ABERLOUR SHOWDOWN Aberlour 16 Aberlour 18 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve not yet reviewed. In this particular case, I wrote a brief review the Aberlour 18 over a year ago, so it seems appropriate to review it with its younger sibling. I’ve owned the 12-year-old expression, and I wanted to include it, but apparently it was drained some time ago. Then I thought about including a couple of bottles of the Aberlour A’Bunadh, but since those are cask-strength bottlings, they are a bit incongruous with these, and are better reviewed on their own. Aberlour characterizes these whiskies as “double cask matured,” beginning their maturation in American oak casks, and finishing them in sherry oak casks. Aberlour 16 Clear sherry-influenced mahogany color; Pantone 153. Nose is a little muted, especially compared to the 18-year, but still shows Luxardo cherries, chocolate, nutmeg, and gentle spearmint coolness. Palate has some toffee and orange bitters, leading to a low-alcohol modest spice, and a little espresso bitterness on the short to medium finish. I purchased this, my first and only bottle of the 16, along with the 12, because I was in love with the cask-strength A’Bunadh, and already appreciated the 18. Frankly, when I purchased them I’d not paid attention to the fact that both the 12-year and 16-year were bottled at only 40% ABV. I’ve mentioned in several reviews my disdain for the focus on economics that this bare-minimum ABV represents. The 16-year-old can be found for about $120, and as such, is expensive for a 40% ABV whisky. It’s a sweet and approachable expression of a solid sherry-casked whisky. But would I buy it again? No. 3.5 on the Distiller scale, considering the poor value. 40% ABV. Batch AB16-1-19 Aberlour 18 Color virtually identical to the 16-year, despite another two years of aging; Pantone 153. The nose is fuller and richer than the 16: molasses, toffee, orange bitters, dark butterscotch, and mulled cider. The palate is far more expansive than the 16-year, with a more intense burnt orange and toffee, along with some sweet molasses from the nose. The finish shows a pleasant espresso bitterness, similar to the 16, but more robust. The higher ABV is apparent. The 18 can be found for around $200. Would I buy it again? Yes, if I’m not price-sensitive. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. 43% ABV. Unlike the 16-year, no batch number; this is an older bottle, with the older label, which didn’t include batch numbers. I don’t know if the newer bottlings include batch numbers. Compared to the 16-year-old, I would speculate that the 18-year-old’s higher ABV contributes as much, if not more, than the extra two years of aging (which is not that much in the cool and damp Scotch whisky aging process). This in turn begs the question of the purpose of a 16-year with the same 40% ABV of the 12-year, situated between the 12 and the 18. For most age-statement Scotch whiskies, a 10- or 12-year represents the entry-level offering. A bottling with 16 years of age is closer to 18 years than 12. Why offer the 16 at the same 40% ABV as the entry-level 12? Or, why offer (theoretically) a 16-year-old at the same 43% ABV as the 18? Neither make sense to me from a brand perspective. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.