Aberlour 10 Year Old

I always make sure to have a bottle of Aberlour 10 around (if I don't have a 12 kicking around)

Nose: the first thing that hits me is how fresh and perfumy this whisky is on the nose. Orange and lime zest, a hint of caramel, dusty dry flowers, small red fruits and a boatload of spices. Balanced. Could have been a bit more elegant, since it is still a bit feisty (paint thinner, metallic) on the nostrils due to the age and bottling strength, but this is a very competent scotch in the nose department. Adding water softens the nose and amps out the sweet aromasé

Palate: a bit thin in the mouth. I get a bit more chocolate and malty caramel on the palate than in the nose. Then the orange zest and Grand Marnier starts to emerge followed by cinammon and spices. Fairly subtle and pretty simple, but what it does, it does well. Adding water tends to make the whisky turn somewhat bitter, which I don't really care for all that much.

Finish: short and dry finish with a big pepper/cinammon note that doesn't last long. I get sweet watermelon rind followed by Cherry Blossoms a minute or so after the sip. A very moreish whisky.

This compares very favourably to the Glenfiddich 12 and Glenlivet 12 of this world. At around 45$ in Quebec, it's a good whisky, but I prefer the 12 since it smoothes the rough edges a bit more, but it's more expensive by 20$.