Aberlour a´bunadh Batch 46, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 60,4%

There is whisky you drink. And then there is whisky that drinks you. Batch 46 is deep red, dense and insistent, a Speyside sherry bomb drawn straight from the cask with no dilution and no filter. It does not ask permission.

Please note: Discontinued 2013 version with the yellow banderole.

The Expert's Description

Aberlour a'bunadh Batch 46 is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured exclusively in 1st fill Spanish Oloroso Sherry Butts and bottled at 60.4% cask strength. It is non-chill filtered and carries no age statement, as each batch is assembled by taste rather than by calendar.

A'bunadh means the original in Gaelic, and the name points to a specific story. During building work at the distillery an old bottle was found hidden beneath the floorboards, wrapped in a nineteenth century newspaper. The contents were analysed and the style recreated: rich, sherry matured, powerful and free of modern processing. That principle has driven the series ever since, batch after batch.

Aberlour sits in the village of the same name at the foot of Ben Rinnes, where the Lour Burn joins the River Spey. Using nothing but first fill Oloroso casks is what gives Batch 46 its colour, its weight and that intense fruit character.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark fruits leap out first: plums, black cherries and overripe raisins. Beneath them sit orange, gingerbread and a vinous sweetness from the sherry oak. With a little water it opens up to show vanilla, malt and a suggestion of overripe banana. It is lively but never scrappy.

Palate

Intense and full from the first second. Bittersweet dark chocolate meets dried fruits, pepper and a warm oak tannin. Add a drop of water and it turns creamy, rounding towards caramel, cherry and cinnamon. Something shifts, the hard edge goes and leaves something far more welcoming.

Finish

Medium to long with bittersweet notes of dark chocolate, pepper and wood. A subtle nuttiness creeps in at the end. Warm and rounded.

Specifications

Name: Aberlour a'bunadh Batch 46 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 60.4%
Distillery: Aberlour
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 60.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Spanish Oloroso Sherry Butts
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Bottled: 2013
Edition: Batch 46
EAN no.: 5010739261523

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Fruity · Spiced · Oaky · Creamy · Dark Chocolate

Investment Potential

Medium. Batch 46 is discontinued, and the early batches in the series grow harder to find as they get drunk. The 2013 banderole makes the bottle easy to date, and it is precisely the identifiable older batches that collectors go after.

Did You Know?

Every batch of a'bunadh is a fresh assembly, so the strength varies from release to release, typically between just under 59 and a little over 61 per cent. That also means two batches can taste noticeably different even though the recipe and cask type are identical. It is one of the few series where whisky people collect batch numbers rather than vintages.

See our full range of Aberlour

Frequently Asked Questions about Aberlour a'bunadh Batch 46 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 60.4%

How do you pronounce a'bunadh?

Roughly ah-boon-arh. It is Gaelic and means the original. Nobody in a bar will take offence at a mangled attempt, but it is nice to know what you are asking for.

What does cask strength mean?

That the whisky was bottled without being diluted with water. Here that gives 60.4%. For comparison, most standard bottlings sit between 40 and 46 per cent, so what reaches the glass is markedly more concentrated.

Why is there no age statement?

Because a'bunadh is assembled by flavour profile rather than by age. The aim is to hit the same rich sherried style in every batch, and that requires the freedom to use casks of different ages. An age statement would lock the recipe down.

Is Batch 46 worth seeking out?

The case rests on three things: it is discontinued, it was matured solely in first fill Oloroso casks, and it was bottled at cask strength without filtration. Those are specifications you normally have to climb a long way up a range to find. Whether to open it or keep it is a separate argument.

How is it best enjoyed?

Try it neat first so you know the starting point. Then a few drops of water; at 60.4% water makes a dramatic difference and draws out caramel and cherry. Add it slowly. A tulip-shaped whisky glass helps noticeably.

How does it differ from other sherry matured Speyside whiskies?

Most use a mix of bourbon and sherry casks. Here there is only Oloroso, and only first fill, which gives a far more concentrated sherry character. To compare, we carry a broad range of Speyside Whisky.

Should the bottle lie down or stand up?

Stand up. At 60.4% the alcohol can attack the cork if the bottle lies on its side, and a damaged cork means evaporation. Cool, dark and upright is the rule for all whisky bottles, and especially for cask strength.