Aberlour A'bunadh Alba

This is Batch 002. 58.7% (117.4 proof). N: Orchard fruit and effervescent cola. Red apple and caramel. Sweet, stewed and caramelized pears in a bread pudding with a dash of cinnamon. Vanilla custard at the edges of the glass. Ethanol scent is faint, but the feeling of it gets overwhelming pretty quick. P: Sweet and fruity (orchard, like the nose) early, giving way to a soft milk chocolate that builds over time. Occasional intense flashes of ripe cherry. Medicinal ethanol. Little bit of charred oak with light-medium tannins. The bread pudding comes back, but without the pears - more of a just basic caramel swirl now. Chocolate and wood carry through the finish with a nice woodsy spice joining. Spice is not quite a hot cinnamon, but something near that range and quite pleasant - lingering without overpowering. It fits the dram. This just doesn't evoke any particularly strong feelings or reactions for me. It's fine. It's probably overpriced, but otherwise drinkable. I kept feeling, while going through the bottle, like there should be more here, but it just never opened up. Adding water, adding ice, trying it neat - nothing changed it. (Actually, it's kind tough to drink neat. Too much ethanol.) Probably pass this batch, wait for the next. Or grab 001 if you can. Side note: gorgeous bottle. The simplicity of the raised letter writing on the glass, the small label, the shape, the color of the whisky, plus the wax seal - I wanted to leave it on my shelf unopened indefinitely. But, you know, whisky... This is probably my second favorite bottle design, behind only the Hibiki.

Batch 003 - Bottled at 60.4 ABV ( 120.8 Proof ) As other's have said - this one is potent. Let it breathe for a bit before indulging. This one would be a great candidate for a Decanter but I'm tasting off a freshly opened bottle, in a Glencairn with the whiskey having sat for about 10 minutes. What an interesting and lovely nose. The first thing I smell is sweet Maraschino cherries enveloped in thick honey. How rich and inviting. The taste is hot from the proof but its super creamy and coats the tongue. With the tongue tingling sensation from the proof its almost the same sensation as a root beer float. As the initial mouth feel blends into the full taste, you get the tiniest hit of cherry but then it explodes into sweet baking spices and dark chocolate. The finish begins almost salty but then melts into a slightly bitter chocolate and sweet caramel aftertaste. Like a dark chocolate sea salt caramel candy. This one isn't for the feint of heart. For the love of God, don't have your non whiskey drinking friends have some. But for those who genuinely enjoy whiskey and aren't afraid of a little proof, my God is this something special.

I will start this review saying that this is the best Aberlour i have ever had. An incredibly clean and flavorful whisky that explores fruitiness in a powerful and lovely way. The actual batch i had was the batch No. 2, bottled at 58.7%abv. On the nose, super aroma. The most incredible red apple aroma, cinnamon, a nice spiciness, honey. Super sweet, fancy toffee and maple syrup. On the palate, it follows the same path. Toffee, honey, salt, caramel. It tastes exactly as an apple pie after a couple of sips. Aftertaste is all about dulce de leche, apples and salt. It is a dessert. Overall, this is a simple, straightforward whisky that has been made in the most delicious way possible. Appealing for everyone, forget the 58.7%abv, you don't get a hint of alcohol here. The "Alba" stands for Quercus Alba, which is the american oak, and "nothing is more american than apple pie" they say, well, this is an apple pie. My score for it is 94 over 100. Grab one.

Batch 001 Nose - light notes of pear, apple, and caramel, surprisingly little to no burn on the nose Taste - apple, sweet caramel, vanilla, maple syrup, has a certain velvety feel in the mouth, a bit of cocoa at the back Finish - smooth, taste carries over with caramel and cocoa, leaves a pleasant taste on the tongue Score - 4.0, fairly light overall and easy to drink Scoring Legend 5.0 - Outstanding, unmatched to others 4.5 - Excellent, I will always keep a bottle in stock if possible 4.0 - Very good, quite enjoyable to drink, can consider as a solid choice 3.5 - Good, would taste again 3.0 - Average 2.5 - Acceptable, still drinkable 2.0 - Inferior, able to drink but not enjoyable 1.5 and below—wouldn’t drink again unless I am desperate

Very sweet nose with notes of marzipan, raisin, cherries, and a good touch of vanilla but not too intense on the latter. Good but not a ton of complexity, bourbon outweighing sherry just slightly. Sweet. At first, a slight almost metallic acidity similar to Arran, which leads into a sherried tobacco-leather note, followed by peachy and cherry bourbon notes with powdered sugar sweetness, a slight marmalade note. Need water to open it up - like sweet gasoline without water. Nice sweet finish but not terribly complex. Good, nice intensity and expression but lacking the sherry complexity I would like. Overall not completely worth price but alright scotch. I do like the flavour though, absolutely not bad.

Nose - a very chocolatey nose. Sweet desserts like donuts and puddings. I smell kheer which is an Indian dessert! I also smell cardomom. I do get an abv hit! Doesn’t surpise me as its 60.1%. Taste - oily and really sweet! Tastes like honey and apple pie. It has a very strange warm feel in the mouth. Mild spicyness due to high abv. Medium long finish. It reminds me of a fresh of the over apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I also get grapes and candied apple! The bourbon barrel influence is very evident. Bourbon drinkers would love this whisky. Thoroughly enjoyed this dram. I personally prefer the regular abunadh but this is wonderful as well.