Aberlour 18 year (1989), Scott’s Selection
Whisky : Aberlour 18 year (1989), Scott’s Selection
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 52.8%
Cask : Oak
Age : 18 Year (Distilled 1989, Bottled 2007)
Nose : Citrus, grass, and grain. Lovely sweet citrusy notes of lemon and pomelo greeted me initially while grassy notes built with time: wheatgrass, clover, and hints of dried hay. Creme brûlée came to mind with caramelized sugars and nougat before grainy notes appeared as the dram settled with honey butter cornbread and cornmeal.
Palate : Medium to light bodied with citrus fruits, grass, and floral notes. Citrus fruits at first with hints of cream, dried florals, and refined sugar. A grassy sweetness built with time as sugar cane, wheatgrass, and all sorts of young cereal grain shoots came to mind. Grassy notes continued toward the end and brought to mind sweetened matcha tea or matcha pastries.
Finish : Lingering notes of cream, matcha, and citrus with mild astringency.
Score : 6
Mental Image : Matcha Pastry Shop Milkshake
Notes : There was once a really interesting matcha bakery that my wife and I visited a few times that had matcha and soy everything. It was a bit of a gimmick, but I thought their matcha milkshake (which I believe was also vegan, though I was focused on the milkshake part, so maybe I have misremembered) was lovely. It was good enough that I made a point of going back and getting it again and this Aberlour reminded me a bit of that experience.
I found this mellow Aberlour fascinating in its evolution. The flavor profile featured some of the same grass, grain, and cream notes as the nose, but with an added blast of sweet citrus up front and a greater depth of earthy notes. Aberlour is not a distillery I am usually on the lookout to try. The only one I recall being particularly striking was an ex-rum bottle from SMWS. The grassy quality of the spirit is not my favorite, and sherry-driven Aberlour have never tickled my fancy.
I enjoyed the intriguing transition that this Aberlour seemed to undergo as it continued to open up. The creaminess was nice, though occasionally, it hit as a slightly sour twang toward the end. I can definitely imagine that note is not one everyone will enjoy though I did not always find it. There were moments with some of the floral and citrus notes that reminded me of laundry detergent, especially on the nose. I had this same impression with Aberlour previously, so the distillery will likely remain off my radar for the most part.
