Best Abunad´h Batch

[Lugarteniente]

Best # Batch for Abunad´h?

[Lawrence]

Batch #14 hands down.

[SoMK]

Batch 14 as well but the problem isn't whish batch is the best but "where to find old batches"
I loved the 14 as well but 17 is very beautiful with its dark chocolate, 19 is more subdued and imho, coffeeish. Batch 20, as often when you open the bottle, is high on ethanol but so far I think it's a tad winey but I'll get back at it ..*cough*
I think that quality/pricewise, A'bunadh is maybe not the most complicated whisky ever but it is not disapponting.
It's my trusty "wrap it all" at the end of the day

[Ganga]

I'll let you guys know once I get them all open.
To date the 14 is the best followed closely by the 17. For me the 16 has been the least. I still have batches 6 through 13 to open.

[matthew2512]

I have only tried batches 10, 15 and 17. 17 is my favorite so far, but i want to get my hands on a batch 14 to see what all the fuss is about

[Wave]

I'll have to go with the first batch I tasted, Batch #6. It doesn't matter to me which batches I've had since , they're all great!


Cheers!

[Admiral]

Definitely Batch #6 !!!

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Lawrence]

Admrial, batch # 6 is sooo 1999!

[Admiral]

Admiral, batch # 6 is sooo 1999!

Yep! Back when whisky was good!

If pressed to be more current, I would offer that Batch #14 came close to equalling Batch #6.

Cheers,
Commodore

(I wasn't an Admiral in 1999!)

[BruceCrichton]

The current batch - 20 is fantastically sweet and afficianados in Dufftown thought it was the best for years.

[Ganga]

Well, I took my little collection and ran it through a few of the PLOWEDsters. Some had preconceived bests of Batches 6 and 14. Only Batches 10, 12 and 13 were not sampled by at least one person.

The results were intriguing as I had thought either 6 or 14 would come out on top. Win: #8 Place: #14 Show: #6 and #7. Now let me say, nobody was disappointed with any of the batches.

[K-Mile]

Well, I took my little collection and ran it through a few of the PLOWEDsters. Some had preconceived bests of Batches 6 and 14. Only Batches 10, 12 and 13 were not sampled by at least one person.

The results were intriguing as I had thought either 6 or 14 would come out on top. Win: #8 Place: #14 Show: #6 and #7. Now let me say, nobody was disappointed with any of the batches.

Just found a batch #8 hiding in my local liquor store. Not knowing or having tasted any of the batches, I'm pleased to hear that all of them are fine drams, and I'll let you know when the time comes if I agree on the 1st place in your little investigation...

[Sherried Malt]

Have to vote for #14, but then again it's the only Abunadh I've ever had...

[Sherried Malt]

The current batch - 20 is fantastically sweet and afficianados in Dufftown thought it was the best for years.

Bruce, did you find any of the high alcohol or winey character that SoMK came across?

[BruceCrichton]

The current batch - 20 is fantastically sweet and afficianados in Dufftown thought it was the best for years.

Bruce, did you find any of the high alcohol or winey character that SoMK came across?

http://www.dufftown.co.uk/autumn_speysi ... t_2007.htm

"Of the whiskies tasted, I particularly enjoyed Old Ballantruan, heavily peated Tomintoul, and Aberlour A'Bunadh (batch 20). The first is a charming, warming dram which is best drunk on a day of the week with a 'y' in it's name and the second is marvellously sweet and rich, bringing to mind chocolate and maple syrup. I would also like to say that A'Bunadh is always bottled at nearly 60%abv but is never prickly because Aberlour take great pains to ensure that hedgehogs don't get in the casks during maturation. (They take this problem so seriously that they employ a wee guy called Colin specially for this purpose. )"

"we finished with another taste of the excellent Aberlour A'Bunadh batch 20 which I had tasted on the Thursday. Per commented that it has an exceptionally beautiful nose and I was going to ask if that made it the Scarlett Johannsson of whisky but that was probably taking a joke too far. "

[Reggaeblues]

No way! No joke. she's lovely. And didn't she star in a film about whisky?

She's a star, and dead sexy. just like every drop of A 'bunadh I ever tasted.

But i agree...batch 14 had the edge for me.

but it's nitpicking. they're all great. I currently have a quarter bottle of 17 left, and recently was served a drop of 19...in a pub! Magnificent!

