First note, this is 40% ABV not 43%. Old-style packaging. I was very impressed with the A'Bunadh, and I thought the 16 was pretty good. Working my way down the latter, now I'm on to the 12 year-old. Nose: Fruity and floral. Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Plum, raisin, fig, date. A nice chestnut note. Honey, toffee, malt, vanilla, and caramel. Just a bit of spice. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Solid mix of bourbon and sherry cask notes. Not too complex at the legal minimum ABV, but still an enjoyable, streamline Speyside nose. Palate: Some poundcake, plum, date, fig, and raisin. More apple, pear, and apricot. Raspberry and orange. Caramel, vanilla, toffee, malt, brown sugar, and milk chocolate. Oak, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg carry over from the nose, though, as with the nose, it's a small dose. It's tasty, but it's a bit thin. Standard Speyside. Finish: Some more dry red fruit. Raisin, date, fig. Throw in some plum and cherry. More of the floral and fruity notes. Apple, pear, apricot. Touch of the spices. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Besides the cherry note, it adds nothing new. It's on the short side, but there are layers to the finish. Can't say that about many 40% ABV whiskies. I like what I'm drinking. Definitely worth the $40 I paid. That's dirt cheap for a single malt. Though, I factored in that that price is an outlier--this stuff tends to retail no less than $10-$15 that I paid. I've seen for $20 more. At those price points, it's hard to argue for this one. For what I paid, it's a very fair value. Double cask Speyside. Standard 12 years. Subpar 40% ABV. It gets 3.25 from me. I can name several simiarly-aged with similar maturation conditions that are superior to this one. If you want to be impressed by Aberlour, jump up to the 16 or the A'Bunadh, depending on your preference toward elegance or powerful flavor. As for the 12--I'll settle for saying this is decent. Returning to this one 3 and a half years later, I bumped my score. It’s the newer packaging this time. 3.25 at $43. The value holds up much better now that tariffs and inflation have their toll most plays—while this has only gone up $3 for me. A bit more complex than I remember as well. Though it’s still far from captivating, there’s enough to enjoy with this pleasant and clean bargain of a whisky.