Back to the origin...

Today, let’s talk about one of the first whisky which made me up my fascination for whiskies: The Aberlour A’bunadh (a-boona), A’bunadh meaning “the origin” in Scottish Gaelic.

Tasted for my first time at the distillery, appreciated several times, I recently had a glass in the Café Brun in Bordeaux.

Let’s have a dram together. As usual, a great trip! …

A’bunadh is a cask-strength single malt whisky from the Aberlour Distillery (Pernod Ricard) in the Speyside region (Scotland).

This cask-strength is produced as the 19th century traditional way of making whiskies, exclusively matured in Olorosso sherry barrels, unchilled and unfiltered.

It has no age statement. Each batch is blended from 5 to 25 years old barrels and each batch carries a unique number, mentioned on the label. Thus, depending from which batch the elixir come from, colour, nose, palate and the ABV vary. For example, the ABV can oscillate from 59% to 63%.

What does it taste like?

Tasting notes

Colour: Dark amber/Deep copper

Nose: Powerful. Spicy and fruity. Citrus fruits notes. Sherry, winey notes. 

Palate: Well balanced. Citrus fruits (orange), black cherry and dried fruits notes. Ginger, dark chocolate. Spiced and woody. Intense Olorosso sherry notes.

Finish: Long and warming. Chocolate, honey. Oaky and spicy notes.

A superb after-dinner malt, complex and powerful for sherried lovers. 
To match also with an onctuous molten chocolate cake (fondant au chocolat)

It’s also a very good value for money for a cask-strength malt whisky. An advice, always have a bottle of it in your whisky collection or some if you want to compare the different batches.

I really recommend the Aberlour Distillery Experience, an excellent visit where you can unbolted your own Aberlour whisky, direct from the cask (Sherry or Bourbon).

Slainte!

The jewel of Indian whiskies

Indian Whisky? Tasted during the Whisky Live Belgium 2013, let’s introduce you: Amrut  Fusion (no age statement).

Amrut is part of the phenomenal of internationalisation of whisky. India is an important whisky consumer and also a big whisky producer but the majority of the Indian whisky are unfortunately made with molasses, which means they can’t be considered as whisky but rums.

Anyway, Amrut is definitely a single malt whisky made with 100% malted barley. It is produced by Amrut distillery Ltd founded since 1948, few months after the Indian Independence, in Bangalore (South of India).

Why Fusion? This unique product, it associates Indian barley from Himalaya (75%) with peated Scottish malt (25%). A true fusion of culture. Original but not really ecological!

It’s usually matured in bourbon barrels from 3 to 5 years at nearly 1000m above the sea level. It represents a real maturation accelerator combined with the hot climate. The angel’s share is quite important, around 12% of evaporation each year, the equivalent of ten years in Scotland.

Tasting notes

Colour: Bright gold

Nose: All-round. Citrus notes. Honey, barley and almonds. Spicy: Vanilla, cinnamon, liquorice. Hints of peat.

Palate: Rich. Fruity: orange, mango. Oaky, malted barley notes. Vanilla, dark chocolate and coffee taste. Hints of peat and leather.

Finish: Long and rich. Well balanced between the sweetness, spiciness and peated. Touch of marmalade.

ABV: 50%

Pairing it dark chocolate or a tiramisu must be excellent…

Bowmore, the oldest distillery of Islay Island

Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest distillery on Islay Island. It's one of the only five distilleries in Scotland to still produce its own floor malted barley. 

Bowmore makes well balanced, subtle whiskies with a phenolic content (peaty) slightly lower than the others Islay whiskies producers. It uses a big proportion of sherry casks, 1/3 of the global production is matured in it. It makes the elixir rounder. 

Situated on the shores of the Loch Indaal, Bowmore vaults are literally placed on the waterfront, even below sea level, justicating its marin notes.  

Springbank 10 y.o and Bowmore Enigma 12 y.o tasting
Let's taste together the Bowmore Enigma 12 years old...

Tasting notes:

Colour: Dark amber

Nose: Fresh marin breeze. Floral: lilac, lavander. Touch of honey. Sweet citrus, tangerine, very matured orange notes. Salty butter, caoutchouc.

Palate: Warm and complex (oily). Peated and salted. Fruity: light sherry, tangerine, lemon zest notes(bitter taste). Spiced. Nose characteritics confirmed.

Finish: Long, sweet and fresh. Peated, lightly salted with hints of Gentian.

ABV: 40%

The Bowmore Enigma is sweeter and richer than the standard Bowmore 12 y.o. It's a great value whisky. Well balanced between the peat and smoke and the sweetness of the sherry. I just expected more sherry tastes. Very pleasant dram! 

Slainte!