Aberlour A'bunadh

Interesting. I'd be interested in knowing what other batches you've tried. I gave this batch a pass after reading some lukewarm reviews, and now there are none left in Ontario.....sad. Which have you liked and which have you liked less?

Hi Nozinan, I've tried a few of them (not as many as I'd like). Batch 33 or 32 - Can't remember which, sorry, wasn't stellar material I must say; a bit austere for my liking and too dry on the finish. I really don't understand the negative comments on batch 46 - although I haven't consumed an inordinate amount of A'bunadh (6 or 7 batches)I'm a relatively experienced whisky drinker - and this stuff tastes superb to me - loads of character and guts, with a beautiful finish. Can I post whisky to Ontario? If so, I could send you a tiny sample of what I've got left...

Sadly, Canada customs frowns on on alcohol shipments.

I can go to my local LCBO tasting bar and probably find it. The thing is, everyone has different tastes. So it's hard to know what to do. I have about 15 bottles of 12 batches so I'm not low on product, and I've tried about 6. My brother in law also has another batch I will eventually sample.

I'm relieved to read a positive review of this batch, as I've got an unopened bottle of this in my cabinet.

I may be paranoid, but some of the negative commentary on #46 doesn't quite add up. For example, the review just before yours, by "Misty," describes the finish as "chalky" and complains with apparent seriousness that "it's very hazy with the addition of water."

This is strange commentary for a dram that's known to cloud up with water, and Aberlour's reputation being what it is, I am hard pressed to believe that the finish could taste like "soggy oak."

Reading through discussion boards and reveiews, I've seen that A'bunadh is a relatively coveted dram. I wonder if everyone reviews it in good faith.

@SimeonSanchez, while you may not agree with his taste, I am certain that @Misty reviews in good faith. He is quite an A'bunadh fan, just not of batch # 46. I don't have any opinion about batch # 46, since I've never tasted it.

Well, it's my suspicious nature getting to me again. Since it will only be the second A'bunadh for me, I'll probably have a more positive reaction.

I got one of this batch today from a store in Massachusetts, and I'd never seen it cheaper, from Scotland to Argentina passing through many duty free stores. So I'm happy with that even if it's not the best batch.

I didn't own other batches, I've only tried this whisky in a bar, not sure about the batch, and got very curious about it. Tried it tonight and the flavor is unbelievable, the layers behind the strong alcohol presence are surrounded by different types of sweetness and some type of burnt caramel I can't quite describe with words.

The alcohol, again, is really there at 60%, especially in the first sip tingling the tongue. What I didn't try was opening it with a few drops of water. Next time I'm sure it'll be better. I can't imagine how the best batches taste like, because this one is one of the best whiskies I ever had. But I just started with single malts a few years ago, still a long way to go...