Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review

Aberlour A’bunadh (pronounced a-boon-ah), takes its name from the Gaelic word for “the original”. First released in 1997, it was created as a tribute to Aberlour founder James Fleming and the traditional style of Speyside whisky. Today, it’s widely regarded as one of Scotland’s classic “sherry bomb” whiskies.

Unlike most core-range whiskies, A’bunadh is released in numbered batches, with each batch created from a different selection of casks. While every release retains the whisky’s signature sherry-rich character, enthusiasts enjoy comparing batches and debating the differences between them, with some being considered fruitier, spicier, or more oak-driven than others.

A’bunadh is a non-age-statement single malt matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks. It is bottled at natural cask strength, which is typically somewhere between 59% and 62% ABV, depending on the batch, and is not chill-filtered.

Its rich colour is a little misleading, however, as the whisky is not marketed as being naturally coloured. Personally, I find this a bit of a pity. Given that A’bunadh is released in batches, slight colour variation would seem perfectly acceptable.

More than 80 batches have been released to date. At the time of writing, Batch 84 appears to be the most recent widely available release, and this is bottled at 61.2% ABV.