Aberlour A’bunadh Batch #45

Review by: TOModera

Last night in Edinburough, and wow, I’m tired. I swear I’ve walked up and down the Royal Mile 6 times, up an extinct volcano, and shopped at Cadenhead’s twice. I’ve had enough Haggis to kill most of the sheep in the area. It’s brilliant.

I think all this exercise deserves a reward. A nice reward that makes other whiskies pale in comparison.

This is the lead up to that review. Instead, to start the night off, I had the Aberlour A’bunadh. I’ve been pining after this one for awhile, as it’s part of the trio of Sherry Bombs that surround this subreddit.

Aberlour A’bunadh is a yearly NAS offering from Aberlour. Each year is a new batch number, new Abv, and a new experience. All of it sherried, all of it cask strength, and all of it (so far) tasty.

Let’s see if all my searching has paid off.

Distillery: Aberlour Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 60.1%. Cask strength.

Age: Unknown

Cask type: Sherry Cask.

Price: $94.95 (CAD)

Color: Burgundy

Nose: Raisins, toffee, vanilla, strawberries, coffee, dried apricot, red fruits, rum sauce, cinnamon, butterscotch

Right off the bat, this comes out swinging. It’s Mike Tyson in his prime (outside the ring), it’s not taking any hits and it’s dealing them out. Liquid fruit cake to one nostril and a brown butter cake sauce to the other. I am the Champion!

Taste: Raisins, toffee, banana, strawberry, hot, cherry, blackberries, red licorice, nutmeg, brown sugar

Holy shit, this isn’t Rocky, this is Goram Apollo Creed if the movie was factual. No Adrian, no Mick, just keeps hitting you with sweetness and sherry notes all the way through. And hot as heck, I had to leave this to sit a long time.

Finish: Pork chops, sherry, cream, raisin, plums, mint, dry, strawberry candy powder

It finishes like a 200 lb muscled out stripper (your choice on gender) taking your money and leaving you to crawl home to reality. If you’ve ever had 4 helpings of sticky toffee pudding and eaten 12 plums, well, you should join an eating competition… also you may know what the finish is like on this.

Conclusion: What else is there to say? It’s a sherry bomb, it’s strong, it takes awhile to finish, and it’s no beginner dram. Give it some time, give it some water. I still have to say that Macallan Cask Strength is more approachable and easier to drink with more complexity, though don’t take that as this not being the champ. It’s the champ. Regardless of whomever has the belt.

Final Score: 87.

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.

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