Review 186: Aberlour 16 Year

Review 186

11/23/13

Aberlour 16 Year: 43% abv

Background: Back in Review 126, we reviewed Aberlour 12 Year. Both Aberlour 12 Year and Aberlour 16 Year are “double casked”, which means they are aged in two separate barrels. They’re both bottled at 43%, they both move from a bourbon to a sherry cask, so this is a pretty good comparison of what 4 extra years of maturation will add to a whisky. Two batches were separately aged in sherry and bourbon casks for 16 years each, and then blended appropriately to get the right flavor. When we reviewed the 12 Year, we said it lacked the complexity to compete with some of the other Scotches we’ve tried. The big question now is, did the extra time help to add to the complexity of this big branded Scotch.

Straight

Nose: The nose starts off with rich notes of chocolate and caramel. There is a definite presence of raison sherry and rich fruits. The fruit flavors include strawberries, raspberries, and cranberry. There is an odd hint of banana present as well. All of these fruit flavors mix well with an aroma of yogurt. There is a suggestion of Murphy’s Oil that hides in the back of the nose, but does not dominate. There is a little bit of malt grain flavor, but being a malt addict, there could be much more. There is a miniscule herbal note of parsley.  

Arrival:  There is a nice creamy, malt flavor that comes through in the arrival, which is nice and refreshing. There is a bit of caramel syrup flavor that compliments the malt flavor. The arrival is pretty woody, with a bit of oak and interestingly maple as well. There are some fruit notes, with some berries and apples at the forefront. From the arrival into the body, there is a strawberry jam flavor.

Body: There is a definitive woodiness that starts to build up in the body. This should be expected from the 16 Year old. A pleasant orange peel is also present in the body. Again, apple is present here. The sherry comes through here with a creamy yogurt covered raison flavor. A noticeable amount molasses and agave are present in the body as well. The body also takes on a confectionary sweetness.

           

Finish: The finish has a variety of complex flavors, including banana, salted caramels, and malt. There is a lot of malt flavor in the finish. There is a good amount of candy strawberry flavor in the finish, with some marmalade as well. The fruity flavors are still lasting through the finish. There are also some sweet cinnamon and pepper notes that sit in the background as well. The confectionary notes in the body carry through to the finish, and a sweet cookie-like flavor.

With Water

Nose: The nose has more hints of maple and fall spices. There is definitely more cinnamon and nutmeg after water is added. The nose is a little more dry and astringent, with some lemon zest in the nose. The orange peel is dominant as well. The maltiness is a little more noticeable as well. There is also some vanilla on there as well.

Arrival: The malt is more dominant now than before, with prominent citrus notes. There is a black cherry tartness, coupled with some vanilla.

Body: The fruitiness is a little bit less dominant in the body now. The orange peel as now become more akin to an orange juice flavor, and the overall experience is more creamy than before. There is now actually a big almond flavor that wasn’t present without water. There is a little bit more saltiness in the body now as well.

Finish: There is more cherry in the finish now, adding to the tartness. There is still thick, confectionary sweetness. The finish is now slightly grassy, and somewhat medicinal as well.

Final Comments:  This is a major step up in quality and complexity from the 12 Year, as we see it. The difference between the two is substantial. The question should then arise to the astute reader as to whether or not the price difference in these similarly styled whiskies is worth the upgrade. In our minds, it seems like the difference is noticeable, but for the novice drinker, it might not be worth the price jump. In either case, this is a very solid whisky for a casual, sweeter sipper. And while Balvenie differentiates their range with different casks and styles, Aberlour keeps the sherry/bourbon theme throughout their brand. This makes Aberlour a great source for consistent sherry-style Scotch in different age groups.

 

Why you’d buy it: A great sherry-style Scotch at a reasonable price

Why you wouldn’t: Glendronach is starting to expand its presence in the US.

Score: 9.0/10

Review 126: Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask

Review 126

12/23/12

Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask: 43% abv

Another review for your liking, and we’re taking a look at another single malt Scotch. This one is done by Aberlour Distillery, in Strathspey, Scotland. They produce a Speyside single malt, and generally have affiliations with making a good “sherried” whisky. Aberlour A’bunadh is a great example of such a whisky. It makes sense that one would consider them to be a producer of sherried single malts, as the 12 and 16 also have very obvious sherry notes in them. Aberlour is currently owned by Pernod Ricard, and was initially founded in 1879 (wikipedia says differently) , so there is some history to the distillery. 

Here’s a little bit about the whisky in question. The most important first fact to note about the Aberlour 12 Year, is that it isn’t alone. If you look around, you can find an Aberlour 12 Year Non-Chill Filtered variant. This individual bottling has a 48% abv and obviously no chill-filtration, but you are paying nearly the same price as the 16 year for that treatment. It seems like a bold move by Aberlour, but let’s focus on our friend here. This will run you around the same price as a Glenlivet 12, Glenfiddich 12, or Macallan 10, plus some change, but it really competes with the likes of Macallan 10, Macallan 12, Glenfarclas 12, Balvenie 12, and others. 

So how does it hold up in the stiff $40 base single malt range? Well we’re here to tell you. The nose gives you a nice blast of oak right off the bat, with the barley malt as a close second. There is a slightly vegetal quality to the nose, and retains a nice mixture of grain, sherry, slight bourbon influence, vanilla, and fruits. There is wheat on the nose, maple, molasses, raisons, light spice, a subtle lemon and grape presence, and just a general fruit sweetness. The nose provides some level of complexity, but you have to reach for it to truly grasp it. 

The arrival provides a decent introduction into the flavor, with barley, slight spice, caramel, and weak wine grape flavors. Not much is added in the body with oak, vanilla, malted barley, white grape, and some grape-like acidity. The body remains quite disappointing, due to the lack of complexity. After a little bit of water, the body becomes more wine-like and there is the addition of small spicy notes. 

The finish begins to introduce a large sherry character to the malt, and both cask influences become evident. There is oak, vanilla, raisons, cinnamon, ginger, molasses, maple, hot pepper, slight cherry, caramel, and powdered sugar. After adding water, the finish becomes more peppery. The finish is probably the most prominent part of the malt, and we didn’t find it mind-blowing by any means. 

This malt is generally an okay buy, but it lacks the overall complexity to shred with the big boys. Perhaps that 12 Year Non-Chill Filtered version might come into play here, but by no means is this a bad whisky. The problem is it doesn’t really spark any sort of excitement. As a casual sipper, though, it sure is a smooth Scotch to enjoy. It seems that Macallan 10 year has more depth, but not quite the same sherry impact as Aberlour presents here. Either way, not one you’ll spit out in disgust, so try it and see if it fits the bill for your taste. 

Score: 7.75/10