”Thin Line Between Love and Hate”
Whisky Review # 972
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Southern Highlands
Brand: Aberfeldy
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 16 Years
Age: 16 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Unknown. My guess: Re-Fill Bourbon casks and some Sherried Wood
Chill Filtration: Yes
Maturation: Unknown. My guess: Re-Fill Bourbon casks and some Sherried Wood
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 50-70 (December 2022)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay at around US$ 50
Buying Advice: 👎 Thin, boring Single Malt that reminds me of Blended Scotch
Colour:
Old Gold (Artificially Colored)
Nose:
Thin. It reminds me of Blended Whisky and Re-Fill casks. Sugary Sweet with some Fruity & Floral notes as well as lots of Caramel and Cake. The Alcohol is noticeable.
Main Aromas:
Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Caramel, Buttered Toast, Artificially-Flavored Candies (Melon, Nectarine, Green Apple), Orange-Flavored Cake, Straw, Caffe Latte, Nuts, Dusty Wood, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Sweet Barley, Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Floral Perfume, Lemon, Wet Leaves, Varnish, Herbal Tea, Raisins, Pepper, Licorice and Cloves. Traces of Tobacco and Leather.
Palate:
Very Thin delivery. A 16-Year old Single Malt deserves an ABV of around 46%. It is very Sweet and the first thing that comes to mind is Cotton Candy. After a while some Bitter and Sour notes develop as well. I can't get rid of this Blended Whisky feeling. Needless to say I'm not impressed.
Main Flavours:
Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Cotton Candy, Caramel, Caffe Latte, Artificially Flavored Candies (Melon, Green Apple, Mandarin), Grass and Straw, Dusty Oak, Dusty Track, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Mint.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Buttered Toast, Biscuits, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Apricot Jam, Sugared Almonds, Herbal Tea, Chocolate, Aniseed, Licorice and Cloves.
Finish:
Short/Middle Long, Thin and slightly Dusty. Sugary Sweet with some Bitter and Sour notes for balance. Medium-Dry/Dry towards the end. I find richly Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Cotton-Candy, Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Honey, Sugared Almonds, Grass & Straw, Green Apple, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Dusty Track, Dusty Wood, Caffe Latte, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Menthol and Boiled Melon & Mandarin-flavored Candies. A hint of Chocolate.
Drinking Advice:
Added Water kills this Aberfeldy 16 Years.
Rating: 81.5 - Stars on a 1-10 scale: 6.5 (******1/2)
Colour:
Old Gold (Artificially Colored)
Nose:
Thin. It reminds me of Blended Whisky and Re-Fill casks. Sugary Sweet with some Fruity & Floral notes as well as lots of Caramel and Cake. The Alcohol is noticeable.
Main Aromas:
Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Caramel, Buttered Toast, Artificially-Flavored Candies (Melon, Nectarine, Green Apple), Orange-Flavored Cake, Straw, Caffe Latte, Nuts, Dusty Wood, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Sweet Barley, Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Floral Perfume, Lemon, Wet Leaves, Varnish, Herbal Tea, Raisins, Pepper, Licorice and Cloves. Traces of Tobacco and Leather.
Palate:
Very Thin delivery. A 16-Year old Single Malt deserves an ABV of around 46%. It is very Sweet and the first thing that comes to mind is Cotton Candy. After a while some Bitter and Sour notes develop as well. I can't get rid of this Blended Whisky feeling. Needless to say I'm not impressed.
Main Flavours:
Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Cotton Candy, Caramel, Caffe Latte, Artificially Flavored Candies (Melon, Green Apple, Mandarin), Grass and Straw, Dusty Oak, Dusty Track, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Mint.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Buttered Toast, Biscuits, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Apricot Jam, Sugared Almonds, Herbal Tea, Chocolate, Aniseed, Licorice and Cloves.
Short/Middle Long, Thin and slightly Dusty. Sugary Sweet with some Bitter and Sour notes for balance. Medium-Dry/Dry towards the end. I find richly Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Cotton-Candy, Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Honey, Sugared Almonds, Grass & Straw, Green Apple, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Dusty Track, Dusty Wood, Caffe Latte, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Menthol and Boiled Melon & Mandarin-flavored Candies. A hint of Chocolate.
Drinking Advice:
Added Water kills this Aberfeldy 16 Years.
Rating: 81.5 - Stars on a 1-10 scale: 6.5 (******1/2)
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note does not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. It would have been much easier if I would have chosen a simple 1-10 rating since the beginning but after having reviewed 950 whiskies it would not be wise to change the system now. I will however from now on add stars on the 1-10 scale so you will have a better idea of what I thought of the whisky reviewed. Please feel free to comment! And I'm planning to only use the 1-10 scale as of January 1, 2023. Please feel free to comment!
Borderline acceptable for a Single Malt
Conclusion:
The Aberfeldy distillery is located in Aberfeldy (Perthshire) in the Southern High-lands. It was founded in 1896 by John & Tommy Dewar. They needed a Single Malt for their blended Whisky Dewar's White Label. Since 1998 it is owned by the Bacardi Group. A beautiful visitor centre was finally opened in 2002. The annual production amounts to around 3.4 million litres. The core ranges consists of the 12, 16 and 21 Years Old. We visited the distillery and the visitor centre in May 2017.
The Aberfeldy 16 Years might be a place to start if you're looking for your first sip of Whisky. It's Thin, Sweet, Unpeated and totally harmless at 40%. If you're longer into Whisky you better leave this Single Malt alone as it's way too Thin and utterly boring. Many people would consider it to be a Blended Whisky in a blind tasting. The ample use of 3rd or worse Re-Fill casks does not help either and the ABV of 40% kills any good intentions in the first place. I really love this distillery as a location and I urge anyone who goes to Scotland to visit the place. But I can't recommend this 16 Years I'm afraid.
Cheers! 🥃
Jan van den Ende December 8, 2022
