Aberlour A'Bunadh

The Maker

Aberlour is one of those classic brands that existed in my consciousness long before I started drinking whisky. This is most likely due to the many bottles seen on supermarket shelves for decades. These were those tall bottles, with that older red-brown & cream label design which seemed to reek of those spirits that would sit at the back of your parent’s drinks cupboard, just next to the Drambuie and Disaronno, that were left mostly untouched throughout your entire childhood - save for an ancient relative at Christmas.

I have to confess that it was this unpleasant association and ubiquitous nature - entirely of my own unfounded invention - which left me with little interest in trying Aberlour when I eventually got into whisky. It just seemed too safe. Like an everyday supermarket whisky that was simply not that worthy of consideration. An opinion based on complete ignorance of course. Maybe this review, of the first Aberlour I’ve ever owned, will start to put that right!

The distillery itself can be described as a guardian of its Speyside region. Founded in 1879 by local businessman and philanthropist James Fleming, it has passed through many hands over the decades from English brewers, then via Pernod Ricard to now being part of the vast Chivas Brothers empire. In that time the whisky itself hasn’t really changed that much. Like much of Speyside it has always focused on rich & fruity Sherry Cask influences mixed with American Oak and mostly issues integrity age statement releases. A recent branding overhaul has brought an end to those tired tall bottle designs of my memory and has left us with something which looks an awful lot more modern and distinct.

Beyond that there isn’t a huge amount to say about Aberlour. Sure, the website is full of marketing bumf about James Fleming’s deeds and how all the barley is locally sourced etc, but that really isn’t all that interesting or unique. So let’s get on to the bottle in question.

The Expression

When considering which Aberlour would be my first purchase it was an easy decision. Like many people setting out to explore what whisky had to offer I spent some time staring at those Scotch flavour wheels which litter several whisky sites and shops. A constant across all of them was the Aberlour A’Bunadh, right up there at the top right as the fabled and archetypical ‘Sherry Bomb’.

The A’Bunadh, meaning the ‘original’ or ‘origin’ in Scots Gaelic is a cask strength batch release which first appeared in 1997. Over the subsequent years the batch strengths have hovered around 60%, but recent releases (we are now up to Batch 71) have tended in excess of 61%. This specific bottle is from 2021’s Batch 70 release and comes in at 61.2% - in other words it’s one of the strongest whiskies in mass production at the moment.

The official story of A’Bunadh is that when the distillery was expanded in the mid-1970s a bottle of 1898 Aberlour was found wrapped in newspaper. Those who found it apparently proceeded to drink most of it (as you would), but the remainder was sent off to a local lab to be analysed. Allegedly, what we now know as the A’Bunadh is Aberlour’s attempt at recreating that found bottle.

Reading around on the topic online I see that the A’Bunadh has faced some criticism for batch variation over the years. While such variation isn’t always a bad thing, if true it does show that they are not always entirely successful at that recreation. It also begs the questions of whether this is formally another recreation of a past whisky (such as Penderyn’s Royal Welsh or James Eadie’s Trade Mark X) or merely a tribute to a past style like the Glen Scotia Victoriana I’ve reviewed previously? Ultimately it doesn’t really matter as the A’Bunadh has been a massive success for Aberlour over the past 25 years, but it seems like Aberlour is to some extent trying to have its cake and eat it here.

In terms of its make up we know that it’s matured exclusively in Spanish oak Oloroso butts and that it’s non chill-filtered and naturally coloured as far as I can establish. What is not clear at all is its age. Throughout its long history there has only ever been one age statement A’Bunabh release. That was a 12-year-old. The rest have been NAS releases, but internet legend suggests that it’s normally a blend of 5 to 25-year-old stock.

Neck Pour

As you'd expect the first thing you smell is that huge sherried nose. But it's a complex sherry. There's the dry almost bitter notes you associate with Oloroso, or even a Palo Cortado, but that's accompanied by the enormous sweetness of something like a Pedro Ximénez.

Upon tasting what immediately hits you is that cask strength. So much so it actually wipes out your pallet for a few moments. Once you've recovered there are hints of orange peel, walnuts, leather, but also something a little nasty (sort of like a bathroom cleaner) which then quickly subsides.

In a word: wow! This isn't called a Sherry Bomb by accident. Bathroom cleaner aside it's strong, it's sweet, it's pretty amazing. It comes up and slaps you in the face in the way a fun whisky should. In that respect i'd describe it as a sherry equivalent to the Laphaoig 10.

The Body

By mid-way down the bottle the whisky has calmed down a lot. That huge sherry and alcohol slap is still there, but it's joined by stronger citrus notes and richer, if not caramelised, demerara sugar.

Beyond that there is a Christmas cake like mix of dried fruit and spices starting to take over. Lots of raisins (obviously), but also a hefty dose of ginger and a touch of nutmeg.

Final Thoughts

Finishing the bottle all of the above still applies but it's increasingly coming together in a rich honeyed nectar. All very enjoyable indeed.

To me, this bottle has been all about bursting my baseless biases and giving a fine product its due time and consideration. In the months it has taken me to enjoy this bottle the Batch 70 has long since departed, but I’d definitely be keen to try another batch in future to see how the product changes - for better or worse.

I also note that in recent weeks Chivas Brothers have announced an eight-figure investment in Aberlour to double it's capacity to 7.8 million litres a year and also upgrade its sustainability and visitor's centre. That's obviously no small investment, which speaks to the confidence the owners have in the brand to continue to grow in the future. If this bottle is anything to go by, I won't be surprised if the investment is worth every penny.