Aberlour 15 yo Double Cask Single Malt 40%
Sherry and malt with a coating of vanilla, cardamom and peppery spice, the oak supportive in the lower notes.
The palate has sweet oloroso and liquorice, the oak and sherry combination dominating but a little thin with the trademark Aberlour spice and pepper on the finish.
A dash of water boosts the barley but the palate still lacks in character and body. 80
Aberlour 16 yo Double Cask Single Malt 43% Rich fruit cake, toffee and sherried barley, cherry, the malt much more prominent than the 12 yo.
The vanillas are rich with rumtopf drying to the usual spice and pepper finish.
Water accentuates the barley marinading in syrupy oloroso, the four more years breaking the youth of the 12 yo and balancing this dram beautifully. 88
Aberlour 18 yo Single Malt 43%
The Matabele ants are on the march again but this time the queen is with them.
PX (Pedro Ximenez) sherry in all its saturated, sweetened glory!
Again, like the 16 yo, the barley is the backbone, then rich toffee and orange marmalade.
Woah! Flavour fireworks as you sip this one....
PX dominates initially and then Aberlour's classic sherry-soaked spice and pepper take over, lingering for about a decade, leaving the finest, sweetest Spanish oak.
A dash of water thickens this dram to a velvety, syrupy mouthfeel convincing me that this is the perfectly balanced Aberlour. 92
Aberlour a'bunadh Single Malt Cask Strength Batch No:26 60.6%
Rich buttery fudge and toffee made with copious quantities of oloroso sherry laced with garden mint and despite the abv, the malted barley still shows off.
The tongue experiences treacle and molasses. So sweet, you would think a few PX casks were thrown into the marriage, the signature spicy pepper on the finish with a hint of salt this time.
The gorgeous heavy richness of sherried Spanish oak lingering indefinitely. Simply exquisite. 93
