Aberlour 10yo Very Old Highland Malt

Aberlour 10yo ‘Very Old Highland Malt’ (1980’s)

An unusual Aberlour is the subject of today’s blog post. This bottle Aberlour 10 years old ‘VOHM’ (which stands for Very Old Highland Malt) has the design of a cognac bottle. If you want to know why, it is important to know that this was bottled back in the 1980’ies, when cognac was a more popular drink than single malt whisky. A nice bit of marketing, although I doubt this design fooled many cognac-drinkers into buying a bottle of Aberlour-whisky.

Aberlour 10yo ‘Very Old Highland Malt’ (43%, OB, cognac-shaped bottle, 1980’s)

Nose: Pretty dusty at first. It slowly transforms into fruitier notes of citrus (oranges), but also some butterscotch and licorice, followed by the slightest hint of soy sauce. Some feint red fruit and caramel in the background. Gets more metallic and sour with time.
Taste: Caramel and hints of licorice as well. Fairly spicy too, with nutmeg and cinnamon. Lacks balance.
Finish: Spicy with traces of caramel. Medium in length.

Rating: 73

At first I enjoyed the nose. Not very good, but certainly above average. But after as while it imploded. The palate is not exactly good either. I think this might be an example of bottle aging gone wrong.

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