Aberfeldy 18 Year Old is a relatively new expression, launched mid 2014 as part of the ‘Last Great Malts’ rebranding of the whole Bacardi portfolio. It sits in between the generally available Aberfeldy 12 Years and Aberfeldy 21 Years, but this is (theoretically) only available in travel retail.
Later in 2015 we also saw the launch of Aberfeldy 16 Years and normally a 30 year-old expression should have followed, but I’ve had confirmation that it is on hold.
Aberfeldy 18 yo
(40%, OB 2016)
Nose: starts gentle, with shy citrus fruits, lots of yellow apples and some savoury notes. Limoncello. Ginger and nutmeg. Honey and some dark roasted cereals.
Mouth: soft, quite thin, but rather oily. Some vanilla, malt and a slightly acrid oak influence. Soft sherry and leathery notes. Then back to burnt sugar and and autumn leafs. Nutmeg.
Finish: medium long, with dark chocolate and some rough oak spices.
Not as smooth as I expected, and slightly underpowered. It’s reasonably priced and reasonably fine. Around € 70 (1 litre bottle).
Score: 81/100