Aberlour 10 Year Old

(Without too many jokes).

Sampled in a Glen cairn with half a teaspoon of spring water.

When I decided to try and expand my whisky knowledge and indeed my cabinet, this was the first single malt I bought. As I was dipping my toe so to speak I felt that starting with an inexpensive whisky would be a good idea. Having now sampled a fair number of more pricey drams my admiration for Aberlour 10yo has in no way diminished.

The legs are long and thin (Twiggy in her heyday).

Colour: Medium to dark amber.

Nose: Toffee, dark good quality chocolate, oranges and maybe a few cherries. A very satisfying warming smell.

Taste: Fruity again with the cherries diminishing and the oranges getting stronger. A crisp fairly dry taste. This dram has not got as much ‘bite’ as some but is still very satisfying. Hints of honey.

Finish: Reasonably long with the fruit being replaced at the end with a slight bitterness with even a small pinch of salt. There’s no burn in the mouth more a warming glow which fades away slowly (like most drams I suppose).

I would recommend this whisky to anyone starting out on the whisky journey both for it’s easy drinking nature and it’s very reasonable price (it can be bought in most UK supermarkets for well under £20). Despite these two factors I don’t think this whisky will be discarded for more expensive alternatives once a persons horizons broaden. It is a whisky to be enjoyed for what it is, in my opinion, a inexpensive but extremely enjoyable dram. I should imagine that in blind tastings this whisky would complete easily with others twice of even three times it’s price.

I’ve tried to make this review a little less light hearted than my prvious ones, so as not to offend (like last time) but going back to the title , if this whisky was to be compared to a date I would say that the lady was down to earth but classy, entertaining but not pretentious or overpowering, full bodied and fruity, a little sweet and she didn't cost me too much money! I would definately want to see her again.

Cheers.