Origin: Spesyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 56.5%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers)
Average price: € 240.00
Official website: www.aberlour.com
Vote: 83/100
Here’s one of those bottles that, when you have the chance to buy it, makes you feel a bit special.
It’s in fact a special bottling, only available at the distillery, filled by hand and sold to those who are able (and, these days, lucky) enough to be on site to grab a bottle.
The cost, moreover, is quite low at the beginning (around £70), rising with time given the exceptional nature of the bottle.
Single cask of Sherry, bottled cask strength and without alteration on 26 September 2015: this isn’t the same bottle you see in the photo, which have been bottled a couple of weeks earlier.
Tasting notes
Amber in the glass.
An abundance of red and dried fruits, overlapping blueberries, figs, dates, black cherries and blackberries, with a vinous dryness acting as a common thread. Nutmeg, liquorice, dark chocolate and a hint of tobacco complete a fully sherried nose profile, perhaps a little boring. Over time, a subtle citric astringency appears.
Creamy and spicier on the palate, with a definite presence of ginger and pepper alongside nutmeg, which puts the fruity tones on the back burner, leaving more room for leather, tobacco, chocolate, liquorice, candied orange and a distinct trail of salt.
The finish is quite long and dry with spices, red fruits, leather and bitter orange.
What is commonly called a sherry bomb, almost by the book, and for that reason a bit flat and old-fashioned, with no particular points of interest or personality. It flows along nicely and is forgotten fairly quickly.