Another whisky from our night with Aberlour, the Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask is as tasty as it is unique. I can’t remember off the top of my head how many of these they do each year, I was pouring at the time, but I do remember it was shockingly small. It’s not a common thing to see and this one was brought in from somewhere on the East coast because no store on the West had one.
Aside from being a 16-year-old Single cask, what makes this whisky unique is the fact that it came from an ex-Bourbon cask. Aberlour is specifically known for their use of sherry casks and all their standard releases employ them. Being in an ex-bourbon cask presented a unique opportunity to really taste the underlying malt and get closer to what’s really coming off the still.
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask Review: Details and Tasting Notes
In Aberlour’s Words: Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask
NA – They don’t list this single barrel program on their site
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Distiller: Aberlour
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 16 Years
ABV: 47.3%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Barrel: 18537
Price: $100
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask Tasting Notes
EYE
Light honey
NOSE
Honey, graham, apples, fruit gems, powdered sugar, toffee and hay with a touch of vanilla.
PALATE
MALT, honey, apples, pears, cinnamon, herbal, hay, minerality and a light bit of oak.
FINISH
Long -> Fruit, malt and toffee.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great balance, full body and a slick oily feel.
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask Review: OVERALL
Being a lover of all things sherry I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I want more ex-Bourbon cask Aberlour in my life. This Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask has a solid malty sweetness, with a touch of earthiness, that gives the slick fruity essence a sense of balance and structure that is warming and inviting. It shows the reason Aberlour is so good is not just the sherry, but because the underlying malt is good to begin with.
Honestly, I would love to drink this on a regular basis and if I were Aberlour I wouldn’t let any of this amazing stuff get blended away either. This is a whisky that kept my senses glued to the glass as I explored it; I didn’t want to put it down. If you can get yourself one do it!
SCORE: 89/100 (B+)
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask Review 100
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask Review Summary
Aberlour 16 Years Single Cask is tremendous whisky. It’s elegant, balanced and rich through and through.
Overall
90
- Nose - 90
- Palate - 89
- Finish - 89
- Balance, Body & Feel - 90
User Review
( votes) Comments Rating ( reviews)
Best and smoothest whiskey in the price range
Thank you for your review of this product which inspired me to purchase it yesterday for $64. Absolutely wonderful. Smooth, silky, sweet, mixed fruits, toffee, vanilla, sherry, light oak, warmth but no burn, This is at the top of my list for favorite smoothest and non-peaty whiskeys. Three whiskey loving friends of mine tasted it also and went “Wow, that’s awesome”. This product is well worth the money and I plan to purchase another in the future.
FYI: To get an idea of my taste buds, my other favorite whiskeys (so far) are
* Glenfiddich Bourbon 14,
*Glenlivit French Oak Reserve 15,
*Glengoyne 12,
*Bunahabhain 12,
*Glen Grant 12,
*Dalwhinne 15, and
*The Balvenie Doublewood 12.
CHEERS!!
Wow, thank you for sharing all of this Samuel. Glad you’re loving it, cheers!
Abelour 16 year single cask
Thanks for your review. I was at Total Wine and looking for something special for Thanksgiving. I like glenmorangie and read your review which led me to your Abelour review. It was absolutely amazing and the 3 other scotch guys at dinner all loved it. At $100 a bottle it was a bit more than l the $70 I wanted to spend but it was well worth it.
WR-Pembroke Pines, Florida
Thanks for sharing Wayne, that’s awesome. I’m glad you and your friends enjoyed it. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, and it sounds like you did. Cheers!
My go to scotch
wayne, I buy this from “the wine and cheese place” in st louis. if you buy say 5 bottles the shipping is about $7 a bottle, but they only charge $62 a bottle for this 16 year old scotch so it’s $70 total including shipping.
I was drinking the 12 year old and wanted to try something stronger so tried the abunadha which at first I like it, but it ended up just being to strong, too sherry, too raisiny even when watered down a bit. so I tried the 16 and just love it. Now I can’t go back to the 12 year old. yes it’s quite a bit more expensive but what are you going to do? it’s much better. is it worth it? that’s up to you
(was drinking glenfiddich 14 year bourbon barrel stuff for a long time but this aberlour 16 just is much rieher with more flavor)