Aberlour A'bunadh (Batch 50)

It's been a slow moving month on the new whisky front. Haven't really tried anything new, so I'm pulling out old notes that never got published. Will definitely try something new in the next couple of days before the next work cycle begins.

This one was tried some time back. It was something I always wanted to get a sip of, largely based on the superlative reviews it garners on various whisky blogs and online merchants. A single cask sherried whisky, from Aberlour, a stalwart of the sherried whisky scene. This batch 50 was obtained from Auld Alliance, still my favourite place to get a dram.

The Aberlour 18 was pretty good, if a bit on the gentle side. Maybe this single cask one can top that and give a stiff fight to the Kavalan Solist Sherry (the a'bunadh was tried before I drank the Inchgower. Hence, at point of sipping, the Kavalan was the better point of reference).

Aberlour A'Bunadh (Batch 50) (abv 59.6%)

Oooh...Look at that high ABV. Almost 60! This is actually alcohol diluted by barley water, isn't it?

Nose - Rich, deep and dark. Rum and raisins to the fore, but that's not the only thing in the nose. There's quite a bit of spices behind the first big whiff of raisins, and a fair amount of wood as well. A deeper sniff...cinnamon...vanilla...suggestions of dark chocolate.

Palate - The raisins aren't as dominant. Instead, it's fairly drying on tea tannin, a touch of rubber. The raisins come out mid-way through. Maybe dried prunes too. A light bit of dark chocolate. Mm. Pretty hot on the alcohol, but that, I think, complements the softer spice well. The alcohol gives it a bit of an edge, which would otherwise be missing. I think this palate is fairly well-rounded, but lacking some oomph. Maybe the spices could be tuned up, or the raisins, or perhaps even the rubber or sherry sweetness. But as it is, it's good, but doesn't wow.

Finish - Not as long as I hoped. Some vanilla and spices on the back of the tongue. Maybe a short, thin strip of orange peel.

Overall - Nope, not as good as the Kavalan Solist Sherry. Maybe other batches are better...?