Widely available

Meh

For the details…

Aberlour (pronounced to rhyme with ‘power’) was founded in 1879 by James Fleming. There had been an earlier distillery nearby from 1825-1833. The new distillery on the current site burned in 1898, necessitating a complete rebuild. It was purchased by the French drinks giant Pernod-Ricard in 1974, and following on their 2001 acquisition of Chivas Bros, it became part of the Chivas Bros portfolio along with Pernod’s other Scottish concerns. The French ownership likely explains the brand’s wide availability–and corresponding popularity–in France.

Aberlour produces a medium-weight Speysider, more substantial than the make of the Glenlivets and Glenfiddichs of the world, but much lighter than the typical produce of Mortlach, Glenfarclas, Macallan, or Benrinnes. It is typically aged in a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry wood, hence the reference to “double cask” on most Aberlour expressions.

To be quite frank, I’ve never been especially fond of Aberlour in any guise. I tried the 10 year old on several occasions 20 or so years ago when that was the standard expression, and I quite disliked it. When Total Wine first showed up in Albuquerque, they had several standard Aberlour bottlings–this 16, a 12, and the cask strength a’bunadh. Since the 12 was relatively cheap at the time, I bought a bottle and although it was nothing transcendently special, I enjoyed it, so I sprung for the 16 as well. I’ve found it rather drab and disappointing. It has a generically fruity profile with a peculiar cola note, and it clearly suffers from being presented at the minimum alcohol content.

Aberlour 16 40% abv

Nose: A little closed, restrained, then lots of fruit starts to come through–ripe peach and crushed red grape and even some sweet apple. Sweet and spicy (cinnamon and clove) and even just a little bit savory. A hint of struck match.

Body: Medium and soft.

Palate: Gentle and fruity and somewhat sweet, though not overpoweringly so. Red grape and even the barest trace of bubblegum. Papaya and a little bit of spice. Root beer. Black licorice candy.

Finish: Short, sweetish, cola-like.

Score: 69/100

Who should buy it?: People who collect Aberlour? People who enjoy pleasant, rather anodyne, unchallenging whisky.

Overall thoughts: A perfectly pleasant, adequate whisky. It will go down easily, but don’t expect the earth to move.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Aberlour 16 40% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: n/a

Bottle Code: LKPJ 0654 2015/02/17 10:07

Presentation: Unspecified

Details: n/a

Price: Seems to me that when I bought this, it went for around $60 or so. For the quality, that is frankly too much. The current iteration (still sitting right at 40% abv!) looks to retail north of $100, which is highway robbery.

Availability: Pretty much any liquor store should have it.

Distillery Information:

Region: Speyside

Location: Aberlour, Morayshire

Geography: Inland

Date Founded: 1879

Owner: Pernod Ricard

Website: https://www.aberlour.com/en-us/

Capacity: 3,900,000

Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Semi-Lauter; WASHBACKS: ; STILLS: 4; HEAT SOURCE: ; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube

Total expressions sampled: 3

Overall distillery score: B-

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