Question about Aberlour A'bunadh

[blacksabb]

Hi everyone. Well, my little Scotch collection is coming along nicely. I'm up to bottle number 11 now. I just bought The Dalmore 12yrs and I'm really happy about that too. My usual liquor store has discontinued stocking that, and I was in a different area over the weekend and went to the same chain store there. And they happened to have 2 bottles of that. But alas I was told that when they are gone, they won't be ordering it anymore.

I was chatting to one of the guys in the store who had a passion for single malt Scotch with a collection of 30 bottles. I noticed the Aberlour A'bunadh and casually said to him that I was going to get this and drink it for my next wedding anniversary. He then told me something I didn't expect-that it has a certain level of peatiness.

So I'm confused. I thought the A'bunadh was a sherry bomb/monster. I don't recall reading any reviews about a peat palate. Can you guys verify this for me?

[Caledonia]

Almost all scottish whiskies have some level of peatiness , with the exception of Glengoyne.

In the case of Aberlour , usually they peat to around 3ppm if i remember correctly?

Needless to say that this does not make a whisky smoky or peaty.

[blacksabb]

Almost all scottish whiskies have some level of peatiness , with the exception of Glengoyne.

In the case of Aberlour , usually they peat to around 3ppm if i remember correctly?

Needless to say that this does not make a whisky smoky or peaty.

Ahhhh....I see. Thanks for the explanation. So what is the level of peat for the Talisker 10yrs for eg, which I am familar with?

[Caledonia]

Almost all scottish whiskies have some level of peatiness , with the exception of Glengoyne.

In the case of Aberlour , usually they peat to around 3ppm if i remember correctly?

Needless to say that this does not make a whisky smoky or peaty.

Ahhhh....I see. Thanks for the explanation. So what is the level of peat for the Talisker 10yrs for eg, which I am familar with?

I dont have miskao's book with me at the moment but i believe it to be around +/-22ppm.

Bearing in mind that these lvl's might change depending on what spirit they produce (ie, Bruichladdich - Waves/rocks/peat).

On a whole though aberlour is nothing like Ardbeg/Laphroaig which are around 55ppm.

There will be alot of this on maltmadness website i can imagine.

[blacksabb]

Almost all scottish whiskies have some level of peatiness , with the exception of Glengoyne.

In the case of Aberlour , usually they peat to around 3ppm if i remember correctly?

Needless to say that this does not make a whisky smoky or peaty.

Ahhhh....I see. Thanks for the explanation. So what is the level of peat for the Talisker 10yrs for eg, which I am familar with?

I dont have miskao's book with me at the moment but i believe it to be around +/-22ppm.

Bearing in mind that these lvl's might change depending on what spirit they produce (ie, Bruichladdich - Waves/rocks/peat).

On a whole though aberlour is nothing like Ardbeg/Laphroaig which are around 55ppm.

There will be alot of this on maltmadness website i can imagine.

Gotcha. 3ppm compared to 22 is nothing. I'm still getting used to peat and readily admit that a straight bourbon matured or sherry cask matured whisky (or a mixture of the two) sits much more naturally to me than peaty/smoky. So I won't be hurrying to get something like Ardbeg or Laphroaig that has more than twice the peat of Talisker 10yrs!!

Maybe it's the fact that I've never been a cigarette/cigar smoker that I find peat and smoke to be an acquired taste. Whereas I take an instant liking to smooth, soft and mellow palates with hints of fruit.

[Caledonia]

I have the similiar perceptions but i try any im given, try some lesser peated ones before the big beasts if your worried .

THe peating lvl is reduced through maturation so in the cases of these low peated whiskies it is often difficult to actually taste it.

With the cases of Islay and some other distilleries the water is also peated and does make a difference to the overall character - one of the best examples of this is Caol Ila Unpeated 8 years old.

