Some Aberfeldy and some red wine


July 10, 2025

Some Aberfeldy and some red wine

The brand’s use of wine has become so massive it’s actually quite funny. The trick is to take it all with a pinch of salt. Look, here are two new examples today – both limited editions.

The cynics might say that’s actually the best news in all of this... I just hope these babies won’t overshadow the impression left by their recent and very excellent Aberfeldy 2014 ‘Exceptional Cask Scottish oak finish'.

Aberfeldy 15 yo ‘Finished in Bolgheri Red Wine Casks’ (46%, OB, Red Wine Cask collection, batch #2924/B, 2024)

Now then, Bolgheri is the very place where those super-Tuscan Bordeaux-style blends hail from, which, truth be told, we rather struggle to finish (Sassicaia, Ornellaia and suchlike) The worst of Italy, really, despite their having so many other absolute marvels elsewhere. Imagine gleefully planting Sangiovese or Nebbiolo in France! Madness. Colour: gold. No rosé hue, thankfully. Nose: naturally it’s all right, it doesn’t reek of raw stave or new planks, but there’s a duo of pepper and green capsicum, along with blackcurrant bud, which always tends to set the nerves slightly on edge. It’s a layered nose, one might say, with a delayed and restrained arrival of raspberries and cherries. Mouth: decent, though not terribly charming, with a rather awkward and somewhat Janus-like split personality. Raspberry liqueur-filled chocolates, green pepper and cardamom, with cherry and black pepper stepping in a little later to help steady the ship. Finish: fairly long, though rather leafy. Comments: definitely an improvement over other, previous red-wined ones
SGP:561 - 77 points.

Right, I’ve probably ruffled a few feathers again, I’m afraid. But wait, here comes a genuine Italian…

Aberfeldy 18 yo ‘Finished in Sangiovese Red Wine’ (46%, OB, Red Wine Cask collection, batch #2924/A, 2024)

Sangiovese is the noble grape of Chianti, responsible for some of the world’s greatest red wines. But in whisky, well, let’s see, though philosophically, we’ll take this over some dreary ‘Bordeaux blend’ any day. Colour: gold. Remarkable how little visual impact these wine casks actually have. Nose: phew, as expected, this is much better, more on Mediterranean scrubland herbs, myrtle, waxes, wild cherries, even olive oil and maraschino. Altogether a very Italian sort of Aberfeldy. Mouth: now that’s more like it indeed. Far more expressive, herbal, slightly acidic, jittery, with tart cherries and the kind of liqueurs our southern friends do so well, plus, predictably enough, a few pretty notes of grappa. Still not entirely Scottish malt whisky in soul, but the European flair is rather charming. Finish: long, and quite strikingly on bitter orange and pepper. I even get two or three black olives, though perhaps I’m dreaming. Comments: a lovely result from what sounded like a daft idea. Perhaps next time with the finest Gran Selezione?
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Phew! Let’s move on to a young, naturally presented Independent, and that’ll be us done for today…

Aberfeldy 10 yo 2014/2024 (60.7%, Fragrant Drops, refill bourbon barrel, cask #252, 207 bottles)

This ought to be clean as a whistle. Colour: gold. Nose: new-make barley eau-de-vie, orange and banana peels, barley sugar, muesli, baker’s yeast, brioche dough… Exactly what one expected really, we’re firmly in raw ingredient territory here. With water: no real shift, save for a little vanilla and even more barley syrup showing up. Mouth (neat): rather like this, it’s all apples, pears and an assortment of little plums, with a fairly assertive farm-cider vibe. Nature at full throttle! With water: the beers come charging through, reminding us once again that whisky is, first and foremost, distilled beer. Finish: long, a touch more herbal, a notch more peppery. Comments: basic but very likeable, in a super-natural, very young, very rustic style.
SGP:551 - 82 points.

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