Six Aberlours Before Christmas


December 4, 2024

Six Aberlours Before Christmas

Aberlour, the malt whisky king of France—or at least one of the leaders, with exclusive vintages available at our hypermarkets, for example. And they’re good… But that’s not what we’ll be tasting today.

(Perfect music for The Sponge's pretty glam old Aberlour)

Aberlour ‘A’bunadh Batch #77’ (60.8%, OB, Spanish oloroso butts, 2023)

As ever, keeping up with Aberlour’s batches feels like chasing one’s tail, but we do try to sample at least one out of every two or three since that very first ‘no batch number’ release back in 1998 (WF 88). The last one we tasted, Batch #75 from 2022, struck us as particularly rustic compared to others (WF 84). Colour: full gold. Nose: Kicks off with the ever-faithful walnut and honey cake, a touch of fresh varnish and coconut in the background, then a wave of sticky toffee pudding and roasted pecans. That’s pretty much irresistible. With water: just a whisper of brake pad smoke, a hint of roasted aubergine, and then the usual parade of dried fruits, chocolate, roasted malt, and spices. Mouth (neat): very classic—chocolate-covered cherries (Mon Chéri), raisins, and fruitcake. That usual powerful delivery, slightly perilous if you’re not careful, given how deceptively easy it drinks. With water: this strikes me as a solid batch. Lovely pepperiness, bitter oranges, black coffee, cherry stones, ginger, and nutmeg. Finish: extremely long, with spiced caramel making its mark alongside a good dose of liquorice. Comments: there’s also a touch of violet-tinged liquorice lingering in the retro-olfaction.
SGP: 661 - 87 points.

Aberlour 11 yo 2012/2024 (59.3%, James Eadie, first fill oloroso butt finish, cask #367507, 545 bottles)

We’re in very familiar territory here, and it looks promising… Colour: amber. Nose: the style is very close to the A’bunadh, but this one leans slightly more towards plum jam and honey, after a faintly leafy opening. A touch of teriyaki adds a savoury twist. With water: all about the chocolate, really going all in. Mouth (neat): strikingly similar to A’bunadh, with an intense dose of chocolate liquorice, orange zest, and candied ginger coated in dark chocolate. With water: beautifully crafted, though that’s no surprise. You can tell there’s a superb cask behind this. Finish: long, with that wonderful liquorice lingering, plus a subtle saline edge that keeps things interesting. A perfect finish. Comments: a finish so seamless it could easily be mistaken for full maturation.
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Aberlour 2008/2024 (54.1%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 24030, 274 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one is quite similar again, but a touch earthier, opening on shoe polish and wax before fresh walnuts tumble into black tea (if you like). With water: a mix of bouillon, metal polish, and a hint of brine. Mouth (neat): very rich, starting with notes of black truffle, then more liquorice, moving boldly into salmiak. Dark cherries, kirsch, and chocolate follow shortly after. The truffle sticks around (think tuber melanosporum), joined by chocolate truffles and whisky truffles (naturally). With water: similar, but with added green spices and a hint of smoked paprika. Finish: long, with the expected arrival of orange marmalade. Comments: more rustic, less polished than the others, but I like it a lot too. You just have to enjoy truffle.
SGP: 561 - 86 points.

Aberlour 14 yo 2008/2023 (54.8%, OB, Distillery Reserve Collection, 1st fill barrel, cask #636262, 300 bottles)

Bourbon, for a change. Colour: white wine. Nose: a true breath of fresh air after all those splendid sherry monsters. Here we’re on redcurrants, fresh barley, golden apples, orgeat, delicate orange blossom biscuits, and a hint of banana… absolutely delightful. With water: chalk, champagne, honeysuckle, and bread dough. Nothing to fault here. Mouth (neat): fairly powerful but fresh and, above all, very floral this time, beyond the various kinds of apple we detect. There’s also a touch of violet and a subtle hop note. With water: that typical fruitiness of sherry-free Aberlour, reminiscent of a little orchard in the countryside. People often say ‘priest’s garden’, though whether that phrase still holds much meaning is debatable. Finish: medium in length, fresh, lively, and full of liquorice (liquorice allsorts, to be precise). Comments: a very, very pretty dram, the perfect malt for the next spring. We’re either slightly ahead of schedule… or slightly behind, agreed?
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Aberlour 15 yo 2008/2024 (59.1%, LMDW, Artist #14, oloroso sherry hogshead, cask #801189, 266 bottles)

I find these bottles and labels so pretty that you could almost forget about what’s inside. Of course, I’m joking—well you know what I mean… Colour: light mahogany. Nose: back to metal polish, shoe polish, dark chocolate, and roasted nuts… It’s the polish that really stands out here, and I’m very curious to see what water will do to this fairly massive oloroso. Also, roasted chestnuts. With water: not many changes, though you do get faint notes of chicken and beef bouillon, marrow dumplings, and dry-cured ham, all in subtle touches. Mouth (neat): an explosion of chocolates, pepper, and prunes—especially damson. Then it grows increasingly into tobacco and old walnuts. We’re definitely talking about dark fruits here. With water: Christmas jam, spices, cloved oranges, and ginger chocolate… Finish: long and drier, with plenty of tobacco. Coffee and chocolate linger on the aftertaste. Comments: we’re getting close to the greatness of the old sherried square OB bottles, aren’t we?
SGP: 561 - 89 points.

Aberlour 33 yo 1989-1991/2024 (49.7%, Whisky Sponge, Decadent Drinks, refill hogsheads, 295 bottles)

The two vintages aren’t explicitly mentioned on the label, but the design—this time around—seems to suggest that we should don platform boots, round Janis-style sunglasses, and sleeveless Afghan waistcoats while sipping this dram to the sound of Marc Bolan. Tempting as that may be, let’s skip the costume (been there, done that). Still, incredible that The Sponge managed to unearth old Aberlour like this. Colour: white wine. Nose: it feels almost youthful, yet with surprising complexity for what might be considered a “young” whisky—if you get my drift. It’s all about time, not wood or wine. Reminds me of something César Giron, one of Pernod Ricard’s big bosses, said in Le Figaro this morning: “What does it take to craft a great spirit? Time. Patience. Time is something money cannot buy. Our craft is, in a way, selling time—true luxury.” Spot on. Here we start with delicate resins, flowers, herbs, oil paint, and fine leather polish, giving the impression of stepping into an old Rolls-Royce (I imagine—I lack the experience). Then apples, mint, dill, and subtle honeyed touches. Deeply complex, yet unhurried—like an Ingmar Bergman film. A whisky for art-house enthusiasts, or a “slow whisky.” Mouth: about thirty types of apples and plums, paired with twenty varieties of honey and honeydew. I’m summarising. Then those fine herbs—dill, woodruff, savoury, watercress—everything is so refined. Finish: fairly long, leaning more into a ‘honeyed’ sweetness (though not sugary), with a spiced mead vibe and a touch of mint. Citrus comes in towards the end, lifting the aftertaste and adding a refreshing twist. Comments: very much in the style of the early 1970s—think vintage Glenlivet, Glen Grant, or Caperdonich. Torn between 90 and 91 points, but Christmas is near, so let’s play Bang a Gong (Get It On) and go for…
SGP: 651 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Aberlour we've tasted so far