[Review] Aberfeldy - 20 years old Exceptional Cask Series 54.1%

As I have just finished an online Aberfeldy tasting, I thought I would do a quick review of the 20 year-old Exceptional Cask which I got to try for it. This is a whisky which is only available through the distillery. It was distilled 27-04-1998 and bottled 11-01-2019. The whisky spent 16 years in an ex-bourbon cask before spending four more years in a first-fill ex-Oloroso cask, and was bottled unchillfiltered, natural colour and at the natural cask strength of 54.1%.

Photo courtesy of www.dewars.com


Nose: Rich, sweet and fruity, raisin, oak spice, wood polish and old bookshelf, nutty, dark chocolate  and caramel, and some orange notes too. Very inviting!

Palate: First I get some citrus notes, orange, candied peels, hints of bitterness, dark chocolate, before some honey and spices. It is quite rich and fruity (ripe peaches), with some oaky notes and some nuttiness too. Delicious.

Finish: The Oloroso comes through more prominently on the finish with its nuttiness, some oak, cinnamon, vanilla and orange still around,

With water: The nose gets fruitier with more vanilla and some incense. The palate mellows with more vanilla as well and less spice. The finish focuses more on the wood and the nutty Oloroso notes.


This is a fantastic dram, shame there are only 618 bottles! Thank you Georgie and the Aberfeldy distillery for the sample!


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