Aberlour Casg Annamh (Batch 1)

Well, it appears that Aberlour is getting in on the rare cask game with this newest, NAS release. This is considered a small, limited release and this is the first batch- I don’t believe any of this made it to North America. This is Casg Annamh, which is Gaelic for “rare cask”, and is NCF’d, but has color added and is bottled at 48% ABV. It is an in-house blend of single malt whisky of undeclared age that has been aged in two different American oak barrels and European sherry oak It’s a beautiful sunset orange in the glass, while appearing very oily with heavy water droplets left behind after spinning it up. The nose is a wonderful bouquet, and probably the best part of this offering: oranges, raisins, toffee, sweet tea and sherry cask with a light oak backbone. It’s very enticing. The palate is relatively smooth with lots of sherry influence. There’s caramel sweetness in spades and a bit of a harsh, late bite on the back end. Youthful oak notes leave a bit of harshness behind and into the finish. Speaking of finish- it’s medium-long and mouthwatering. There’s leftover orange marmalade and sweet, yellow cake notes at the very end which make this feel like a dessert dram. It’s a great way to bring the tasting to a close. Overall, this fits in perfectly between the Aberlour 12 and the A’Bunadh. It’s significantly better than the 12 and cooled just enough for those that think the A’Bunadh is just too much. It lacks a little depth versus the 18, but the price point easily makes up for that. I found this online for around $80 for a 1L bottle. It’s a shame the numbers were so limited, but I’m assuming the initial numbering means there’ll be subsequent batch releases. That makes it a bit of a collector bottle now, as well. If you see one online or gathering dust on a shelf somewhere I’d say grab it. It’s a solid offering from Aberlour. 4 stars. Cheers.

Now that I’m back to just an ounce on a Friday and one on Sundays, I so look forward to settling in end of a hard work week, or in advance of a hard work week, full of meetings and business operations models. The hardest part actually of getting back to an ounce every Friday is now choosing which of my backlog of 50+ samples, a few open bottles, and an obscene number of unopened bottles should I go for. First world problems. This week has been especially taxing...the non-stop reality show we have going on day after day (this week is Kavanaugh and that mad circus). I count my blessings every day I’m not employed in our new reality circus. Then again, if I were...I’d probably drink a bottle a night instead of an ounce or two a week. Anyway, I digress. This sample was provided by my friend @LeeEvolved. I can’t tell if this was meant to be the Abunadh replacement, or a new line. But either way, I liked this much better. The Abunadh was cherry NyQuil reinincarnated as a scotch. I can’t stand cherry NyQuil. This is much better...you get the classic sherry influence of sweet dried fruits and sultanas, with enough of a kick without being hot, with a finish that similar to Brazil nuts. Would I buy a bottle? Yeah...if I t were priced

Nose - Rich syrupy dried berries, raisins, cherries, hint of honey & candied ginger. Taste - Nice orange-ginger fruity spice/heat, not as syrupy as the nose suggests, raisins, dried cherries, light fruit stem bitter (apple core & grape seeds/vines) Finish - Fading orange-ginger heat/spice, light metallic sweetness, light fruity bitter still present, apple stems, grape seeds. Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - This was true to the sherry bomb style I've found w/ the Aberlour expressions I've tried thus far, but more so on the nose. The palate was a bit toned down from the typical sherry sweet and had a bit more white pepper/ginger spice than expected. This would have been great, but there's that light metallic and fruity bitter that get a bit distracting at the end of the palate. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe

I have to say I am rather shocked at the mediocre reviews of this scotch, especially from the expert. I tend to like the sherry bombs I am a big fan of the Aberlour A’Bunadh and the Aberlour 16 so when I saw this on a work trip, I picked up a bottle. I am so glad that I took the chance. It has a nice rich red hue to it and all the typical noses of a classic sherry cask, the fruits and cherries right at the front and I pick up a ever so slight hint of caramel. The palate starts off sweet, smooth, and fruity, transitioning slowly to pick up some oak, spice, and a nice little kick. The finish is much longer than expected. After patiently waiting for the slight burn to dissipate, the sherry, and sweet fruits come rushing back. I thoroughly enjoy every sip of this scotch and would highly recommend it despite what others seem to think. I got absolutely no metallic aftertaste at all.

One of the latest releases from the famous Aberlour is this expression called "Casg Annamh" which is actually a gaelic way to say "Rare Cask". Bottled at 48%abv, beautiful deep copper color. On the nose, coffee, wet grass, chocolate, orange, humidity, plums and cocoa butter. Very interesting. On the palate, much more straightforward, but it works perfectly. Dark chocolate, with a heavy cocoa percentage. Oranges, almonds, vanilla, milk powder, cherries. Aftertaste is all about ginger spice, tobacco and a little ashy. Burnt oak. Overall, i think the 48%abv is giving this dram a nice bouquet of flavors, much easier to drink than the A'bunadh, and should definitively make part of your collection. 88/100

My one dram a week...really makes you look forward to it. For tonight, the remainder 1 ounce from a 2 ounce sample that was sent by my buddy @LeeEvolved. I had given this 4 stars the first go-around, and this time sticking to the same four stars. I actually didn’t like the Aberlour Abundadh, thought it was a bit heavy on the sherry, and tasted like cherry NyQuil. This version is milder. Roasted nuts and dried fruits on the nose. Dates and figs on the palette. Leaves a lingering finish of dried nuts, with a tinge of heat. This is nothing earth shattering, and it doesn’t have to be. It’s just plain, solid and well made daily type of dram.