Aberfeldy 18 Year Red Wine Cask Finished

The Aberfeldy 18 Year Finished in French Red Wine casks from Pauillac, Bordeaux was named Whisky Advocate’s #10 (of Top 20) in 2020.  I purchased it a while back but it has been sitting on my shelf waiting for a good time to open.  Why not now?

Aberfeldy is a Highland distillery that uses unpeated malted barley.  According to their website, their longer fermentation periods provide more honeyed notes.  This particular release was aged for 18 years and then finished in Bordeaux red wine casks so I am expecting an interesting combination of honeyed sweetness from their fermentation process and more berries and tannic flavors from the Pauillac, Bordeaux wine (according to the web of course, as I am not a Bordeaux connoisseur).

Batch No. 2920

ABV: 43%

How it smells… coppery, cherries, musty, a bit sharp.

How it tastes…starts with light vanilla and honey notes followed by herbal notes and a full rich flavor and ending in more sweetness, cherries and raisins.  The finish has some oak and spices that’s a bit drying.

Price…$120

Rating...🥃🥃🥃

Final thoughts…Overall, this is a nice little whisky and a pleasant enough sip.  However, for an 18 year aged product that is cask finished, I was expecting something with a little more going on.  I haven’t had an extensive amount of Aberfeldy, just the 12 year old to compare it to, but it’s a pretty straight forward whisky with the red wine cask finishing really coming through with the cherry and raisin notes and the drying red wine finish.  That said, it is a good, smooth and easy sipper without any off-putting notes.  The price was right for an 18 year old, which is why I put it at a 3x 🥃.  I’m glad I experienced it, but I don’t see myself keeping a bottle on hand when it’s gone.  Perhaps if it had a little more proof, say 46%, then some of those flavors would have popped a bit more.

For additional reviews and pictures, please visit my Instagram @nicesipper