Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 55

About the Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 55

Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 55 is a cask strength single malt Scotch whisky from Speyside. The distillery fills oloroso sherry butts and bottles the result without reduction. This release came out in 2016 at 60.9% ABV. There is no chill filtration and no added colour. Strength varies from batch to batch because the casks decide it. Numbered releases have followed one another since 1998, each one slightly different. Each batch is a blend of casks rather than a single vintage. Aberlour draws on roughly 60 to 80 oloroso butts to build one release. The spirit inside spans a wide age range, from about five years to twenty five. Older casks bring depth and oak, younger ones bring bright fruit and energy. No single age statement could cover that spread. That mix is the whole idea behind the bottling. Orange peel and dried fruit come first, with raisins close behind. Apple and almond sit under them, and cinnamon runs through the middle. Sipping brings cherry and fresh fruit, then licorice and warm spice. The strength shows itself, but it carries flavour rather than burn. Later the whisky turns darker and drier. Dark chocolate and cocoa hold on, backed by oak and a faint trace of salt. Caramel sweetness runs underneath all of it. What sets this apart is how little is done to it. Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 55 is sherry matured and bottled straight from the cask. Nothing is filtered out and nothing softens the edges. Standard bottlings are reduced to a fixed strength for consistency. This one is not, which is why the number on the label matters. Drinkers track batches and compare them, and this one leans rich and chocolatey. Pour it neat and it needs nothing else.