Aberlour A'bunadh
Batch#36; Hammer of the Gods
0 893
Review by @smokeybarrels
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall93
Show rating data charts
Distribution of ratings for this:
First try of the Aberlour A'bunadh and indeed my first ever cask strength-er. Bottle opened and left for fifteen minutes then returned to with the trepidation of a bomb disposal engineer surveying a suspicious package. Was almost tempted to lower a canary into the glass before nosing to gauge the toxicity...
Nose; Neat: Surprisingly nuanced, subtle and delicate- was expecting to have my head blown off at first sniff. Maybe my lack of experience of Cask strength whiskies. Orange peel, marmalade, pre-cooking phase xmas pudding mixture? A teaspoon of water later and sherry and vanilla come through.
Taste; Brandy butter, toffee, oak.
Another teaspoon of water into this measure and the A'bunadh really comes into its own. Aye carumba! Nothing like as aggressive as I expected from the 60% abv. It's smooth, refined and flavoursome, whilst being powerful at the same time. It's also something of a "chameleon"- every time I go back for another taste I get something just a bit different from last time, even if I can't quite pinpoint what that is.
Finish; Long, smooth and robust without being overpowering and unpleasant.
In summary, this is a whisky that really leaves an impression on you, I can't imagine any whisky enthusiast not enjoying giving this one a go. I will definitely be looking to try and get a hold of earlier batches, too. Very, very good.
Very good review Smokey! saw some of this yesterday on a day out to Chester, wish I'd bought it now! Your description has made me add this to my wishlist. Pre cooking Xmas pudding mix, yummy! Glad you spared the canary or I'd have been ringing the animal welfare people :) We're getting into this review lark now aren't we fella. And unlike me you managed not to offend any Americans, well done!
Go tykes!