Aberlour 11 Year Old "Hart Brothers Finest Collection" K&L Exclusive Cask Strength First Fill Sherry Butt Unchillfiltered Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Previously $100)

This is a beautiful cask from Aberlour distillery. The nose is very interesting with bees wax and sherry notes. In the mouth ,it is elegant and balanced, with subtle dried fruit flavors from the sherry aging. With the addition of a little water, the nose is still very nice but is more expressive. In the mouth, the water seems to make this single malt more rich and juicy.

A great option for those that are looking for a fantastic sherry-forward whisky. The sherry is well integrated and gives the whisky more complexity rather than dominating. Flavor profile includes dried orange peels, lightly toasted barley, almond, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and nutmeg. Delicious and unique... this will go fast!

Just a couple months shy of its 12th birthday, this single cask of Aberlour comes from a proper sherry butt, delivering the classic Aberlour profile that so many have come to love. While the opportunity to snag first fill sherry butt is rare for any malt, to do so for a big name and sherry dominate house like Aberlour happens so infrequently at affordable prices that we had to double check our math before committing to this excellent deal. By no means a dark sherry bomb like the famous A'bunadh bottling, this is instead a sherry high wire act - perfect for those that crave balanced flavors and flawless execution. No distillery gets as big a following as Aberlour without making exceptional malt - and that malt forward sweetness is on full display here. Sitting well above the rim of the glass you're inundated with ripe orchard fruits and amber waves of grain. Each of those components is heightened by the sherry cask rather than dominated by it. The easy going nuttiness, citrus peel, and honeyed fruits provided by the cask lend themselves to highlighting the quality of the malt itself, the perfect execution of wood and spirit coming together in harmony. Oxidized vanilla underpins the fruit and barley, tying the two together seamlessly. When you taste it neat, at 52.5% ABV, it lights up your taste buds without searing them and ourpours more stone fruit and a bit of sweet crisp apple. Baking spices abound. A sly mint note offers a little herbal cut to the fruit forward profile providing just enough freshness without being green. With a drop or two of water and a little time the cut of the alcohol is rounded and the mouthfeel gains more weight and texture while the flavors remain intense. In a world marked by excess and over-the-top-ness it's nice to see balance restored by a cask such as this.

This lovely barrel of Aberlour was one that I was really looking forward to. We've never before had a chance to sell Aberlour from a single sherry butt and while this isn't one of those ultra dark ones. That doesn't mean it is lacking in character. OH no, this baby taste damn good, especially if you've got some patience to let her air out. On first nosing, it's very primary and full of rich orchard fruit. But if you let it sit for a while in the glass, the deep undertones sherry and wild complexity start to come forward. Now the nose is sweet almond frosting, seville orange peel, baked pear and candied walnuts. The sherry and malt are very integrated and the whole thing feels very much like a cask strength version of the no longer available 10 year old. On the palate it's juicy and complex with a fudge-y midpalate that balances the very fruity front. Subtle vanilla cream, dried yellow cherries, wild honey and oak spice. It's truly a lovely whisky, that won't scratch the itch for people wanting to be slapped silly with sherry, but for all balance and complexity it will be hard to find a better one than this.

Those who missed out on our Speymalts from Gordon and Macphail have something of a consolation prize here, but separate from that, this barrel definitely stands on its own merit. This impresses on every level, hitting all the notes I love in a bottle of Aberlour. The nose alone is entirely captivating, boasting meadow flowers and a whole grove of citrus and apples. On the palate, singed orange peel, dark chocolate, biscuity malt and clover honey envelope your taste buds in a tender embrace. The sherry character is perfectly on point, providing just enough flavor without masking or overshadowing the malt. Make no mistake- this is a serious dram for people who want to remember the heights that Scotch used to reach regularly before mass consumption and excessive blending turned everything flat and hollow. I am smitten, and I think a great many people will agree with me.