Review number 6 this evening as we get together in Kyle's backyard overgrown with dill, to split a bunch of whiskies and taste a handfull while we're at it.
Aberfeldy 21, 40% ABV, $200 CAD, Highland Single Malt, blend of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
We sniff around:
Tart apples, green apples. A little candy.
Trevor nails it with green jolly ranchers.
Simon gets a nice Fall scent, like orange leaves on a breezy October day.
Scott says it's crisp nose, easy to shove your nose in.
We cheers.
Simon gets the evolution of the apple. Starts off with a crisp Gala, then it gets a little older over a few seconds. A little syrupy candy. Oak comes through as well.
Scott like that, says it goes from Gala to green apple for him. Lots of complimentary flavors.
Super smooth.
Trevor still gets hints of the jolly ranchers.
Reviews: Scott's bottle. He starts us off with 87. The different expressions of the apple, the syruppy notes around it too, it all comes together very nicely. Trevor pins this at 84. It's a little simple but it's doing what it's doing very well. Typically not a huge fan of the apple-centric scotches but this does it very well. Kyle lands at 81. He expected a bit more complexity for a 21 year but still enjoys it. Simon closes us off with 86, really nice to drink, he thinks it does offer good complexity and development. At retail and even with a decent discount he's not sure he would get a bottle but he's happy his friend has one. We average out to 84.5.
Overall: This is a really nice drink. It is sadly priced out of the range most of us would want to pay for what it is. Having tasted the Aberfeldy 12, 16, and now 21, all three offer very different takes on the Aberfeldy distillate. The 12 is malt/spice forward, the 16 is very sherried, and the 21 is more sweet candy apples honey. Overall Aberfeldy has done well, but I don't think it's in anyone's top distilleries and we'll likely wait a while before looking for some of their more limited edition stuff.
Cheers!
The S&P Crew.
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