Aberlour A’bunadh batch 57 – 60.7 % ABV, natural colour, UCF
It seems as if there is some sort of weather changing button that gets pushed at exactly the same time when we switch to daylight saving time. Almost overnight we go from ‘gentle autumn weather’ to ‘full-fledged hail storms 4 times a week’. So bye bye to soft, gentle light floral fruity whisky and hello Big, Strong, Feisty Badass in a bottle! Indeed, when the dog needs to go for walkies during pishing rain, or just when the first thunder of the afternoon rolls in your significant other kindly reminds you of the fact that you were going to see about that rickety fence before winter strikes, or for whatever other reason you find yourself outdoors when the forecast spells doom and gloom, you know when you make it back inside soaked and cold, you‘re entitled to something that lifts the spirits. And what better way to do that with a, well, lifted spirit?!
Indeed, the next four weeks it’s going to be hot, hotter, hottest here at Malty Towers as I reach into the cabinet for the heavy hitters of whisky with bottlings that are all at least 60% ABV.
And kicking things off, it’s the daddy, the OG, the big boy from Speyside: Aberlour A’bunadh.
Frankly I’m not overstating things by calling the A’bunadh range just that, as it goes back for over 20 years, when cask strength whiskies were not exactly a common thing. When you really think about it, it’s quite surprising to see an official bottling from a Pernod Ricard brand offering such an expression as they are not exactly known for releasing whiskies the way we like to see them – as natural as possible: uncoloured, unchillfiltered and preferably north of 40% ABV. So credit’s due where credit’s due here I think. With its high ABV, its rich flavour profile and its sherrycask influence, the sherrybombs of sherrybombs soon developed a cult following and paved the way for others to follow. And of course it’s a given that some people who have been around the block when it comes to whisky will swear that the recent releases are not as good as the older ones, but unless you‘re willing to cough up a few 100 quid for some of those early batches and make up your own mind in a head to head comparison, you’ll just have to make do with what this pesky little blogger from Belgium has to say about it.
Nose: Rich and intense, yet not overwhelming. All the usual suspects. Raisins, figs plums, chocolate and a ginger like spiciness that leans towards a eucalyptus note. Mint in the background of baking spices. Autumn notes: stew, mushrooms, with forest/earthy elements like ferns. With a drop of water it turns creamy, with milk chocolate and a mixture of dried and fresh red fruits and jam, Christmas cake and brandy. Yum!
On the palate I picked up treacle, dark roast coffee and a sweet hotness from ginger and pepper and chocolate. Overall less sweet than on the nose but equally rich and mouth-watering with a full and big syrupy texture. A drop of water comes in handy as it takes off the heat a bit, revealing a quite prominent mixture of wine and red fruit notes.
The finish is long, warm and spicy. The wine notes return with a pinch of salt on the tip of the tongue. Here the added water amps up the red fruit notes, but also the heat.
There’s more to this than just your sherry bomb – it’s all that, and then some. Adding in a subtle earthy, slightly herbaceous note, this is much more than a one trick pony. However, and I 'm well aware that it’s starting to become old, the one ‘but’ to this story is the price setting. While I fully understand why the early batches would fetch a nice sum at auctions, we have now reached a point where even this fairly recent batch, in a series of continuous releases at that, goes close to, or even above, €100. I picked this up a while ago for around €70, which is fair I reckon in today’s market, but when you see the RRP for the recent batches being already set somewhere between 80 and 90 quid, it doesn’t’ bode well for the future I fear. Yes, it’s still very good whisky, but it used to be very good whisky at a fair and affordable price. Now it’s more a case of quality still justifying the price tag – but only just. 86/100
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