So with all the talk of Quarter Cask and A’bunadh convincing so many staunch anti-NAS fanatics I felt like I ought to give this at least a try! Had this dram in the lovely Albanch bar on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Abelour A’bunadh – Batch 47. 60.7% Abv
Nose: ripe fruits, strong alcohol presence, raisins, candyshop sweetness, light honey comb.
Palate: Bright open with wood spice, warm, sweet sherry, demerara sugar, hints of marshmallow (Maeve’s input).
Finish: Sharp lingering spice, wood spice, sweetness, marshmallow again. Medium length.
Score: 82/100.
For a oloroso sherry casking I was pleasantly surprised that the taste wasn’t overpowering. Maybe in my mind the story behind A’bunadh was hyped up quite a bit but my opinions are I’d have it again, probably wouldn’t buy a bottle of it though myself.
TL:DR: A’bunadh was good. Nothing amazing. Over hyped.
The A’Bunadh is a pretty impressive drop! How do you think it compares to the Glenfarclas 105, both being heavily sherried cask strengths?
Keep on waffling,
Nick
I absolutely loved 105 sherry bomb dream. I actually thought that the flavour profile was much better on the 105 then A’bunadh. And Glenfarclas in general gets big <3 from me. I'm not sure if I had a bad dram or what I'm just not getting the fan fare over this!
My experience with A’bunadh has gone from superb to decent.
It was one of the first cask strength whiskies I tried and the mid- to high 20s batches were – in my memory at least – quite complex and robust. Either the later batches (mid 30s) were not so impressive or my palate preferences shifted.
I have an unopened 43 batch and thought on any upcoming trip (post other whisky priorities) to grab a more recent batch to contrast and compare.
The biggest plus point for me remains that this is an affordable cask strength whisky – in these parts even more so than the 105. I’d have to compare the two side by side to decide which ‘wins’ – something entirely possible as both are nestled in the whisky cabinet!