Aberlour 18-year-old

Name: Aberlour 18-year-old
Brand: Aberlour
SKU: 17681
Rating: 85.49 (774 reviews)

Overall rating: 85.49/100
votes: 774

Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Aberlour
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Stated Age: 18 years old
Casktype: Sherry and bourbon casks
Strength: 43.0 % Vol.
Size: 700 ml
Label: New Label (2010)
Barcode: 5000299298190
Added on: 15 Aug 2010 9:14 am

Average value

€ 119.82

Found 16 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 77.50

	Master of Malt	£ 119.76

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Whisky Reviews for Aberlour 18-year-old

157 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 85.49 points

hs305 scored this whisky 88 points
16 Dec 2018 9:07 pm
[December, 2014] Together with friends I emptied a bottle that I bought for 61,50 Euro in September, 2014.

In my old rating system (ten scales that translate into WB points: 50 - 66 - 75 - 80 - 82,5 - 85 - 87,5 - 90 - 92,5 - 95) I scored it 87,5. My notes state "without flaws and highlights".

[December, 2019] I opened another bottle of batch LKPG 4686 that I bought for 61,50 Euro in September 2014 - so I can do proper tasting notes now...

...and this is a very quaffable balanced sherried dram with all ingredients (malt, sherry, wood) in perfect harmony. No, there are no highlights in terms of spectacular impressions or quick resp. hard taste buds hits and yes, this is good! I can quaff several drams of this "unspectacular" malt in a row while I will stop after the first sherry-monster-dram, usually (because these monsters own a "hit-and-run profile", meaning they inject bold first impressions but nothing new which is of interest after that).

Nose

86 86

The colour is tawny and the nose offers a flawless modern sherry profile that is rather shy. After all the Glenfarclas Family Casks tastings this is somewhat unimpressive but still much better than most of today's designed sherry-only drams. In this nose I find the fine Aberlour aromas too which turns it balanced with all three malt, sherry and wood-induced impressions.

Taste

89 89

The taste is much more sherry-driven than the nose and even somewhat layered. The malt flavours are on eye-level with the sherry while the wood is firm but never dominating. No flaw that I can find (certainly no sulphur) and all perfectly balanced - the longer I chew it the more I like it. The apricot and chocolate notes are very delicious, this is quaffable without any doubts.

Finish

88 88

The dram arrives warming and coating on the palate without distracting moments. The finish is medium to long and adds liquorice and spicy impressions without distracting moments again. Water is not needed.
EinSpatzUnterVielen scored this whisky 84 points
09 Aug 2017 12:47 pm
This one is a little chameleon and full of surprises. I've never had such perfumed notes on a malt, and I'm not sure whether I like it or not. I'm curious how he tastes me next time.

Nose

The very first nose is TRiTOP Mandarin / Orange (a rather artificially smelling syrup of the 70's). Real surprise number 1! After 5-10 minutes lavender soap rises suddenly in the nose ... fascinating ... so let it stand again. After about 15-20 minutes then finally a classic sherry malt nose, but a bright red and fruity: vanilla, milk chocolate, bright red fruit, tangerine skin and leather

Taste

The first sip is a sparkling blend of Fanta and Earl Gray tea. The second sip develops into sherry: vanilla, whole milk chocolate, strawberries, raspberries, light cherries, cherries, redcurrants, mandarin and orange peel. The third sip transforms the whole milk into dark chocolate, then into oily viscous mocha with Brazil nut. Vanilla and a lot of nutmeg go into white pepper, the spice is added with each sip more ...

Finish

medium-length, tangerines and oranges, raspberries, mocha, nutmeg, towards the end again the irritating mixture of Earl Gray tea / bergamot oil and soapy lavender ...
dRambo scored this whisky 88 points
19 Mar 2017 11:48 pm
Nose: honey-sweet sherry, toffee, creamy-oily, candle wax, yummy juicy oranges with grated peel, clean, elegant, after the first sip the oranges become even more intense now also spicy wood in the background
Taste: mild, delicate, very well integrated alcohol, honey sweetness with delicate-bitter fruitiness spread smoothly in the mouth, followed by a slight tingling which comes from the oak, certainly not from alcohol, light yet pleasant bitterness comes with the spice in the sooner short finish, very tasty
Conclusion: The nose is far ahead, very seductive reminiscent of the intense orange note on Glenfarclas Edition No 20. Unfortunately, he bottled with 43%, at least 3% more would have done him good, it falls off for me on the palate noticeably against the Nose. A little weak and no dilution reserve to decode the fruit flavors in the sherry and not to dilute it.
- Nose
  
  91 91
- Taste
  
  87 87
- Finish
  
  87 87
didi1893 scored this whisky 88 points
27 Nov 2016 9:04 pm
Compared to the Aberlour 12, the nose of the 18s is less fruity, but more marked by darker and older wood notes. The taste of the Aberlour 18 is very mild and delicious. Fine wood and chocolate flavors harmonize perfectly and are reflected in the finish again. An extremely delicious whisky! I like it very, very much!

