Stop number 62 on the SDT is Aberlour. There are many expressions from this Speyside distillery, and even though I have a bottle of the 18 in my cabinet, I chose the big daddy of them all to be my first. Each batch of this NAS single malt is matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at cask strength. This sample is from batch number 46, which comes in at an ample 60.3% ABV. Non chill filtered and natural color of a dark mahogany. Heavy oak and mint were the first notes I picked up on. Initially it come across as more of a well aged bourbon than a scotch. Toffee, brown sugar, caramel and cinnamon. The Oloroso sherry starts to show with heavy chocolate notes and some fruits. Baked apples, pears, raisins and cherries. Slightly earthy with a wisp of smoke, tobacco notes and a touch of anise and ginger. With this being cask strength I had to add some water to see what else it could show me. Basically it brought out more sweetness and less fruits. More toffee, caramel, vanilla and cinnamon. A bit of a mocha/coffee feel with some ripe banana and mixed nuts. Mint and oak come back around as well. Pretty good stuff. At first the palate is warm and welcoming, but after the second sip the ABV reminds you that you are not going to get away with drinking this neat for long. A little water is really all that is needed to fully enjoy this one. Brown sugar apples and pears, plenty of cinnamon, some caramel and toffee. Sherry and maple syrup. Spiced fruitcake, light tobacco, mocha, cherry cordials and cherry cola. Sherried oak and a lot of it. Plenty of spice and heat and some overripe banana. On the first sip I would have called this medium bodied, but after the second one it’s definitely full bodied. Fairly oily, mouthwatering and mouth coating. The finish is long, spicy, oaky, dry with pears and lots of cherries. While it is possible to enjoy this one at cask strength, I wouldn’t recommend it. This is one of the few whiskies, for me anyways, that really improves with the addition of water. It brings out more flavor, but more importantly, it drops the spice level so you can taste it. I preferred the nose without water, but not by much. I believe this batch was purchased for $60, which is a superb value, but current prices put it over $100. To me that seems to be about $20-30 too much. I’d like to try other batches to see how they compare, but I seriously doubt I will ever buy a bottle. A solid 4 and a big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers 🥃