The Whisky Exchange has a new exclusive bottling, an Aberlour 16 Year Old, from a single sherry cask. Looking at its colour, I think it’s safe to expect a single cask version of the distillery’s popular a’Bunadh series (which is said to include casks from around 5 to 25 years, give or take).
Aberlour 16 yo (53,5%, OB for TWE 2016, first-fill sherry cask #4738, 282 btl.)
Aberlour 16 yo (53,5%, OB for TWE 2016, first-fill sherry cask #4738, 282 btl.)Nose: very proud sherry. Rich Christmas cake, raisins, figs and prunes, mixed with brown sugar and some sticky toffee pudding. Some raspberry jam and candied orange peel. American oak vanilla and subtle mint underneath. What’s important for this kind of whisky, is a clean, juicy sherry profile with no rubbery / sulphury notes. Mission accomplished!
Mouth: quite hot (and I’m used to the even stronger A’Bunadh) but very flavoursome. Lots of red berries and blackberry jam. Rummy raisins. Its gets drier after a while, with milk chocolate and praline but plenty of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg as well. Hints of liquorice and espresso, as well as some earthy notes at the darkest end.
Finish: very long and spicy, with liquorice, a chocolate sweetness and a toasted bitterness until the very end.
Great selection from TWE, as expected. It’s very intense, very clean and it highlights the fruitier side of the spirit. That said, it’s not that different from the best batches of a’bunadh, which have an unbeatable price/quality ratio. Around € 130.
Score: 89/100