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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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May 22, 2024 |
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WF's Little Duos, today indie sherried young Aberlour
It is one of the few distilleries where we taste many more official releases than independent bottlings. A bit like Lagavulin, really. Yet we'll have two indies today…
(Classic print ad from the 1970s. All malts were using more or less the same angles.)
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Aberlour 12 yo 2012/2024 (48.2%, Signatory Vintage, Small Batch #9, 1st fill oloroso sherry butts) 
A relatively recent series, seemingly well-regarded across various quarters. Colour: amber gold. Nose: classic sherry, walnut cake, dark ale, and a hint of molasses, followed by a generous array of dates and toffee. very well-balanced, excellently constructed around the sherry profile. Mouth: quite spicy at the outset, with notable ginger, nutmeg, and grey pepper… the toffee then gracefully joins in, accompanied by a sweeter sherry (noticeably sweeter than the usual oloroso). One cannot help but think of A'bunadh, but here there is a touch more citrus, featuring blood oranges and a hint of Szechuan pepper. Finish: fairly long, with a persistent woody and chocolatey character. a subtle café-kirsch note lingers in the aftertaste, adding a pleasant complexity. Comments: a rather spicy and fairly modern interpretation of an Aberlour 'sherry'. Nothing to fault, it certainly does the job.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Aberlour 11 yo 2011/2022 (55.9%, Blackadder, Raw Cask, PX sherry cask, cask #22, 290 bottles) 
Colour: dark gold. Nose: this expression is all about walnuts, mustard sauce, oxidation, Malaga, old figs, beef, and dried ham... It's pure sherry, which I greatly appreciate. Adding a few drops of water brings out a subtle earthy note. Think flowering plant soil, tobacco, leather, and a touch of umami... Mouth (neat): really quite Malaga! Raisins and mustard, a cascade of nuts (both old and fresh), and an abundance of PX. Then, it becomes much spicier with cardamom, nutmeg, pepper... It's quite forceful, almost aggressively so. With water: a slight vinegar touch, dried fruits, pickles, and a hint of cedarwood... Finish: long, rather taut, with a touch of vinegar again (balsamic), bitter chocolate, and clove... Plenty of PX lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: it's more complex than the 2012, but also a bit wild and even somewhat unruly. Very good, in any case.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
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