Aberlour 14 Year Old
Aberlour is one of my favourite distilleries. It was where it all started for me; I fell in love with whisky following a tour of the quaint old distillery while on a road trip of Scotland many, many years ago. I love the bottle designs, the flavours, the distillery buildings themselves - I’m a fanboy. The most contemporary addition to the Aberlour core range is the Aberlour 14 which was added to the 12, 16 and 18 back in early 2021. I’m eager to find out how much I love it(!) and how it completes the family.
Bottle
The classic Aberlour bottle design: slightly shorter than most bottles but sturdy to the point where you feel like if it were dropped it would damage the floor before the bottle. The large embossing on the front looks great and lets you see the whisky clearly. The label itself, as well as the foil, is tinted blue making it more easily distinguishable from the 12, 16 or 18. It is also bottled in batches, I tasted batch 0008, with the batch number proudly stamped on the label. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I love this bottle design - picking it up just feels great!
Colour
Sitting somewhere between muscat and tawny on the colour chart, it looks great in the bottle but keep in mind this is by design rather than maturation - it is artificially coloured like most of Aberlour’s whiskies.
Nose - The initial wave of aromas from this whisky are all of sweetness - orange peel, raisins and cherries. But there is a slightly more subtle undertone of spices too - cloves and cinnamon - which make it quite delightful.
Palate - The first thing I notice when taking a sip is the wonderful, silky texture of the whisky that coats your mouth. The sweetness is all light here: vanilla and caramel but there is a slightly darker fruit note too not quite as punchy as blackcurrant, maybe more blackberry.
Finish - There is a nice long and satisfying finish to this whisky. The oak flavour sits quietly while the spicy flavours mellow letting you enjoy the whisky for a good while after swallowing.
Overall
Most whisky aficionados are looking for a higher ABV than the 40% that Aberlour insist on bottling many of their core expressions at. This isn’t something I worry too much about so I’m not deterred by the minimal alcohol content. The thing I can’t quite get my head around is how this sits in the core range. I love the 12-year-old as an everyday drinker and entry point. This is undoubtedly a better whisky but is it worth double the price (nearly)? I’m not so sure. I suspect the 12-year-old gets you in the door but the 14, 16 and 18 and priced more appropriately for what they are but it makes me feel a little icky! Still a good, solid whisky that I will continue to enjoy - I can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle of the 16 to compare again!
Available from Master of Malt for around £57