Aberfeldy celebrates the 125th anniversary of the distillery with the release of the Aberfeldy 25 Year Old. It spent over two decades in the warehouse and received a finish in Oloroso sherry casks.
Good that they decided to bottle at 46%, if only they would do that for the entire range! When we tried the Aberfeldy 21 Year Old that was our main gripe.
Aberfeldy 25 yo (46%, OB 125th Anniversary 2023, Oloroso sherry cask finish)
Nose: forthcoming nose on marmalade, sweet peaches and damsons, as well as some honeycomb. Light hints of cinnamon pastry and mint tea. Nice hints of beeswax too. Subtle cocoa and dried wildflowers. A fairly light and nicely elegant sherry profile, although there’s also this hint of freshly sawn oak.
Mouth: quite sweet, initially more malty than expected, with more marmalade, red berries and orange peel, as well as baking spice. Clove, candied ginger. Drops of cold coffee, some raisins and herbal notes that give it a light bittersweet touch. Leathery notes, dark toffee and cinnamon again. Honeyed nuts as well.
Finish: quite long, with hints of sweet spice (gingerbread), coffee, light tannins and oranges.
A nice Aberfeldy, one of the best distillery bottlings I’ve had. It is really not shy and showing a proper sherry influence. Moreover it fits the time of the year. Available from Master of Malt for instance.