Aberlour 16 Year Old

Aberlour is another distillery in the Speyside region. The Aberlour 16 Double Cask Matured is a single malt expression made from distillate that was aged for at least 16 years in ex-Bourbon casks and at least 16 years in Sherry butts. The barrels selected for this bottling are then married together.   The brand has refreshed the packaging and my bottle might be the old label (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm mistaken). 

ABV: 40%

How it smells…Some citrus and berries with maple syrup.

How it tastes...Overall, very smooth. Oranges and berries up front followed by raisins and vanilla oakiness. Finishes slightly tart with spiciness lingering after you swallow.

Price...I believe I bought this particular bottle for around $105, which I think is a bit expensive. I think you can find it (according to the Google Machine) for around $90, which is a more appropriate price. Particularly given that it is only 40% ABV. For near triple digits, I expect a single malt of at least 43% but hopefully 46%.

Rating...🥃🥃🥃

Final thoughts...You won't be disappointed sipping this bottle. If you can get this at $80-$90, it would be a 4-glass rank and if it was higher proof it would be a 4-glass rank. If it was both, then I might consider 5.

Overall, I think I am highly critical of scotch that is low proof (read: 40% ABV). Especially when you get something with some decent age. The longer in the barrel, the more nuanced the flavor profile is. You water that down to 40% ABV, and you are nullifying all of the hard work that was put into that aged whisky. Imagine having the testicular fortitude do make something and then sit on it for a minimum of 16 years. That’s 16 years of inventory carry cost! You taste it from the barrel. You love it and deem it ready for consumption. And then for some WTF reason you water it down, eliminating all of that nice flavor that you have laboriously built up over the years. It just doesn’t make sense to me….