Aberlour 16-year-old

fruity, pear but too short finish

Nose, think caramelised brown sugar, fig notes, sticky toffee pudding.  Deep copper colour.  Sweet sherry on the palate, more figs and some Demerara sugar. Gentle sherried malt, interesting stuff

A very tasty dram!

Nice and very aromatic dram. Must have.

Aberlour 16-year-old Tasted September 25, 2014 @ Aberlour Destilery: very slight smell, extremely soft but with a fuller flavor than the 10 years 69

Color: Amber with gold reflections Nose: Floral and aromas of sweet raisins, hints of spices and nuts. Palate: Soft, full aroma, spicy taste with hints of plum and oak. Finish: long and warm

Sometimes an A'bunadh is a little bit too much of everything, for those moments this is just about right.

Plums, cherries, raisins, vanilla, wood, chocolate, nuts, some honey. Nicely arranged.

The nose is a nice mix of fruit and sweetness. All in all very soft and round. In the mouth and on the finish it could have more oomph. He is a bit cautious when it comes to releasing his aromas - this may be due to the "only" 40% alcohol content. It would be interesting how the 43 variant is in this regard.

The color is beautiful, but stained. The whisky can do a lot but not enough of everything.

From pure blind taste, don’t know what it is before write the notes.

Before I get into it, I just want to let the fans of this bottle know, that they can probably skip this one. I'm going to be mean about it. So with that disclaimer out of the way... I reckon this bottle of Aberlour 16, is the single most disappointing bottle of whisky I own, for couple of reasons. The first one isn't exactly its fault, but there's no getting away from it. It was a gift that was supposed to be a bottle of A'bunadh, but somehow that's not what arrived and, to this day, now a number of years later, my disappointment continues to be immeasurable. The A'bunadh batch #25 is one of the bottles that set me on the path to whisky obsession and I've been chasing that particular high ever since. The 16 is not far off the A'bunadh in terms of price but is IMO, a vastly inferior product. It's also not great compared to other 16 year old OBs. It's nearly in the same price range as Lagavulin 16 (which now also costs too much), but the Laga has much more body, depth and doesn't leave me riddled with regret. Even more unfavourable is the match up between this and the Dailuaine 16 Flora and Fauna, which is a very classy, sherried whisky and an embarrassing £20 cheaper at 43%. There's also the new Fettercairn 16 which matches it for price, is 46.4% and is supposed to be very good. To be clear, I'm not saying the Aberlour tastes terrible, I'm just saying it should be so much better than it is. It's criminally under proofed which hurts everything and I feel cheated every time I sip it. I'm also not convinced about the cask quality, but admittedly that's not based off of anything I can back up. The nose is probably the best thing about it and what is there is fine, but the warning signs are apparent. It doesn't have much presence. Nothing jumps out of the glass, but there's caramel and sugary, red fruit as the most noticeable aromas, with some wispy zest and background nuts and pastry. Everything seems a bit muted though. Like its a very old bottle or someone drank a bunch of it and filled it back up with water, which is an attribute that can be levelled at pretty much every part of the experience. It has a watery approach of dilute simple syrup that picks up some flattened fruit in the form of red apple and candied orange for the rest of the short-lived palate. The transition between palate and finish is where it comes off strongest with toasted brown sugars and then dry, oak-driven cinnamon and nutmeg. The astringent tannins are a major component of the tail and stick around for the rest of it with baking spices a little chilli and the toasted sugars becoming burnt and a little bitter. Like me.

You naturally expect great things from a 16-year-old whisky, and this one is certainly impressive. First of all, they have changed the ABV from the old batches, and it is now 43% instead of 40%. This makes it livelier and a bit more "naughty" without losing its inherent smooth character. It's 16 years old, and nothing can change that fact. Aroma (Nose) The aroma was very rich and vibrant, with a noticeable presence of alcohol on the nose. However, it was so complex that you could spend a good amount of time just nosing it. Caramel was clearly perceptible, along with fruits. Taste (Palate) The taste was the smoothest I have ever felt in my mouth, and also extremely thick (viscous). It was reminiscent of a liqueur in that respect. The mouthfeel was simply tremendous; it embraced the tongue sweetly and beautifully. I tasted caramel and dark fruits. It also subtly shifted, and you could feel a slight sourness as well. Finish (Aftertaste) The aftertaste was strong and lasting. Certainly not the best I've ever experienced, but very good nonetheless. Key Strengths The best thing about this whisky is how "cool" it is. How smooth, thick, and sweet it is. Also, I felt absolutely no burn despite the 43% ABV, which is the advantage of a 16-year-old whisky that has matured properly in the barrel. Overall The price is a little high, and based on the competition, I wouldn't recommend it purely on value. But as a whisky, it is amazing. If you have the budget, buy it without hesitation!

Before trying no high expectations: it turned out very good. Not that it is world classe, but no sharp ends or alcoholic situations. A solide sherryd dram!

A pleasant fruity-spicy-elegant "dessert whisky" in its prime.

