This past summer I had the opportunity to reconnect with a very good friend while stopping over in Knoxville, Tennessee. Part of that reconnection included an introduction to an excellent single malt whisky. Without a doubt, there are few things better than sharing a superior drink with an old friend. If you ever find yourself in Knoxville, and in need of a nice bottle of whisky, let me recommend that you check out McScrooge’s. The selection is fairly deep, though the knowledge of the staff can be fairly spotty. After some serious deliberation we settled on a bottle of Aberlour a'bunadh batch #18.
The a’bunadh (pronounced, a-boon-akh) is a unfiltered cask strength single malt whisky. At cask strength this whisky is about 59.8% alcohol, or nearly 120 proof! The Gaelic sourced name “a’bunadh” means something like “original”. Rumor has it that the a’bunadh is an attempt to recreate an older malt discovered in the distillery. I don’t know whether there is any truth to the rumor, but the a’bunadh is a closer replica of historic malts in that it is both unfiltered and bottled at cask strength.
My tasting notes:
Color: Dark copper.
Nose: Strong sherry, woody
Palate: Sherry pervades, very spicy and, without water, alcoholic. It opens up more with a touch of water; offering dried fruits and hints of caramel.
Finish: the sherry lingers on...
An interesting evening would be comparing the differences between batch #18 to earlier batches. unfortunately my pockets are not so deep.
