Had a doubleheader tasting of Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask Matured and Aberlour A’Bunadh to confirm (or reconfirm?) my suspicions. Nose: Oak and creamy sherry casks are evident. Strong red apple - very akin to the red delicious variety. Ripe plums headed toward prunes. Lots of Christmas baking spices - cinnamon, ginger, allspice. Cake-like vanilla and butter. Hints of semi-sweet chocolate. The malt and oak really power through the longer it has to open up. There’s a faint bit of oiliness like starchy French fries. Palate: Thin, sweet, and buttery fruits hit first, then the heavy raisins and plums kick in followed by waves of spice and oaky astringency. It’s a little light-bodied in mouthfeel but manages to be somewhat rich for 40% ABV. I feel like the palate slightly under-delivers given what the nose has going on. Finish: Medium length and warming. Lots of baking spice and oak, and astringency almost to the point that some people might wonder if it’s healthy to be drinking this much oak tea. Thoughts: My bottle is about half full so I’ve definitely had opportunity to visit with this. I just feel like this dram is a bit disjointed - I don’t think the knowledge that this comes from a mixture of casks is coloring my impressions, it’s just missing the integration I’d like to see. I wondered if I would enjoy Aberlour 16 more until I saw @jonwilkinson7309 ‘s enlightening review. Still a fairly solid dram and a reasonable value if you can find it sub-$40. It’s just lost in a very crowded field competing for your attention at this price point and I’m more inclined to spend a few dollars more to get a better integrated Balvenie 12 Doublewood. 3.0 ~ 76 ~ Average