Nose

Spicy woody aromas and rather restrained fruit dominate the first impression. Slowly, the fruit becomes more intense, creating a strong apricot aroma. Oranges are noticeable. Despite only 43% alcohol content, the alcohol is very dominant and tickles the nose. Spicy wood emerges, sweet fruit and vanilla flash over and over again through the dark wood.

Taste

At first, a cool freshness dominates, before dark and spicy woody notes gloss over everything. A touch of nut aroma is created, very mild woody notes mingle with milk chocolate, a very pleasant aroma now dominates the taste. A touch of coffee ends the taste.

Finish

Mild but spicy, the wood exudes a very pleasant aroma. Again, milk chocolate comes to the fore and gets more and more intense. At the end of the departure creates a fine walnut flavor.
StyrianSpirit scored this whisky 89 points
22 Dec 2019 7:42 pm
A pleasantly fruity sherry malt from front to back in a delicate, diluted drinking strength of 43%. For me an 89-point pleasure that remains on the palate and in the finish on the more fleeting side. Not unlike a good Armagnac in its fruit perfume aromas ...

Nose

90 90

A sweet fruit perfume. No wonder the French love the Aberlour Malts. Pleasant sherry notes, complemented by sweet red grapes. Some fine barrel flavor. Exactly right, reminds me spontaneously of the 16 year old Double Cask (ID: 46209) from Aberlour. The 18-year-old Speysider still looks a bit more "ripe" and "dark fruity", sometimes a little orange flashes. A very fine aroma.

Taste

89 89

First sherry, then the grape fruit, followed by the seasoning, which now brings along a few garden herbs in addition to the barrel aromas. The whole thing flies relatively quickly, a gentle fruit breeze in the mouth too.

Finish

88 88

The finish is medium long and summarizes the aromas and the taste experience again. He'll be gone soon.
PaulDvorak scored this whisky 87 points
02 Nov 2019 3:29 pm

Fruit, bright, with the aroma of orange marmalade, wet wood cut, peach jam, and black tea with snickers, the taste is sweet with a slight bitterness, with nuances of black tea with orange jam, chocolate and lollipops, the finish is long, chocolate-spicy.
Logical point in accessible Aberlauers indicating the age. An adult, well-cobbled together, logically continues 16ku, very good.

RATING: 87pts - [n22, t21, f22, b22] → | 86-89: Remarkable |
wisekycourse scored this whisky 83 points
22 Oct 2016 11:56 am
On the nose: glue, spice, cinnamon, sherry then it stings at once, probably due to the opening of a new bottle!
On the palate, the feeling of an old hooch, return of leather, wood, a little wax, no chocolate (I will have to re-add it several times!), Then the old-fashioned, maderised fruits stand out!
In the final, the fruits explode little by little on a spicy background!

Disappointed by a simple finish, flat and not very long, asks to be retested.

retested:

more fruit in the mouth and a finish that continues after on the same notes, but final so longer!

Nose

malt, spices, sweetness on caramel, a little fruit on tangerine

Taste

cooked fruit, in a compote, spices, wood, dark chocolate, malt

Finish

woody, caramelized, velvety, creamy and spicy!
Svarttt scored this whisky 87 points
27 Sep 2020 5:17 pm
Nice balanced adult standard.

Nose

88 88

Light red fruits, some caramel. Dark wood.

Taste

86 86

More from the sherry barrel, sweet fruits, caramel, old pear, spicy wood aromas, a little tartaric acid.

Finish

86 86

Rather medium length. Not too dry.
Whiskywobbler scored this whisky 84 points
02 Jul 2020 10:04 pm
This is not a bad whisky, for sure, since it contains many nice balanced flavours. I guess it just does not really do it for me.

Nose

85 85

Start off with lots of apple cider, which transform into copper, light sherry, fudge, caramelised sweet pears, raisins and hints of tanned peaches. It really gets sweeter after an initial fruity, and supposedly young, nose. Feels much more mature now. Some spicy notes from the wood come up to back up the fruity ones. In the development vanilla (cake) arises and faint hints of coconut. Luckily the wood does not stand in the way of the pleasantly springlike freshness. I also get some wine-y notes, like some fresh and slightly spicy Gewürztraminer. Good balance with more apples and pears, now in the form of grandma’s apple pie with cinnamon, nuts and raisins, and wine-cooked pears. A second time also brought fudge, raisin cake and grape juice.

Taste

83 83

Fresh and fruity with green apples, freshly peeled pears, brown sugar, apple pie with raisins, and a few nutty notes. The apple pie note is pretty persistent, while the wood is initially more subdued then in the nose. A faint hint of white pepper and a somewhat stronger hint of cinnamon rolls. Probably more like cinnamon sugar. The wood influence becomes stronger with more spices, hints of dark forest fruits, raisin cake and red wine. The aftertaste is rather short and filled with apple pie, raisins, cider and lightly spiced woody notes.

Finish

83 83
GJR scored this whisky 83 points
16 Jun 2020 8:27 pm
Nose

83 83

Taste

82 82

Finish

85 85

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