Review by: The Muskox
This is another of those dusty Scott’s Selection bottlings that a bunch of us nerds tried on a Zoom call together. Aberlour isn’t seen naked, meaning without maturation in a strong cask, all too often. The cask type for this release isn’t specified, but given the light colour, it’s likely a refill ex-bourbon cask, offering a rare peek behind the curtain at how Aberlour’s spirit handles 18 years in an inactive cask.
Distillery: Aberlour.
Bottler: Scott’s Selection.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 52.8%, cask strength.
Age: 18 years old. Distilled in 1989. Bottled in 2007.
Cask type: “Oak cask”.
Color: No colour added, un-chillfiltered.
Nose: Very light and clean, with an effervescent quality. Soft notes of white flowers and sweet mint sit on top, then nougat, malt, white chocolate, and creamy vanilla underneath. Citrus oils, Asian pear, some candied pineapple, and tamarind. Carbonated mineral water… oh, it’s that orange-flavoured Perrier! A hint of leather.
Palate: Medium-light texture, effervescent. Perfumed and cool on the arrival. There’s some cucumber, melon, green berries, as well as more of those flowers and orange oils. Then it’s unexpectedly beeswaxy, along with soft vanilla and more of a tropical twist to the fruit. Soft oak comes in towards the back, with cool herbs and grass, tempered by gentle honey and marshmallow.
Finish: Medium-long. Black tea and soft leather. More green fruit – cucumber, honeydew, kiwi, tamarind chutney (not green, I know) and lemongrass. There’s the zing of tangy pickled ginger and seltzer. Light malt. I forget who it was who came up with this, but there’s a bit of an asparagus note here.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Midnight garden walk in sparkling silk pyjamas”
Notes: A delicate drop, but a very, very tasty one. It’s not dissimilar to the rum-cask SMWS Aberlour I tried a few months ago, but stripped back to its barest essentials. It still has that lovely tropical and honeyed character, but where the SMWS had rich sweetness, this Scott’s has effervescence and cool flowers. That fizziness came through more in my second pour of this whisky, and was really delightful.
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.
Malt Runners 