[Sherried Malt]

Bruce, thanks for the note. it looks like time to find a bottle of the 20 then!

Thanks much.

[SoMK]

And since my first sip and several opening of the bottle, the taste has changed.. 20 is great imho, I still prefer the chocolatey flavours of 17 but I'll persevere.. *cough*

[K-Mile]

no one mentioned #18. any one try it?

There was a discussion going on in this thread on #18, it appears to be strong but pretty good...

[BruceCrichton]

no one mentioned #18. any one try it?

Why not ask Colin, the wee guy who keeps the hedgehogs out of the casks, about it?

[K-Mile]

geez, K-mile, I forgot I posted that one!!! taking me a little getting used to, keeping track of all the posts.

Ah, I did not even notice that was your thread No worries, the spirit eats away some of those brain cells once in a while... We all have it, nothing to be ashamed of

[Reggaeblues]

Just got my batch 20 yesterday(£25 from Waitrose!)and shared a dram from a small milk jug( don't ask...but great for nosing!)with a pair of friends at 1 am! One, a sound engineer and composer, isn't even a whisky man, but was most impressed by his 3 tiny sips!

Having just finished a 17, I actually prefer the 20 - for me it has another dimension - a peppery maltiness that I love that was missing from the 17...also a slightly darker flavour in there - like licorice ?

Luvverlee!!

Whichever batch you come across, i don't believe there's such a thing as a "bad" batch.

[les taylor]

RB I think you are right. My dad has found some batch 17 in his local Waitrose. £25 each IWBVRNT.I wasn't that rude. I'll see my dad next week.

[Reggaeblues]

Your dad, eh? Les, congratulations! By my reckoning that's (at least) three generations of discerning whisky drinkers in your family tree!

Re: the Ab/Ab, indeed, at that price it's a steal! IWBERNT, as they say in Poland( and Caddington)...

[BruceCrichton]

Having just finished a 17, I actually prefer the 20 - for me it has another dimension - a peppery maltiness that I love that was missing from the 17...also a slightly darker flavour in there - like licorice ?

Luvverlee!!

This quality that you describe is entirely down to Colin, the little guy who stops hedgehogs getting in the cask.

[Reggaeblues]

Yes, LSD! Like LSD stood for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." errm...pull the other one, John!

Even at a gnats' over 60%, a'bunadh b/20 is remarkably hedgehog - free...

On the other hand I do like a bit of hedgehog in me dram. Talsiker 10 used to have a bit more hedgehog than it does now, for example...

...almost forgot: IWBERNT.

"It Would Be EXTREMELY Rude Not To..."

[Ganga]

Well, I had a few small samples from Batches 7, 8, 9 and 11. This leaves only Batch 13 as unsampled from my collection. Of the batches (6 through 18), I would rate #8 as the best. However, I will be spending some more time with these and looking at two or three together over the next few months.

[Ganga]

No, I've tasted all but 13 from 6 through 18 as shown in my post. Batches 1-5 and Silver were never available in the US. I have had the Silver label but it was many years ago now at the Celtic Malts WOW event.

[Reggaeblues]

yeh, but...money smells better when converted into fine SMS, IMO...e.g. most batches of a'bunadh. B14 was my previous favourite before this one...

[BruceCrichton]

seriously, is that true?

I put it in my festival report: http://www.dufftown.co.uk

Other cask strength whiskies did taste prickly.

[petecaps]

a few bottles of #8 for $65 a bottle. How is old #8 and is that a decent price. Cheers.

[Ganga]

If you can find older bottlings of the a'bunadh, it will likely run you in excess of $70 a bottle as you will be picking it up from stores that have old stock (read had higher prices at the time of issuance) or through collectors (who want to make a buck).

[BruceCrichton]

a few bottles of #8 for $65 a bottle. How is old #8 and is that a decent price. Cheers.

In Britain, it's just under £40 per bottle so that is a good price.

[Willie JJ]

The current batch - 20 is fantastically sweet and afficianados in Dufftown thought it was the best for years.

Having just finished a 17, I actually prefer the 20 - for me it has another dimension - a peppery maltiness that I love that was missing from the 17...also a slightly darker flavour in there - like licorice ?

Take note gang. I also think 20 is the best for a while. And its available

[jazz lover]

Finished a bottle of Batch #6
Was like falling in love again
like my second marriage NO
WAIT or was that my THIRD ??