Aberlour A'bunadh

Nose: Stewed cherries surprisingly comes out first, I was expecting ethanol instead due to the ABV. There's also some bright plum on front, followed by some sweet, biscuity, malt. Underneath the fruit, I also find some brown sugar and molasses and a hint of wood spice. Palate: Definitely some spice on the tongue at first - a bit tingly. Lots of honey, and TONS of graham cracker and biscuity malt. The sherry influence comes in after the malt, with yogurt-covered raisins, lots of dates, some nuttiness, and a slightly bitter wood note. There's a bit of an ambiguous smoky note in there as well. Finish: Medium length and dry. alt dominates the finish alongside some more raisins and dates. That bitter wood note also sticks around unfortunately - kinda like a walnut-type of bitter. Water dulls the nose a bit and definitely brings some alcohol burn, which was surprisingly lacking initially. Under the ethanol, there's some buttery grain, wood spice, and orange honey. It's much more voluminous and oily feeling now, with lots more oak, cinnamon, and cardamom. Loads more spices with water. The drying date note disappears and is replaced by more nuttiness and caramel-covered raisins. Conclusion: This reminds me of the bottom of a bag of trail mix - raisins, dates, and all the broken bits of nuts. I'm a pretty big fan of the heavy sherry influence, but I don't know if this is worth the price. I'd never turn down a glass, but I don't know if I'd pay the $100+ I've seen listed in some places.

So much better than the Aberlour 12. So rich, candied & tropical fruits - pineapple, banana, sherry notes, lots of spice. Bang! 8.2

Best sherry cask scotch ive had yet. The cask strength leads to a lot of complexity. Berries, cherries, spice and wine on the nose. Tastes a whole lot like it smells. Considering the high %, the alcohol burn was minimal but it really mellows out well with a couple drops. Loving this one.

Cask strength. Could use a little water. Reminiscent of a solid bourbon but not as sweet.

Too strong in alcohol for me! Burns so good!