Aberlour
The sherry double cask France fell for — and the cult of A'bunadh.
People tend to arrive at Aberlour by one of two doors. The first is the 12-year-old Double Cask. By marrying bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks it catches sherry sweetness and softness at once — an easy bottle to recommend as a sherry entry. It shows plenty of sherry character without costing what Macallan does, which is why it's so often someone's first sherried single malt.
The second door is A'bunadh. As its Gaelic name — "of the origin" — suggests, it's bottled straight from Oloroso sherry casks with no age statement and no water, at around 60%. A sherry bomb of that intensity is hard to find at the price, and it has built a worldwide following. Each batch runs a little different in strength and flavour, so people choose — and collect — by number.
What's striking is how deeply this brand took root in France. It has ranked as the best-selling single malt there, with its rich sherry profile said to suit French tables. Like Glen Grant in Italy, it's another case of a Scotch bound up with one particular country.
Worth knowing before you buy: A'bunadh's batch variation is real. The same name, by batch number, can mean different proof and different sherry intensity — some sweeter, some rougher. So "the A'bunadh I had" and "the A'bunadh you had" may not be the same dram, which is worth keeping in mind when you read a recommendation or a review.
Aberlour's real signature isn't a record auction lot — it's A'bunadh. For a mid-double-figure price it bottles a roughly 60% Oloroso-sherry spirit at full strength, and that 'the richest sherry for the money' pitch has made it a cult. Each batch tastes a little different, so many fans collect by number.
Prices are approximate retail / duty-free · Varies by batch — not a personal tasting score
Aberlour's identity is the double cask. Spirit aged separately in bourbon casks (vanilla, softness) and Oloroso sherry casks (dried fruit, spice) is married into a weighty but balanced sherry style. Not as wholly sherried as Macallan, yet clearly heavier than the bourbon-led light Speysiders — it sits in the middle.
Founded in 1879 by local businessman James Fleming in the village of Aberlour, Speyside, beside the good water of the Lour burn and St Drostan's well. After several changes of hands it now belongs to Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers), where it serves as a core sherry-style single malt.
Aberlour is especially loved in France, where it has ranked as a top-selling single malt — its rich sherry sweetness suiting French tables, the story goes. Elsewhere the 12yo Double Cask is a sensible sherry entry, and A'bunadh a value sherry bomb for enthusiasts. It suits drinkers who like weight and sweetness more than those chasing something light.
Heavy and densely sherried on the nose, it calls for a tulip glass that gathers the aroma — a copita or Glencairn. The 12yo at 40% needs little or no water, but A'bunadh, near 60%, opens markedly in nose and sweetness with a drop or two. A big lump of ice in a thick tumbler shuts the rich aroma down; if it's shy, cup the bowl to warm it slightly.
Sources · Production & range — aberlour.com · Product image — Aberlour