Educational session with various Aberlour
We are going to pit a sherry matured Aberlour against a bottling by the uncrowned king of spirit-forward matured whisky (Archives) and their bourbon matured Aberlour. Because yes, let’s be honest, when I think of Aberlour my mind immediately wanders to sherry matured whisky. Their spirit seems to play nice with the invasive layers of fruit, nuttiness and leather. The A’Bunadh has a decades long reputation as one of the most attractive sherry monster expressions out there. This means it is only more fun to explore a more naked Aberlour.
We will start the session however with a whisky that was poured to me from a Aberlour bottle, but was in fact NOT made at that distillery. I did not know where to put it in my blogging scheme, so I will keep it short and quick, and use this grain whisky as a warming up of the tastebuds!
“Floral” blended grain Scotch whisky, sample bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: This was poured to me at my local retailer, who had this in the shop. The Aberlour bottle mentions the name “Floral”, and it is a blended grain Scotch whisky. When I google about it, we can see that this type of whisky is part of a ‘do it yourself’ blending kit, to recreate your own Chivas Regal at home. I am guessing, someone poured one of the elements of the blend in a bigger bottle. Maybe for a life-size recreation of the blend. After all, we know Springbank and Cadenhead also offer the chance to create your own 70 cl bottle of self-blended Scotch.
Upon Sipping: Floral, delicate and sweet, we read on the label. That is all it is, this blended grain, nothing offensive to be found in the glass here. It even takes a while for the traditional glue notes to emerge, but this is indeed delicate stuff. The 40 % abv keeps it simple. When you take a sip, you could almost get scared that it falls out of your mouth if you’re not careful, so light it is. I have never tasted such a lightweight whisky, not packing even the slightest punch. It is kind of likeable! It lacks the character that Table Whisky does have, but that was a single grain after all. The fruity, slightly industrious grain we have here, is simple, soft and … cute.
Word to the Wise: For educational purposes only. You can surely imagine that this will bulk up (literally) your whisky, without having any impact on it otherwise.
Score: 70 points.
Aberlour 2008, 16 years old, bottled at 55,5 % abv by Archives
First things first: Distilled on the 11th of December 2008 and bottled on 11 March 2025, so a nice recent one here! Hogshead #801193 yielded exactly 200 bottles in the Fishes of Samoa series.
Upon Sipping: Surprisingly creamy with even some hints of French cheese, before moving on to the predictable vanilla notes. With some breathing and swirling the whisky in the glass, I get a more grassy note. Sunflower oil and linseed. A very sunny, summery dram. The creamy mouthfeel is a logical continuation from the nose, where a lot of dry vanilla, wood and some smoky edge make for a pure drinking experience. The finish brings the alcohol first, then the whisky. We will try to turn that around with a splash of water. More grassy notes come forward, and maybe some elements from the neighbouring factory of Walker’s, also located in the town of Aberlour. Vanilla shortbread and buttery crème. On the palate, a little water will reward you with more fruitiness, in a very exclusive corner of the fruit basket. It is very lively, almost like an apple cider. The long years in the cask have create a mellow character, but still this Aberlour could have easily gone for ten more years. The only risk then would have been oak overload. This Aberlour brings balance.
Word to the Wise: Really a straightforward Speyside whisky, where you can see it is a great basis under something extra, like sherry maturation. This Archives is therefore very educational!
Score: 85 points.
Aberlour A’Bunadh, batch 46, bottled at 60,4 % abv
First things first: This one goes back in time quite a bit, as this A’Bunadh was bottled in 2013. Maturation in Spanish oloroso sherry butts. We tasted 1998 and 2024 A’Bunadh here.
Upon Sipping: Beautiful, dark golden colour. And then the nose on this creation. Really classic, like a dunnage warehouse on Speyside after a night of relentless rain, and the earthen floor is nigh invisible because of all the sherry casks stored in there. Lots of leather, overripe red fruit, furniture wax and whiffs of diesel. Yes folks, this is still whisky we are talking about. The sugary sweet arrival on the tongue makes you think of a rum first, but the sherry signature on this Aberlour A’Bunadh is one for the ages. Incredibly quaffable at this high abv. Only on the finish does this make for a hot experience, not unlike the bourbon Archives. Let us see if this Aberlour swims as well as the other did. Oh yes, the nose became even more rich, and the tasted even more rewarding, like Rainier cherries in a crisp salad. The finish displays the creamy character we also found in the Archives Aberlour. Just a dash of water was enough to turn this A’Bunadh in a batch to look for online.
Word to the Wise: Sherry casks were still of an extreme high quality back in 2013. This Aberlour at rocket fuel strength is just marvellous. A classic sherry beast. If you don’t know, this one would be very educational to learn what sherry maturation should be all about, instead of the sherry seasoned casks that are used today.
Score: 90 points.