N: Malty, yeasty, sticky and heavy nose. Other notes - pears, citrus, yeasty fruits.  Closed nose overall with some caramel/bourbon notes. Good intentions at the very least T: Mild arrival….erm….gone.  I got touches of sherry, malt, caramel, other fruity fuzzy things… F: caramel and cocoa C: Not unpleasant or harsh like the 10yo but another core expression to skip past in order to pick up a bottle of A'bunadh instead Scores a C

Seems like the casks used in this bottling could have been more active (I might prefer it to be a tad sweeter).  An earlier bottling I had (at 43%) seemed to be richer, even though there was a bitter grip to the finish.  On paper, a good price for a 16 year old single malt.  With that said, not bad whisky at all, and it seems well-made.  No real off-notes to me;  perhaps a different palate might appreciate this more.  I enjoyed it, but didn't fall in love

Very easy and your everyday sherry dram. Still too light and not enough depth

Wow, this one took me for a pleasant surprise in a blind tasting. Came on the tongue rather harmless and less intense than the nose suggested. But after only a couple of sips, it established itself as a malt that's got more to offer than the low abv. would make you believe. It really grew on me as a very sippable and pleasant malt. Aberlour sherry bomb? Nope. Inexpensive for what it is? Meh, maybe but for the price I'd love to get 43% abv. minimum, actually. The only other detriment is a flawed finish with a very slight soap note.

Does the scent feel very gentle? Sherry gently supports and vanilla Even though I forgot that the texture was quite watery at 40 degrees, I could feel it right away. instead Is the taste more stimulating than expected? There's a bit of an unexpected punch, so it's a reversal of charm. If it were to be said, the feeling of aging the pitted Hatyu 12 for an additional year or two? The finish is usually long and lightly coats the tongue. When I drank it together, Glenronak 16 definitely came to me with a much more personality and attractiveness.

2nd Tried:- Jan 2017 N- Nice buttery and oily sherry notes lead to sweet floral, chrysanthemum and ginger flower, with generous tropical juicy fruits and banana. Some sour dough. P- Seasoned leathery coats, broad creamy malt with spicy wood lingers.caramel, orange pastries, bitter chocolate. F- Long, spicy, good chewy tannin, dry with layers of sweet fig. — at The Whisky Bar, Kuala Lumpur. *** 1st Tried:- Nov 2015 / Weighted Rate:- 79pt Nose:- Wheat barn and floral, full of life and contended. Rum and raisin sweetness paired with soft clove and plums. Inviting fresh peppermint lingers. Palate:- Bitter cocoa, mild sweet fruit cocktail with spices. Gentle oak and balance. Finish:- Medium-long. Honey warming, olorosso sherry note come into play and leave with touch of coffee. — at The Whisky Bar, Kuala Lumpur.

Colour: dark amber. Nose: sweet, apples, dried fruits, oak, spices, furniture varnish, vanilla, nuts, red currant and raisin. Mouth: sweet with apple sourness, dried fruits, pepper, oak, black tea, nuts and herbal. Finish: long with spices, vanilla, pepper, furniture varnish, apples, light dryness and dried fruits notes. Aberlour 16YO is a good balanced, smooth and tasty whisky. It’s a good choice for daily drinking.

Nose: rather clean. Fruity, honey, malty. Oak influence and charming. Mouth: plenty of dried fruits, malty, spicy and peppery. Quite complex and evolving towards oakiness and biscuits in the same time. Finish: medium length, drying with toffee, chocolate and sherry influenced tannins. Not a world champion but a solid daily dram for sherried whisky enthousiasts. Lacks thickness in the body but quite affordable

Dried fruits, some apples, dark chocolate, tannins, vanilla. Very soft and clear whisky. The aftertaste is frankly short.

A whisky in the color of bright gold. The aroma is a whole bunch of different impressions. The Bourbon barrel adds citrus and orange notes, as well as vanilla and caramel. From the sherry barrel then come nuts, bright fruits and honey notes. The taste brings a balanced interaction of Sherry notes and coffee and sweet fruits. In the background are again caramel and slightly nutty notes in the game. The rather short finish is a bit dry and brings back malty allusions .. The Aberlour is a very nice whisky. Many different impressions, but no one dominates this whisky.

#099 ABERLOR 16 yo DOUBLE CASK MATURED HIGLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH Whisky 40% ... pleasant in aroma and mouth. They could add some alcohol. Nice and drinkable, not too sweet. Warming... that's it. Those who already have it won't be disappointed, those who don't have it won't be disappointed either. There are quite a few of these on the market...

Compared to other Aberlour bottlings, this 16-year-old is surprisingly easy to knit. Hardly any flavors and little depth - 13.12.2014

for full review go to https://whiskyfacile.com/2012/10/01/aberlour-16-yo-2012-ob-43/

- the 43% are good for him (especially in the nose) - a good soft spicy sherry whisky - but for the prices called here too expensive for the quality

nose: marzipan, sherry, nutmeg and liquorisch pallet: sweet and peppery finish: liquorisch a little oak but not bitter

Double wood and long maturation give this malt a quite long finish, with lots of smooth vanilla taste.

Great whisky. Balanced, full and pleasant to drink.