Review 195: Aberlour 1992-2012 Berry's

This lovely bottle of Aberlour carries a 19 year age statement and is a special, presumably multi-cask bottling for The Whisky Trail. If indeed this bottle is from more than one cask, I'd guess most of the wood was ex-bourbon, probably refill. That makes this a fun dram, because usually Aberlour distillery bottlings tend to emphasize sherry casks more heavily. This presentation, however, lets the spirit show through. What a fine spirit it is too!

Aberlour 1992-2012 Berry's

Color: Amber -1

ABV: 55.5%

Aroma Neat:
Light Tupelo Honey, Beeswax, Buttery Mineral Chardonnay, Fresh Bananas, Barley Malt, Golden Delicious Apples, Lemon Oil, Shortbread Cookies.

Malty and honeyed with dry white wine. Waxy too. Tastes like yellow!

Aroma Water:
Honeyed White Tea, Toffee, Toasted Malt, Golden and Green Apples, Lemon Oil, Dusty Oak, Antique Varnish, Vanilla Bean (faintly), White Peaches (slightly).

Sweeter than neat, but more structured.

Taste Neat:
Beeswax, Tart Malt, Barley Flour, Pithy Lemon, Resinous Oak, Mineral Water (lots!), Bitter Green Grapes, Aloe Vera (vegetal notes).

Waxy on dry as a bone on the palate. This is very much malt whisky which isn't obscured by the wood it was matured in, despite the lengthy maturation period. Tastes like it's from an earlier, less wood-centric era of whisky making.


Taste Water:
Honey, Buttery Chardonnay, Waxy Apples, Dry Oak, Bitter Char/Ash, Banana Malt (look it up :-) ), Lemon Pith, Chalk Dust, Sour Cherries (great surprise!), Aloe.

Sweeter than neat, like the nose, though still very much on the dry side of the malt whisky spectrum.

Finish:
Wax, Ashy Charcoal, Dry Tannic Oak, Mineral Water (with a touch of honey), Burned Barley Malt.

Tears the all the saliva off from your tongue, leaving burnt and mineral traces behind. You're forced to take another sip. This works for me, since I like dry whiskies.

Conclusion:
Welcoming nose with excellent balance.

Challenging, old-school palate. Becomes more accessible with water, which brings out a bit of malty and honeyed sweetness.

Waxy and bitter finish that lasts and lasts.


Rating: 87/100

I like austere drams, so this is very much in my wheelhouse. If you are accustomed to sweeter whiskies, maybe sherry monsters or bourbons, this may be a shock to you.

A special thanks to my wonderful Aunt, who brought this bottle back to me as a gift from Scotland. I couldn't have chosen better myself!

Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 39

Cheers,
Josh