It's been a long time since I've had Aberlour A'Bunadh. This bottle is Batch 65, at 59.5% ABV, matured in oloroso sherry casks. No chill filtration, no coloring. Let's see what we have:
Nose: Baking spices... stone fruit... brown sugar... hints of other fruit. Some alcohol fumes, serving as a warning, like a rattlesnake's rattle. Rather an understated nose for something with this firepower. If you add water, you get surprisingly prominent chocolate and coffee notes.
Mouthfeel: Viscous, syrupy.
Palate: WOW... another powerful hit from Aberlour. Red fruits (cherry foremost)... cinnamon candies... immediately swept away by a MASSIVE alcohol burn. Inside the alcohol burn are hints of caramel malt and liquid raisins. Let me repeat: significant alcohol burn. This is great stuff, rich and delicious, but it is not for the faint of heart, it is very aggressive and muscular liquid. Not for the novice Scotch drinker, certainly. A true sherry bomb.
Finish: Rather short - the red fruit and baking spices evaporate rather quickly along with the substantial alcohol burn, leaving a cherry stone taste. Maybe a touch of bitter oak tannins.
Verdict: Great stuff, as was my memory. I honestly don't have a good enough memory of the old batches I drank through, but I'm very impressed by this one. Yet I do find myself a little repelled by the outrageous presence of the alcohol, which slaps you around like a noir detective. Back to back with Glenfarclas 105 - which is actually half a percent higher than this - the Glenfarclas is far gentler on the palate and allows you more time and space to enjoy the flavors.
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