Aberlour
The Speyside malt that draws its character from sherry casks, with a cask-strength bottle of over 60% as the standout. Everything about the types, percentages and the right glass to use.
Two types of cask, and a bottle with the brakes off
Aberlour has stood in the village of the same name in Speyside since 1879, the most densely populated whisky region of Scotland. The name comes from Gaelic and means something like 'mouth of the babbling stream'. That is not marketing: the distillery stands where the Lour flows into the Spey, and water from that source has always been the starting point.
What Aberlour is known for is its double maturation. The standard bottles spend time in both regular oak and former sherry casks, and that second type of cask gives the whisky its deep red colour, dried fruit and spiciness. A'Bunadh takes this furthest: it matures exclusively in oloroso sherry casks and is bottled at cask strength, without chill filtration and without added water. That produces a bottle of around 60%, and because each batch turns out differently, no two bottles are exactly alike.
In brief
What types of Aberlour are there?
The percentage says a lot here: the standard bottles are at 40 or 43%, the non-chill filtered at 48%, and the A'Bunadh around 60%.
Aberlour 12 Years Double Cask
The bottle to start with: twelve years in regular oak and sherry casks, with fresh citrus alongside soft dried fruit.
Aberlour 12 Years Non Chill Filtered
The same age, but bottled at 48% and without chill filtration. Fuller and oilier on the palate than the standard 12.
Aberlour 14 Years
Two years longer in the cask than the 12, with more oak and greater depth of dried fruit. A calm, rounded bottle.
Aberlour 18 Years
Eighteen years old and bottled at 43%: rich, dark and full of sherry, nuts and spices. The bottle for a special occasion.
Aberlour A'Bunadh
Gaelic for 'back to the source': only oloroso sherry casks, bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration. Each batch turns out differently.
Aberlour A'Bunadh Alba
The same approach as the A'Bunadh, but matured in American oak rather than sherry casks. Lighter in color, with vanilla and coconut.
The 12 Double Cask to get acquainted; the A'Bunadh if you want to know exactly what sherry maturation does.
Dried fruit, sherry and soft spices
Sherry & dried fruit
Raisin, orange peel and soft spices, underpinned by the maltiness of the grain. No smoke: Aberlour is not peated.
Rounded and fruity
Soft and rounded, with dried fruit, caramel and cinnamon. The stronger bottles add pronounced warmth and more oak.
Warm and spicy
A medium-length finish with spices and oak. The A'Bunadh's finish is long, warm and powerful; a few drops of water tame it.
Flavor profile of Aberlour 12 Years Double Cask. The 18 scores higher on sweetness and spiciness; the A'Bunadh scores higher across the board, with a strength of 5.
Three ways to drink Aberlour
A sherried Speyside is an ideal whisky to drink neat. With bottles above 48%, adding water is not a sin but an improvement.
Neat at room temperature
4 cl in a tulip-shaped tasting glass. Let it sit for a few minutes: the sherry and dried fruit only emerge once the whisky reaches room temperature. This is how to drink the 12, 14 and 18.
Glass: tasting glass →The A'Bunadh with water
At 60.1%, adding water is no compromise. Start with a few drops and build up until the alcohol no longer bites: beneath that intensity lies an enormous amount of sherry, raisin and chocolate that only then comes to the fore.
Glass: tasting glass →With dark chocolate
A sherried malt and dark chocolate with seventy percent cocoa or more enhance each other: both are bitter and sweet at the same time. It also works with nuts, aged cheese or a piece of Christmas stollen.
More questions →Cocktails with Aberlour
A single malt at this price usually goes straight into the glass. If you do want to mix it, choose recipes in which the whisky remains the star and use the 12.
Old Fashioned
Whisky, sugar and bitters over a large ice cube. The sherry fruit comes through beautifully.
Boulevardier
Whisky, red vermouth and Campari. The sherry notes hold up well against the bitterness.
Whisky Sour
Whisky, lemon, sugar and egg white. Fuller with a sherried malt than with a blend.
Hot Toddy
Whisky with hot water, honey, lemon and cloves. The spices complement it seamlessly.The right glass for Aberlour
A tulip-shaped tasting glass concentrates the sherry and fruit; a heavy tumbler is for those who still want ice. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Aberlour
Can't find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →