Aberfeldy 21 Year

Nose: Orange water, dilute honey, malt and vanilla. The nose is very shy when first poured but gains quite a bit of weight after it has rested for a while. Warm malty notes emerge together with a well-integrated sherry and leather quality that is very pleasant. With more time a definite waxiness appears. [The dry-glass aroma is hefty sherried honey and malt with a wisp of smoke]. Palate: A very soft, sweet, silken and luxurious arrival with gallons of sweet orange juice and some leathery sherried malt. The development is meagre when first poured due to the low proof and the whisky needs time to open in the glass before the development's full potential is realized. Once it has opened there are sultana, red cherry, raisin, plum and grassy notes and the same waxiness that is detectable on the nose appears in the palate. The excellent initial texture fades and turns slightly oily but thin. Finish: Medium/short. Honeyed malt and herbal notes with a breath of spice that quickly disappears. The nose is very good indeed but the palate, whilst delightful, is cruelly hamstrung by the low proof and the finish is sadly abbreviated. It is a subtle malt, however, and it needs a surprising amount of time to open. The nose (which is elegant and fine to begin with) improves markedly after 20 minutes gaining depth and fullness. The palate also improves but this expressionis criminally weak. If it was released at 46% abv (or more) it would be a magnificent dram that could rival Highland Park 18 and the better Old Pulteneys. What a crying shame. As it stands it's a very good malt but it doesn't quite make it to excellent. If it was priced below AUD$200 I'd say it was a reasonable buy, but the current price of $250 it is simply too much for what it is. However, if it was bottled at 46% it would probably challenge anything else in the $250 bracket and become a recommended buy. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

If heaven is real, the devil’s cut cannot touch this over how difficult the taste is able to compare to. Our ancient ancestors did not know what to do when they were making words because nothing can really comprehend this bottle within the totality of human vernacular. This isn’t Scotch, this is magic. On the nose, I get vanilla and sweetness. Its very subtle but somehow potent. The front has an apple note with a texture so silky and so smooth like water, alcohol doesn’t really come out here. It might as well be the 8th wonder of the world. In the middle, it brings a potent honey and vanilla pallate that gives me a come to Jesus moment. Its truly smooth To finish, while it does gain strength, it ends with an experience reminiscent of a euphoria that only comes through psychoactive experiences. In the words of Kevin Boggs, “I feel like I just smoked a nice joint and had a euphoric high.”

Lets start from the truth: i am not a big fan of speysiders, and i usually give low scores to aberfeldy which i almost always try to avoid at all costs. Having said that, this is an exception to both of those statements. This one is a good expression. Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose is a classic speysider, or as i like calling them: "the apple juices". Honey, green apples, honey Corn flakes, Cinnamon , Nutmeg, vanilla Cream. Nothing too impressive. On the palate it was actually a lot better: Red fruits, Cider, Oaky very pleasant and Honey. Finish is very long with hints of cider too. I scored this dram like this: nose: 20/25; palate 24/25; finish 25/25; balance: 22/25 and it gave me a very fair 91 over 100 for this good dram. Maybe it feels like an 88 over 100, but anyways it is a good whisky.

What a supremely delicious single malt indeed. Aberfeldy is, in my humble opinion, the often overlooked but value for money stand out. When I tasted their 21 year, I would swear it was a much more expensive bottle than its actual price point. This whiskey tastes of sweet, tongue coating honey. A little bit of herbaceous spice kicks the middle of the taste, reminds me of peppercorns. It finishes with a slight hit of peat smoke but that underlying honey sweetness stays through the whole taste. Their 12 year is a delightful and smooth selection. This 21 year is a complex, robust and supremely rich and sweet whiskey. I have an unopened bottle of 16 and cannot wait to try it. I think Aberfeldy has earned a permanent home in my rotation.

I rate this scotch so highly because in my opinion there is no better option for a 21-year on the Canadian market. From the box, to the bottle, to the actual tasting of this, I love it. Picked up at the local Costco for $139 CAD this sits on my top shelf in the box. And at that price I don't have to hoarde it until the queen visits, I am happy to share it. The sweet malted barley is the star of the show, coupled with honey this is a dram anyone can drink not just the aficionados. It is that smooth. Update: More recently this scotch has disappeared from costcos shelves and I fear the label may have been telling the truth that it is a "limited release". I will have to stop being so generous with this spectacular scotch.

Entry is classic highland malt: sweet roasted malt. There are some floral notes, but the character enters, remains, and stays subdued. I have a hard time detecting any sherry-cask notes at all, and oakiness in general is on the low side. The flip-side to this that the dram is smooth and non-offensive. There is a hint of smoke, and the spiciness comes a little too close to burning than I'd like for a whisky of this price and age, but it remains composed and smooth, nonetheless. The finish remains subdued, if a little spicy, but it is incredibly long. Overall, this is whisky reminds me of Canadian whiskey: very polite, but insufferably boring