Aberlour 10 Year

Rating: 9/23 So, Aberlour 12 seemed a bit too young. I'm very skeptical of the 10. N: Wow, there's way less going on with the nose here than in the 12. The 12 has some nice strawberry and cereal and such. This has pretty much nothing. Digging into the nose, I get some mild bitterness and savoriness that I suspect is the alcohol. I also get some fruit that smells like it has potential, but it's faint. Some candied orange comes out here, which is quite unlike the 12. There's perhaps strawberry, sultanas, and possibly raisins or prunes as well. It's all just so faint though and the alcohol is quite noticeable. P: The alcohol is more present than in the 12 and there's kind of a richer caramel sweetness emphasizing the sultana flavor in a way that reminds me a little bit of a tawny port, but also just like a less aged Aberlour 12. I would have guessed that this was 43% or 46% ABV. It's quite different from the softness of the 12. The orange turns out to be more of a zest flavor and it balances quite well with the caramel and sultana. As for herbal flavor, there's a slight hint of terragon. It's a mild palate that is fairly uncomplex and full of alcohol, but actually is surprisingly good (not actually good; just better than expected). Harshness does come out, so that isn't so great though. This has a flavor that weirdly reminds me of a cask strength offering because it has a lot of alcohol and is surprisingly viscous and rich. F: The sultana and other fruit flavors linger nicely with a clean watery flavor, yet it isn't thin. The bitter alcohol comes through at the end, but it doesn't taste bad. It's nothing great, but it's not bad either. Boy, if you thought Aberlour 12 was too young, do I have a dram for you to try! Aberlour can produce some solid stuff, but it struggles at young ages, much like Glenfarclas does. Whereas Glenfarclas suffers from including too much of the heads and tails (likely because it uses the same amounts in all of its age statements), Aberlour clearly uses mostly hearts; however, Aberlour's. usage of hearts, mild (likely refill) bourbon barrels, and inadequate (either in time or strength of the flavors in the barrel) sherry finishing brings it down. At 12 years, Aberlour has barely crossed the line into kind of drinkable territory. At 10 years, it is on the wrong side. There's too much alcohol and the balance is out of whack. Surprisingly, this does have its place. But I still don't like it. The orange and sultana here are nice, but the alcohol is very present and also quite harsh in comparison with the 12. I like that the caramel here doesn't have any sense of being artificial, but the smoothness of the 12 really wins out. This isn't as much worse than the 12 than I thought it would be if you're already looking to try something young, but I'd take the 12 because if I'm having something without thinking, I'd rather have something easy to drink. I think I'd also take Sir Edward's 12 over this just a bit. Sir Edward's has more oiliness than I'd like, but this has more bitter alcohol and harshness. On the other hand, this is a small step up from Ainsley Brae Burgundy with its more viscous mouthfeel and less aggressive gummy fruit snack flavor. I think that puts this at right around a 9.

Banoffee pie!

Forget Glenmorangie 10, this is the true entry level young whiskey. So much flavor, very spicy and woody, less sweet, but more flavorable than many whiskys I tried. Not very complex, but a big and full taste nonetheless. Heat level is excellent, a nice kick, but without serious alcohol burn. Smooth enough, but with a slight rough edge. I'm not complaining. I am beginning to wonder if I prefer younger, less complex whiskys and brandys better than aged ones?