Showing posts with label Cask # 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cask # 5. Show all posts

Aberfeldy 1999/2017 Cask # 5 Review



“Merry Christmas”

Whisky Review # 789

Country:Scotland
Region: Southern Highlands
Brand: Aberfeldy 1999 - Bottled 17-05-2017 - Limited Edition
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky Cask # 5 - Bottle # 225 of 609
Age: 17 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 56.5 % (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Oloroso Sherry Cask
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 250-600 (December 2018). Will be very hard to find.
Buying Advice: 😊Good Sherry Bomb.  👎Remaining bottles are too expensive

Colour:

Mahogany/Brown (Natural Colour)

Nose:

The ABV is quite substantial so be sure to give this Aberfeldy enough time in the glass. This Single Malt looks and smells like Christmas. A true Sherry-Bomb with lots of Dark Fruit, Spices and Leather. Quite Sweet and a little Dusty. Compact and Mature. Significant Cask influence.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Salty Caramel, Treacle, Brown Sugar, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Raisins, Resin, Peach, Nectarine, Orange, Bitter Chocolate, Polished Leather Upholstery, Straw, Dusty Oak, Cinnamon and Ginger.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Vanilla, Rum, Dark Honey, slightly Sour Berries, Lemon, Marzipan, Dark Cherries, Tobacco, Pepper, Licorice, Dried Herbs and Menthol.


Palate:

Sherry, Sherry and Sherry! On the Palate, this Aberfeldy is Bitter-Sweet & Dry. The Oak is quite present.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Plums, Dusty Oak, Oranges, Dark Chocolate, Resin, Polished Leather Upholstery, Tobacco, Cinnamon and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Christmas Cake, Slivovitz, Lemon, Dark Cherries, Nectarines, Herbal Tea, Strong Espresso, Pepper and Nutmeg.

Finish:

Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet. The Bitterness increases towards the Dry end. Cask # 5 certainly left its mark on the Aberfeldy Spirit. I find Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Dried Fruit like Sultanas, Raisins and Plums, Orange, Marzipan, Almonds, Dusty Track, Oak, Dried Herbs, Ginger, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Licorice, Tobacco and Menthol.


Drinking Advice:

A few drops of Water help to calm down the Alcohol. Palate & Finish become slightly more Herbal but in this case my advice is to add a few drops.

Rating: 88

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 22

Drinking Experience:

Good.

Conclusion:

The Aberfeldy distillery is located in Aberfeldy (Perthshire) in the Southern High-lands. It was founded in 1896 by John and Tommy Dewar. The 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 opened in 2002. The annual production amounts to around 3.5 million litres. The core ranges consists of the 12, 16 and 21 Years Old. We visited the distillery and the beautiful visitor centre in May 2017. That's where I bought the 17 Years I'm reviewing today.

This is by far the best Aberfeldy I have tasted until now. Sherry Bomb fans will love this one and I will certainly serve this Single Malt with Strong Coffee and Rich Dark Chocolate at the end of this year's Christmas Dinner. At the same time I feel that the Spirit stayed a few years too long in the very active Cask # 5. The Wood influence is a bit overwhelming at times. But it's a quality Whisky without any doubt and it's certainly worth the 100 Pounds or so I paid for it at the distillery. There won't be many bottles left though and I've seen crazy prices of over US$ 500 on the internet. That's way too much for this Aberfeldy. Limited Editions like this should be bought at the distillery as soon as they are available.

Dear Whisky friends, I would like to wish you and your family a very Happy and Malty Christmas. May the Spirit be with you all!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                             December 23, 2018