Name: Aberlour A’bunadh Bin 54
Color: Red brown
Nose: Cherry, sherry, dried fruit
Taste: Cherry, oak wood, chocolate, sherry bomb
Review:
The name “A’bunadh” (which I can barely pronounce and I’m half-Scottish) means “Original”. Aberlour has blended 5 to 25 year old whiskeys to create this non-aged stated (NAS) cask strength Scotch and finished them in Oloroso Sherry butts. Oloroso means “scented” in Spanish and is a darker, nutty sherry.
This whisky is all about the sherry finish, also known as the “sherry bomb” because of the way it hits your palate. Sherry finished whiskies are very popular right now with distilleries. From my discussion with a few blenders, they have told me it is what the market is currently demanding. I theorize that the whisky popularity might be peaking so sweetening up the whiskeys will bring in new drinkers. Everyone seems to be doing it when you take a look at the distilleries products.
A’bunadh is not a candy whisky by any means. It has a medium body with a nice full finish, but still is a bit too sweet for my taste. On a previous post, I reviewed Yamazaki 18yr Sherry Cask and I wrote that A’bunadh was listed in a magazine article as a potential equal at a cheaper price. As I do not agree with this statement, I will say that you get good idea of the Yamazaki taste profile at much more affordable price if you buy A’bunadh.
Since this whisky is sherry sweet and high proof it makes a good, but dangerous combination if you are enjoying a few drinks. If you have not tried cask strength sherry based whisky I recommend you try a sample at a bar to get a feel for the sweet kick that comes with this style of spirit. I believe Copper & Oak on the Lower East Side will have a 1oz tasting pour at a fair price.
Priced around $120 it is a good value if you like this flavor profile.
If you like it, drink it! – Christopher
*Note: I lost my 54 photo so a online photo of the 52 was used. Sorry!
