ABERLOUR A’BUNADH SHOWDOWN (The rating on this review applies to Batch 56, which doesn’t have a page on Distiller). Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 56 Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 64 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve yet to review. I did review an unknown batch of A’Bunadh (numerically only) on December 14, 2019. And inexplicably, neither of the two batches that I’m reviewing here have their own distinct Distiller pages; thus I’ll review each of these on the non-batch-specific A’Bunadh page. Is there a bigger “sherry bomb?” I’ve been a huge A’Bunadh fan from my first sip, and have gone through several bottles and batches; these are the last two in my inventory—in fact, the Batch 56 bottle was emptied for this review. Only one left! Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 56 Color is a clear, deep, red-tinged mahogany, most closely aligned to Pantone 160. Sweet Jesus! Full-throttle, sherry-influenced nose: molasses, tangy barbecue sauce, raisins, chocolate covered cherries, Chinese five-spice, copper, pecan pie, pralines, and vanilla extract. The ethanol is essentially unnoticed on the nose—at 122.4 proof. The palate hits you with gobs of sugar, both brown and caramelized and just a little viscosity. The ethanol announces its presence as it transitions to the finish, but it actually rings the doorbell rather than pounds on the door as one would expect. There is a subtle (and appreciated) bitterness consistent with the caramelized sugar on the finish, lingering vanilla, and a petrol note. Deep, rich flavors and high proof: what’s not to like? The current release of Aberlour A’Bunadh—I’m not sure what the batch number is—typically retails for a little north of $100. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. 61.2% ABV. NAS. Batch 56. Non-chill filtered. Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 64 Color is virtually identical to Batch 56; Pantone 160. Quite different nose however: it’s not as effusive, and there’s a dusty element initially, along with cocoa powder, grape-jelly reduction (this is imagined, but it’s deeper than Smucker’s out of the jar), neatsfoot-oiled leather, dried orange, and clove. The palate is more flavorful, but lacks the intensity of Batch 56; Some peppercorn spice on the finish; the dried orange from the nose reappears, along with drying leather. Batch 64 is not in the same league as Batch 56; it lacks that intensity and complexity, but it’s still delicious. Would I buy it again? Yes. Without question. Whatever the release of Aberlour A’Bunadh, it is a must-have in any serious whisk(e)y lover’s portfolio. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. 59.9% ABV. NAS. Batch 64. Non-chill filtered. I’d like to see more disclosure from Aberlour for its A’Bunadh offering. There’s no age statement, but what’s the risk in disclosing this from batch to batch? It won’t prohibit its legion of loyal fans from buying it; rather, the added transparency would have the exact opposite effect. How about the type of sherry butts? Are they Oloroso? PX? Some combination? And then there’s the issue of coloring: the label says that their methods ensure “a dark, luxurious and rich whisky” (separately: why no Oxford comma?). But they don’t explicitly state that there is no added coloring, and at least one website says that coloring is added to the 10-year and 18-year Abelour offerings (coloring has to be disclosed on European labels, apparently). Aberlour A’Bunadh is one of those whiskies that will suck a whisky geek into its vortex, insisting that they purchase each and every release—in the name of science and empirical analysis, of course. The subtle batch-to-batch differences must be ferreted out! The issue is—like the triannual releases of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof or its distillery cousin, Larceny Barrel Proof—it can be difficult to keep up with each release due to the high alcohol content and plethora of other whiskies that are begging for your attention (I know this personally from ECBP, but that hasn’t stopped me). N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.