate everywhere! Although simple, the feelings this whisky gives you upon tasting is nothing but of careful elation, gotta be careful because the heat is there and everything is just concentrated. Amazing!

Grade: A

Whiskyanalysis.com, 8.95 ± 0.15 on 25 reviews (all batches)
Whiskynotes, Ruben Luyten, 88/100

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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