Aberfeldy 12 Year

I opened this bottle two weeks ago. On a Monday night. For Monday Night Football. The Eagles were playing the Vikings, and I had to go into the office the next morning for the first in-office business meeting I've had since March 2020. Get me? What that means is, I needed to drink responsibly. And by responsibly, I mean I required an 80 proof whisky. Usually football games mean four pours. One for every quarter. And sometimes, I'll go higher proof for the first two quarters and switch to lower proof for the last two. But in this case, I had to wake up early the next morning, shower, dress in my Sunday best, commute, sit in a board room with superiors, watch slide shows, provide feedback. And this meant that, well, it meant I wanted to keep those four pours not affecting my quality of sleep, not only did I not want a hangover, I didn't want a dazed sort of half-waking that you get sometimes if you're up late drinking but you didn't drink enough for a headache. So, that's the first thing I'll say in Aberfledy's favor. The proof. 12 year, 80 proof. You know what to expect don't you? There's a certain standardization here. It's not going to rock your socks off if you're seasoned, but is it any good? You see a lot of reviews here stating that this is a decent entry-level pour. And it is. I'm a Dewar's fan (it was my starter Scotch blend). And this is one of the primary elements in Dewar's from what I understand. The nose is vanilla, honey and stone fruit, as you'd find in an older version of Dewars. As you find in many Highlands scotches. The palate is much the same, adding a touch of sherry to the honey and vanilla. The finish is short with a touch of spice. Truth be told, I like this better than Highland Park 12 these days. And I understand that, even though I found it for $45, it can be found even cheaper elsewhere. If you can get it for cheaper, go for it. It's good, and not bad to have around for those moments when you need something 80 proof and ask yourself, well, what do I got? (The answer in my case was Bowmore 12 also...and I brought that up from my basement storage area and decided to swap it for this Aberfeldy last minute). Now, the question remains, I can get carried away by interesting packaging, and you case see from my photo that I picked up the sarcophagus. What the hell do you do with this when you're finished the bottle? Suggestions? A friend says, you put your weed in there. But, um, I don't generally go that route for intoxication. So, any other ideas are welcome. P.S. Speaking of Highland Park, on that evening, I also drained the last pour of my Highland Park 12 Year Viking Honor. This was to celebrate my Eagles draining the Viking's honor on national TV.

Good as it is.

Nose: Wooden notes with some cinnamon. Hints of wine from barrels but very light. Palate: Clean sweet flavor with floral and honey hints. Slight grassy flavors. Finish: Light finish with slight thick feel. Hints of oak on the mouth. Not very offensive and an easy clean drink with no strong alcohol tastes. Smooth, but not very complex. Great everyday budget drinker.

First attempt at drinking and appreciating scotch. I get lots of Honey notes. I tried it with and without a few drops of water and find a prefer it with the water. Overall I enjoyed the scotch.

Smooth with a nice edge to it. Slightly peaty.