A sherry rival for Macallan
9. Aberlour (10yo, 40%)
Aberlour Distillery is another Pernod Ricard-owned distillery and one with a fine tradition of producing elegant, complex sherried malts that can often rival those of their more fashionable neighbour Macallan, just a mile or two along the Spey. Founded in 1879, the distillery's products have been heavily marketed over the years by its French owners and Aberlour was, in fact, briefly the number one selling single malt in France, overtaking even the imperious Glenfiddich.
Tasting notes, after a fashion:
Wads of rich, Christmas-cake sherry on the nose with a quirky pear droppy chemically tail that's reminiscent of the 'furniture polish' that I once read somewhere in some tasting notes for this expression. (The power of suggestion?)
Full on toffee and malt and caramel in the mouth, the sherry coming through loud and clear with cinnamon spice and black pepper and a little hint of something green and fruit at the very back end. Big long, booming finish that keeps coming back in waves of spice and pepper.
Add a touch of water and the nose gains a smoky edge and loses some its Christmas cake sweet dried fruitiness. Wood a lot more obvious.
On the palate it's oilier and sweeter and more honeyed. The finish pales a lot too. But a very solid, traditional sherried dram and cracking value for the £25 I paid for it.
4/5
Aberlour Distillery is another Pernod Ricard-owned distillery and one with a fine tradition of producing elegant, complex sherried malts that can often rival those of their more fashionable neighbour Macallan, just a mile or two along the Spey. Founded in 1879, the distillery's products have been heavily marketed over the years by its French owners and Aberlour was, in fact, briefly the number one selling single malt in France, overtaking even the imperious Glenfiddich.
Tasting notes, after a fashion:
Wads of rich, Christmas-cake sherry on the nose with a quirky pear droppy chemically tail that's reminiscent of the 'furniture polish' that I once read somewhere in some tasting notes for this expression. (The power of suggestion?)
Full on toffee and malt and caramel in the mouth, the sherry coming through loud and clear with cinnamon spice and black pepper and a little hint of something green and fruit at the very back end. Big long, booming finish that keeps coming back in waves of spice and pepper.Add a touch of water and the nose gains a smoky edge and loses some its Christmas cake sweet dried fruitiness. Wood a lot more obvious.
On the palate it's oilier and sweeter and more honeyed. The finish pales a lot too. But a very solid, traditional sherried dram and cracking value for the £25 I paid for it.
4/5
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