Aberlour 16 Year Double Cask Matured

Review by: TOModera

So I’m nervous. Nervous as heck. I’m about to meet a bunch of whisky nerds, who I’ve only met a few of, on a few occasions, and I’m going to drink with them.

What if they try to murderize me? Wait, that’s silly, the Internet is a safe place.

What if I don’t meet some odd belief everyone has in me? I mean, what if they think I’m amazing and I’m not? Wait, that’s silly, I just write dick jokes and self-deprecating jokes into whisky reviews, no one thinks highly of me.

What if I’m the only one to show up? Oh shit…

So I’m standing at the bar, looking for muaddib99 or slackerdude or devoz or Jolarbear, because at least I recognize them (turns out beards have been grown or shaved, so I don’t).

Nope, no one. Better order a dram and review it. Worst case scenario, I take the bus home again. Crying. (Note that didn’t happen, and it was amazing, I’m just having fun with the whole ‘reviews backwards’ format)

So I have to finish the Next Level Malts list. And The Feathers Pub has all three. Well I have a sample of one at home, so I’ll leave it for the time being.

So I pick the Sherried cask one first, because why not? Oh, wait, it’s matured in two types of casks, both traditional oak (I think they mean ex-Bourbon) and sherry oak casks. I’ve been wanting to try Aberlour 16 for awhile now, and this seems like a good way to do it.

Distillery: Aberlour Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 40%.

Age: 16 years.

Cask type: Traditional (Bourbon) Oak & Sherry Oak Casks.

Price: $89.95 (CAD) at the LCBO..

Color: Burnt Clay.

Nose: Cherry, licorice, strawberry jam, light rosemary, earth, very light ginger

Big chunks of red fruit all over the place. And the whisky is good too, now that I’ve blown my nose.

Being gross aside, as I stand at the bar, huddled in the corner, I notice a lot of sherry influence on the nose. I’m actually surprised this is only 40%, because it’s quite pungent.

Taste: Cherry, earthy, Sprite, anise, burnt toast, floral, peppercorn

At first I was quite happy with this one. There’s the beginning of some complexity in the red fruit notes. However as I kept drinking, I smelled burnt toast. Rather I tasted burnt toast.

And it won’t go away. There’s quite a bit of it. Granted there’s also some floral and peppercorn notes, however… I can’t get past the burnt toast. Canadian’s will understand why.

Finish: Citrus, ginger, cinnamon, lime, lots of charcoal, asparagus

Again, at first there was this nice spicy/citrus flavour that pops up all over the place. It’s quite nice.

Until this burnt flavour takes over and it’s like I’m back on the steam ships again and the coal is everywhere from the smoke stack.

Not fun.

Conclusion: I want to like portions of this. Part of me loves the further age on the sherry notes, the different interesting, complex flavours. And then… it’s all burnt. Not sulfur, it’s just burnt toast. And I can’t get past that, to tell you the truth. So I’m docking quite a few points for using old Sherry casks, and then going about trying the last of the next level malts some time tonight and later next week (which is this week).

Oh well, at least someone just sent me a text, so the night’s not a bust.

Final Score: 76.

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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