[Reggaeblues]

"Maybe it's the fact that I've never been a cigarette/cigar smoker that I find peat and smoke to be an acquired taste. Whereas I take an instant liking to smooth, soft and mellow palates with hints of fruit."

blacksabb


eh? I've never been a cigarette/cigar(are you kidding???)smoker,and don't particularly want to be in the same room as one, but I for one was lured into malts by one of the peatiest - Lagavulin, and I've never looked back!

so that can't be it!

It's just a matter of taste. I love most malts, but somehow always gravitate back to the smoke...

[dramtastic]

Hi sabb,

I remember one of your first posts mentioned a liqour shop attendant who regarded Bowmore 12 as something like this huge peat monster which it's not compared to Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Now you have another one who's mentioning peat with A'bunadh. These folk must be very sensitive to peat!!

I have read my notes on A'bunadh and find no reference to peat or smoke, neither in Michael Jacksons Malt Whisky Companion or Jim Murrays Whisky Bible.

Rest assured you will buy the type of whisky you have read about on this forum, but, read carefully the post on best A'bunadh batch as they do vary in quality. There seems to be some batch 20 and 23 floating around at Dan Murpheys, both of which are generally held in high regard.

One thing you did mention is that you enjoy malts that are smooth soft and mellow. Be prepared as A'bunadh packs quite a punch at 60.5 abv so don't be expect it to be like Cragg 12, Livet 12 or Aberlour 10, it shouts rather than whispers.

Cheers

[blacksabb]

Hi sabb,

I remember one of your first posts mentioned a liqour shop attendant who regarded Bowmore 12 as something like this huge peat monster which it's not compared to Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Now you have another one who's mentioning peat with A'bunadh. These folk must be very sensitive to peat!!

I think you're right about that. Maybe here in Australia, peated whiskies are seen as somewhat of an oddity. Hence the merest trace of peat brings cries of "peat monster" from people.

Tell me something. How much more peatier is the Lagavulin 16yrs (if at all) compared to the Talisker 10yrs? Because I'll be sharing that with a friend soon. I saw some youtube whisky reviews from this guy called Ralph and he called the Taliser 10yrs a "real bruiser" but no such strong statements for the Lagavulin 16yrs. So I was just wondering.

[Caledonia]

Lagavulin is about 35ish ppm i believe, remember it is only a determination of peating during the production process not after bottling. Therefore it does change alot over time

[dramtastic]

Hi sabb,

I remember one of your first posts mentioned a liqour shop attendant who regarded Bowmore 12 as something like this huge peat monster which it's not compared to Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Now you have another one who's mentioning peat with A'bunadh. These folk must be very sensitive to peat!!

I think you're right about that. Maybe here in Australia, peated whiskies are seen as somewhat of an oddity. Hence the merest trace of peat brings cries of "peat monster" from people.

Tell me something. How much more peatier is the Lagavulin 16yrs (if at all) compared to the Talisker 10yrs? Because I'll be sharing that with a friend soon. I saw some youtube whisky reviews from this guy called Ralph and he called the Taliser 10yrs a "real bruiser" but no such strong statements for the Lagavulin 16yrs. So I was just wondering.

Well to me Talisker is not a a peated stlye of whisky but a hot spicy style with smokey accents involved.

You will notice straight away the difference between it and Laga 16, the Laga being a true peated Islay style of whisky but one that is beautifully balanced with sweetness. Complex and smooth and still my all time favorite.

If you ever want a true peat attack then to me you should try Ardbeg 10. Not my cup of tea(like swallowing the contents of an ashtray) but a dram every whisky lover should try at least once because of it's non compromising style IMO.

Don't get to caught up with the ppm thing I've heard of whiskys that claim to have 99 ppm or more that posters have not found very peaty when tatsed.

[scotchdrinker]

Blacksabb,
I have tried T10 and A'bunadh and they are nothing alike. There is a kick to the A'bunadh but it is not peaty in anyway. It is quite sweet. The T10 was not my cup of tea at all, it was very spicy and peppery and smokey. I will still try others' tho like Ardbeg and Laphroaig and Laga. You never know you may like of them more. And I will I smoke and I still was not a fan of the T10 so one thing has nothing to do with the other. It all comes down to a personal preference.