Aberlour 12-year-old Double Cask

As some of you may know, I have a soft spot for Aberlour. I think it’s a nice brand, and that’s why I regularly buy a bottle of Aberlour. I may have been buying more from the independent bottlers lately, but I also have a number of original bottlings in my collection. Recently I used a part for a tasting with my family and the part of the collection that is left over I will hopefully be able to open this year during another tasting. However, what I haven’t tasted for a while is the entry-level bottle of this distillery, namely the Aberlour 12-year-old Double Cask. This bottle received as a New Year’s gift from Aberlour is, therefore, a great opportunity to go back to the beginning. After all, it was the first Aberlour I ever drank. 🙂

Aberlour’s core range consists of a 12, 16 and 18 year old and of course the ever popular A’Bunadh, but more about that in another review. With the exception of the latter, all are double matured. Which means that two types of casks have been used, namely American oak and oloroso sherry casks. So the only difference between the three is, you guessed it, the age.

This Aberlour is bottled at 40% ABV.

Aberlour 12-year-old tasting notes:

Nose: Red apples, plenty of honey. Fresh plums and figs, blueberries. A hint of raisins. But also vanilla. Sweet pears. Caramel and milk chocolate. Later also lemons.

Taste: Sweet blackberries and plenty of honey. Raisins in the background. Vanilla. Followed by a hint of raw cashew nuts. Later some spices such as cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.

Finish: Somewhat short. Vanilla. Honey. Nutmeg.

Ok, I personally like my whisky to be at a higher alcohol percentage nowadays. But as a beginner, you have to start somewhere and then 40% or 43% is just fine. Other than that, it’s well-balanced, solid and there is enough flavour to discover in this one. A great beginners dram and therefore a good entry-level single malt.

Thanks to Aberlour for this bottle.