aberlour a'bunadh #46 (featured)

The Sherry Project Part I: Aberlour a’bunadh #46

The honor of kicking off The Sherry Project goes to the Aberlour a’bunadh, which has been a staple in many whisky cupboards since the introduction at the end of the nineties. Every year a couple of new batches are released, with the latest being batch #49. Today I’ll be reviewing a batch that was released about a year ago. Let’s see if the a’bunadh has what it takes to win The Sherry Project.

sherry project - abunadh
Aberlour a’bunadh batch #46 (60,4%, OB)

Nose: Very sweet and sugary, but also lots of fruit. I’d call this part sherry bomb and part candy explosion. After the initial candy-esque start the nose gets a lot nuttier (and no, I don’t mean crazy). Some light spices linger in the background, cloves and allspice.
Taste: The first couple of second this whisky presents itself as smooth and buttery, but then the hits start coming. Very peppery and overwhelming. It tastes young and is a bit one-dimensional. Bitter oak, raisins, a bit sulphury.
Finish: A bit underwhelming. Sour bitterness, oranges and spices. Medium-length.

Rating: 85

I’ve had a couple of a’bunadh batches, including the previous batch #45, but this one is certainly not the best. Still a good whisky, but it is undeniably young and the alcohol is very present. Adding water didn’t help much.

Want to know how it holds up to the other four sherried whiskies taking part in The Sherry Project? Then be sure to check back the rest of the week. Tomorrow I’ll post my notes on the Glendronach CS batch #2.

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