The first glass of this made itself VERY well known – it was as it said – hello – my name is Aberlour. The wood and smoke hit you in a way that makes you take notice, but thankfully – this is actually a good whisky so taking notice is a good thing.
If anything the best aspect of this whiskey is there’s nothing about that sets off alarm bells. It’s just a flavorful and above-average scotch. We’ve never had Aberlour and bought it for basically that reason, and as an initial entry – it’s a hell of a welcome mat.
What they Say: “Bottle: This twelve year old Aberlour has been matured in two cask types. Traditional oak and sherry oak casks. Especially selected every year, they are filled with whisky and quietly aged for a minimum of twelve years then the casks are married together
Traditional oak casks encourage the subtle character of Aberlour to develop, whilst sherry oak casks add hints of ruby gold colour and a deep and rich flavour to the whisky. A perfectly balanced single malt with notes of fruits and spices.
Box Front: The Aberlour single malt has been matured in two handmade oak casks types. Traditional oak and the finest of Sherry oak casks.
Box Back: Nestling in the heart of Speyside is the village of Aberlour where a source of exceptionally pure spring water known as St. Drostan’s Well inspired James Fleming to build his distillery in 1897.
- Colour: Golden amber with hints of ruby red
- Nose: Very soft and rounded with fruity notes of red apples
- Palate: Sherried character and fruity aromas balanced with a rich chocolate, toffee, cinnamon and ginger spiciness
- Finish: Warming and lingering. Sweet and very slightly spicy”
Taste: 6.5 – An initial burst of sweetness followed by a bunch of wood and smoke. It really is very upfront about its flavor and sort of hits you in the face.
Aftertaste: 6.5 – That wood and smoke though continues and continues to linger. The smoke especially plays tricks on your nose.
Burn/Smooth: 7.5 – Despite the smoke, this actually is rather smooth with little to no ‘burn’ to speak of. The nice warming is also a welcome bonus.
Aroma: 6.0 – Sorry oak, but the sherry casking takes the center stage here. It’s pretty much overpowering and makes up 80% of the flavor here. It is mellowed so it’s not so bad, but still.
Honesty: 4.5 – So the village of Aberlour is in the Speyside region, but this is a Highland? We will deduct a fair amount of points for the large wanky novelization. Aside from the tasting notes they don’t majorly overstep so they don’t do too bad here.
Mixability: 6.5
W/ Rocks: 6.5 – The change here is odd. It’s actually welcome compared to the sort of ‘punch’ it has neat. However, while certainly a nice whiskey – it’s hard to say if this is in any way an improvement instead of a slightly different take.
Value: 5.0 – That is – well it’s pretty much exactly what you would expect to pay. It’s a nice single malt, so yeah – not the deal of the century, but they didn’t charge like 80 bucks or some dumb shit.
Google Shop Average: $55
Website: https://www.aberlour.com/en-US
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 7.0
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Metric Score: 42.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.07 |+| Reviewer Average: 7.0
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Final Thoughts: It might seem odd to award a 7 when none of the scores (except burn) actually scores that high, but hear us out. In short – there’s really no bad marks here outside having too much text. Having a scotch that is good both neat and on rocks, and isn’t costing an arm and a leg – well that’s pretty damn good in our opinion. Regardless of it not being the best whiskey – there’s nothing bad about it – which might be better.
