Aberlour A'bunadh

Warming sherry and chocolate elixir

Reviewed by
Connosr member:

Crys

Date:

11th Jun 2011

Reviewer rating:

About this score:

The average score for this whisky is 90.

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Tasting Notes by Crys

Batch #28 (First tasting)

The colour is really nice; a brooding dark copper. On the nose you immediately get hit with sherry and dark chocolate/cocoa powder. Binding these major notes together are treacle, leather and maraschino cherries. Very nice indeed.

On the mouth it's all dry sherry and very intense. A real mouth-filling explosion. There's definitely a bite in terms of alcohol, but it's spicy and warming.

As it slides down the throat, you'll be left with a lingering finish of sherry and toffee.

If you've tried the Aberlour 10yo, just imagine an incredibly intense version of it and you have the A'bunadh. It's the easiest way to describe it. They both share the same cocoa/dark chocolate and sherry notes on the nose, but the A'bunadh is richer in every way in terms of smell and palate, plus a little more.

Don't let the 59.7% ABV fool you into thinking you need to be pouring water into your glass to get the most out of the A'Bunadh. This is a cask strength whisky that can be very easily enjoyed neat. Personally I found that adding water actually detracted from the overall enjoyment of this fine dram.

What more can I say, this is an incredibly warming sherry and dark chocolate elixir.

Highly recommended.

Whisky details

Distillery/Brand:

Aberlour

Bottling:

Aberlour A'bunadh

Region:

Speyside

ABV:

59.7%

Colour:

Amontillado Sherry

Aberlour A'bunadh Warming sherry and chocolate elixir Reviewed on 2011-06-11T18:28:00 scoring 89/100 by Crys

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Comments

Pudge72 wrote:

Awesome review @Crys...I could almost taste the whisky while reading your descriptions. It's already on my (very, very) long wishlist! Thank you for the comparison to the 10 y.o. as that is one that I can sample from time-to-time at a local-ish pub.

21 June 2011 05:11

Victor wrote:

@Crys, you make an excellent distinction between the taste of dry sherry vis a vis sweet sherry. Very true of A'bunadh that the sherry tastes quite dry. I don't see a lot of love for the Aberlour 10, but I am one who definitely loves it, and most definitely loves the A'bunadh as well!

21 June 2011 12:27

Crys wrote:

@Victor I'm quite partial to Aberlour myself. The 10yo is one that is always replaced as soon as it's finished. It's just excellent value for what you get and always consistent. And it's also a great introduction for newcomers to experience a clear and distinct sherried profile that Aberlour has mastered so well without breaking the bank or being overwhelmed with the potency of cask strength. It's smooth, easy to drink, and flavourful.

I really love the A'bunadh, but on those days where I crave a lighter expression, the Aberlour 10 can fit the bill nicely.

22 June 2011 14:35

smoothhead wrote:

Agree the A'bunadh is a lovely drop, and agree it's like a more intense and refined Aberlour 10. Either one is welcomed by me..

02 July 2011 09:33