Review: Aberlour Double Cask 12, 16, and A’bunadh Batch 79 (2024)

We’ve tackled the lineup from Speyside single malt-maker Aberlour periodically over the last decade, but our very first taste of the distillery came way back in 2009 with an impressive travel retail bottling (long since discontinued) and Batch 26 of the distillery’s cask strength sherry bomb, A’bunadh. (We also visited in person!) The latter remains a highlight of the core lineup with over 80 batches released to date. We’ve got number 79 on deck for review today along with a fresh look at two more readily available core expressions, the 12-year-old and 16-year-old Double Cask Matured. Thoughts follow.

Aberlour Double Cask Matured 12 Years Old (2024) – A blend of single malts aged at least 12 years in American oak and ex-sherry casks. The aroma is heathery and soft with lightly roasted cereals and sherried undertones of grape skin and marzipan. As it opens, things become a little more honeyed and sweeter, but this is still a younger whisky with earthy malt at its core. The palate is light-bodied and similarly malt-forward with notes of graham cracker, nougat, and milk chocolate. A lacing of fruit – sultanas and dried cherries – adds some complexity on the midpalate, but it remains lightly sweetened and uncomplicated with warm oak and yeasty cinnamon rolls on a medium-length finish. Not quite the same bang for your buck we tasted in 2014 but still a solid everyday sipper. 80 proof. B+ / $60 [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS] [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Aberlour Double Cask Matured 16 Years Old (2024) – A blend of single malts aged at least 16 years in American oak and ex-sherry casks. Four additional years in cask has added more depth, unsurprisingly, but it remains light on its feet and exceedingly approachable. There’s more oak on the nose with dark biscuits, brewed coffee, and baking cocoa. The sherry influence is harder to tease out at first, but with time in glass dried citrus and subtle red fruits arrive. The palate shows more heft than the entry-level offering with a deeper, darker profile of toffee, clove, and oolong tea. Again, the sherry influence is a bit muddled with a thin note of marmalade and berry compote that becomes more concentrated on the midpalate but quickly dissolves into a medium finish of coffee grounds and chocolate cake. 80 proof. B+ / $120 [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS] [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 79 – Meaning “the original” in Gaelic. A non-age-stated, cask strength expression fully aged in oloroso sherry casks. As with previous batches, the aroma is expressive and complex, packed with notes of old furniture, walnuts, dark raisin, lemon oil, and holiday spices. As it opens, a bit of menthol and spearmint add a freshness that’s somewhat unusual for a sherried bruiser. The palate is bold and beautifully spiced but also well-balanced for a cask strength expression. Syrupy top notes of sultana and clove give way on the midpalate to dark berry compote, ginger snaps, and chocolate biscuits. I’ve encountered a handful of A’bunadh expressions that demanded a drop or two of water to settle down, but this is easily manageable from the get-go with a simmering, gingery warmth that never oversteps. The finish is lush with black cherry, crème brulée, and dried citrus. The best A’bunadh I’ve tasted yet. 121 proof. A / $100  [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]

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