Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 50
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
59.6% ABV
$90-$100
Website
What the Distillery Says
Sherried & Intense
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.
Colour: Auburn gold
Nose: Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso Sherry
Palate: Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with Sherry and Oak. Full bodied and creamy
Finish: Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich, dark fruits with raisins, dates, stewed prunes, earthy Portobello mushrooms and wood polish, cocoa, caramel, grilled peaches, anise, smoked brisket and a hint of spent matches.
Palate: Rich and intense with a thick mouthfeel, fruit explosion with prunes, raisins, pears, cherries, cinnamon red hots, anise, molasses and pepper.
Finish: Long, syrupy thick with a cherry cough syrup note (but in a good way).
Comments: Wow – Aberlour isn’t one of my favorite distilleries to be honest, as I usually get more than a hint of sulfur and spent matchsticks (which just aren’t my thing, but your mileage may vary). But this one is fantastic! Here that sulfur note is subtle, although some water brings it out a bit more, as well as amping up the anise (if I close my eyes, definitely get a black licorice vibe). This is a super dark dram. Do I wish it were age-stated? Yes – if only for the transparency; but based on what is in the bottle, this is delicious. I could give two sh!ts if they threw a splash of 3 year old in the batch (not suggesting they did!) Based on the intensity and complexity of flavors, and balance between the sweet and spicy notes, this is a damn nice pour! So nice that in fact the first A’bunadh I ran across after trying this (a batch 64) I grabbed. Also delicious, and pretty similar (just a tad lighter in color, and a bit less anise; I really like both although thought the nose on this one might be a tad more complex – but really splitting hairs).
Why would you review batch 50? The current batch is 71, so chances are you can only get batch 50 at auction. Seems like a more current release would be way more useful.
As you asked, I’ll answer 🙂
Because Batch 50 is what I got a sample of. Unless indicated otherwise, whisk(e)y samples reviewed here are either from bottles I own or samples given to me from friends/family. I have bottles I bought years ago but haven’t opened (as I just have plenty of open bottles), and when I open one – if I hadn’t reviewed it here yet, I will. If someone wants to volunteer a sample of the latest batch, I’d be happy to do a side by side (I think I have a bit from batch 50 left). From what I have read, while there is variation from batch to batch, they try to keep the profile similar. I went out and bought the first one I found (which was a batch 64, and this was in the last couple of weeks) – and when I did a quick blind side by side, I thought they were pretty close. Not suggesting that there aren’t some really stand out batches (both good and bad), but without trying a LOT of them, I wouldn’t be able to say for sure. Hope that helps!