2011-08 Aberlour A'bunadh

It was going to be hard to live up to the hype... one night only of seven different batch numbers of Aberlour a'bunadh cask strength olorosso-matured scotch whisky.

Were the malts really as different from each other as some of us expected? Or was this to be a nght of splitting hairs? The a'bunadh is a mighty and classic speyside whisky, which has won Best of the Best in the past, so whatever way you look at it was going to be an amazing night.

Four regulars had contributed older batch numbers towards the night, Wayne, John, Matt and Dean. They were in. For the remaining 24 places Regional built up a list of around a hundred hopefuls. A computer generated random lottery draw was used to make the whole process fair for everyone.

Guesswork was obviously going to be basically impossible, being much like having seven mysteries, so three quarters of us got 0 or 1 right, yet we did have one getting 5 out of 7!

The range of colours in the whiskies was only very slight, as was the alcohol levels, ranging between 59.7% and 60.4%. We did a caclulation and found this was the tasting with the highest amount of alcohol we had ever served, even more than nine isle of Islays the weeks before, but good to form everyone treated the night with great respect of such a powerful scotch.

The ratings and reviews are as below, including a correction for the overall winner! (I had 1st and 2nd place the wrong way around but the scores correct anyway):

Aberlour a'bunadh batch #6 59.9% Score 9.46 came first.
NOSE: Rum, varnish, cigars, sweet leather, marzipan, baking, Xmas cake, freshly dressed timber, orange.
PALATE: Sweet, woody, like Adelphi Bunnahabhain 9!, dry balance, orange.
FINISH: Wasabi, dry wood, lots of personality, bittersweet spice, a hint of smoke, cigars, medium length but still the best... by a whisker.

Aberlour a'bunadh batch #32 60.4% Score 9.42 came second.
NOSE: Lots of sherry wood, musky and musty, classic a'bunadh, leather, a savoury side, citrous note, reduced powderyness.
PALATE: Caramel, burnt sugar, vapourous, smooth.
FINISH: Cognac, sweet, bitter oak, builds, perfect finish.

Aberlour a'bunadh batch #27 60.1% Score 9.35 came third.
NOSE: Powdery, bananas, american oak notes, a dryer side, pine, aniseed, frogs, fruity, chocolate.
PALATE: Oily, smooth, old school desk, sugar, raisins, sharp, big, weighty, muffins.
FINISH: Hint of smoke, spice, anaesthetic, subtlety, long.

Aberlour a'bunadh batch #35 60.3% Score 9.31 came fourth.
NOSE: Sweet, caramel, bread, creaming soda, subtle, light floral notes, the banana is back, currant buns, hairspray.
PALATE: As smooth as Mueller's voice, sweet, chocolate, desert.
FINISH: Goes spicy, perky nana, oranges, delayed heat, fruity, rounded, bitter tail notes, long.

Aberlour a'bunadh batch #28 60.2% Score 8.87 Came fifth.
NOSE: Sweet, sherry wood, raisins, PX even, cognac, powdery feathers, fruity, bananas, apricots, cake, bread.
PALATE: Sweet, bright, chewy, cheese, BIG.
FINISH: Ooo, wood, pineapple, pepper, prickle, long and clean.

Aberlour a'bunadh batch 24 60.2% Score 8.57 came sixth.
NOSE: Bourbon wood notes, hot coffee, hessian prickle, packing cases, solvent, creamy beans, a fresh cigar, dark chocolate, hot wood, liquorice, powdery, half a match head.
PALATE: Lighter, prickle, bitter oak, marmalade, nutmeg.
FINISH: Succulent, spicy, pretty long, bitter tail.

Aberlour a'bunadh batch #11 59.8% Score 8.46 came seventh.
NOSE: Very sweet, sherried, liquour, lessened oak, mellowed, powdery, shoe polish, petrol, lanolin, hint of raisins, agave.
PALATE: Much dryer than the nose, carpet, vanilla, hot fruit, drambuie liquour, not as complex as some of the others.
FINISH: Musty, bitter oak, medium/long, bright.

Consider that the top four a'bunadhs scored above 9.3, surely a rightful contender for Best of the Best 2011? Stay tuned...

DMM/RWS