Aberfeldy 18 Year Bourbon Cask (1997) Cadenhead’s

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Aberfeldy.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 18 Year. Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2015.

Cask Type: Bourbon Hogshead

ABV: 56.4%

Price: $120.

Color: 0.2, Pale Straw. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: It’s quite strong and clears the sinuses nicely. It’s on the sweeter side of things with warm malt and some confectioners sugar coming through. After a bit, some tropical fruit in the form of lychee and rambutan also appear. Menthol and some mint show up right at the end.

Palate: It’s screaming for water, at full strength it is virtually undrinkable because of how hot and bitter it is. With a lot of water, it does cool down. You get chocolate cereal along with tons and tons of stevia confectioners sugar substitute. Lychee and a rather unripe green apple come in with some marzipan.

Finish: Medium in length. More of the stevia confectioners sweetener comes through strongly. Chocolate in two forms finishes this off with some milk and white chocolate.

Conclusion: I’ve never seen an independent bottling of Aberfeldy, though Whiskybase tells me that they’re not unheard of. It’s a distillery that I’ve been regaining interest in given the fun releases they’ve been putting out, like this Sauternes cask finish. This particular bottling of Aberfeldy by Cadenhead’s was produced before the Dewar’s group was sold to Bacardi. Overall, it’s a delightful whisky. You get a nice mixture of tropical fruits along with chocolate throughout. The bit of confectioners sugar substitute is delightfully cooling as well. Overall, tasty and makes for easy drinking once watered down appropriately.

Final Score: 81

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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