Review #73 Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 54: Scotch

Score: 8.8 / 10

Distillery: Aberlour

Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch

Moving up in price rather swiftly for a pretty commonly followed scotch and a non-aged statement NAS as well. Why does America hate scotch? I must have missed that box when I was voting haha. So what are we missing here? Is the scotch in the bottle driving this? After all a lot of Aberlour can be hit or miss for most people.

Appearance?  I usually don't include appearance but this whisky is dark and looks like a bourbon. However, it doesn't mean too much considering that scotch is allowed to have added coloring. That must be the case here.

Whiskey Review:

Nose: Huge oak and spice notes overpower the nose.  Behind those potent notes lies a fresh ocean breeze scent that I describe as seaweed and sea salt.  I'm also picking up apricot, apples, toasted sugar (Crème Brûlée?). Touch of smoke? Cigar butt?

Palate: Strong "sweet & heat" sensation at 60.7%. Malty cinnamon spice ramps up immediately leaving a sizzle on the palate that luges into sweet honeyed notes on the back-end.  A second sip yields the same notes but adds sweet vanilla cream and immense heat with seasoned wood. 

Finish: Medium - Long. Dry and filled with mocha. The finish still simmers from the heat on the palate leaving toasted oak, pepper and a touch of lemon rind. Long lingering and tannic on the topside of my mouth.

Score: 8.8

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability? Uncommon. Not typical to be on shelves of small or medium stores. If you call around before heading out you should be able to locate a bottle. It's a wild ride from start to finish and a highly recommended experience.