Aberlour 10 Year Old

After reading a few reviews recommending this as a starter whisky took the plunge and bought a bottle instead of my usual bourbons. Poor blends were the norm in my house when growing up and the smell still makes me feel ill when I smell them so stayed away from scotch.

Smell: sweet fruit and hint of spice, the sherry cask has worked some magic on the distillate who knew scotch could smell this good.

Palate: slightly cloying on the tongue with no real sense of spice, one drop of water and 5 minutes and the spice is released with a warming peppery tingle dancing across my tongue balanced the sweet too perfection.

Finish is a little short and there is a bit of a raw edge to the spirit neat but the drop of water removes this.

I don't normally add water to bourbon up to 101 proof but read a review suggesting it for this whisky to get more spice and I am glad I did. I hope I have not peaked too early as I enjoyed this immensely, so much so went and bought batch 50 A'bunadh.

On nasal review I was immediately surprised at not being stung in the nose, rather after three takes I had to pause and reorient for some minutes and retake three takes again to understand what I was smelling; is this what the experts call 'peat'?

The harshness of the smell which does lie underneath is significantly subdued by what I suppose is a strong peaty odour, I know the whisky is hiding under there but this bog is keeping some secrets!

Taking a drink, swishing and swallowing I feel like a nordic reindeer eating lichen off a rock. The impact is like licking a cold stone, with the added sensations of consuming brittle feathery moss.. well not exactly but close. In the mouth and throat it's managed to slip past security into the stomach and the aftertaste makes me question whether I have just ingested a shot of whisky or if it was an elaborate hoax..

Following up for the review I took another mouthful and then nonchalantly started eating some breakfast pancakes. (Don't judge me) After pancake #1 I took another mouthful of Aberlour and upon reaching my stomach it confronted me about what I was doing.

I was like, "Relax Aberlour it's pancakes" and Aberlour pondered for a moment. I burped. Then she was like, "Yeah okay. I like pancakes."

I helped Aberlour along cause she seemed pretty cool with pancakes after all.

Whoa whoa as much as you'd like to turn this into a sick joke, remember- just because she's 10 years old doesn't mean you can't enjoy a normal breakfast with her like she's your daughter; I mean, sure now we're anthropomorphizing alcoholic beverages and winking when we mention their ages, but they're not human females. I know you folks like to wait until she's 18 but you're missing out on the bonding experiences with a .. okay it's ruined I can't finish the review now!

Aberlour 10 yrs is a typical Speysider. Not an average whisky, better than okay. Like a nice and sweet drama comedy. Gives you laughter with some serious stuff as well.

Nose: Sherry and tea are the main factors. Some toffee and dried fruits. Water brings the spices. Light and smooth.

Taste: Spices and fruits with sweet sherry, honey, malt and oak. Full and creamy. Water gives the sherry a more smoother tone.

Finish: Dry with oak, spices and malt.

Balance: Rich and sophisticated sherry dram. Give it some time, explore it for a while. Balances with spices, sweetness and dryness.

Nice sherry finished Speyside malt. Nice nose, reasonable complexity,short finish of honey, vanilla, hints of spice. Not a bad think to say for price and a good choice for every day dram and a great choice to introduce someone to scotch whisky!

A beautifully balanced younger malt. Lots of flavour development right through to the finish. Nose: Sweet sherry, fruity with apple skins and touch of honey. Taste: sherry and apples again a hint of rhubarb perhaps vanilla. Finish: Bittersweet finish drying. Apple skins vanilla and almonds.

This 10 year entry level from Aberlour is decent but not complex. It's very pleasant though good for a newbie but also when you not in the mood for anything too full on...

Nose raisin apples hit of vanilla very decent and welcoming Palette creamy sweet roll in mouth quality rich with toffee notes Finish short honey very pleasant but does not last...

Overall a decent un complex dram, nice but simple a decent starter or when you just fancy something easy going. Cheap when supermarkets doing a deal and worth a try.

This 10 year entry level from Aberlour is a half-decent malt. It lacks the complexity desired by the experienced palate but may be just the thing for a newbie entering the world of whisky.

The nose is quite nice. There is first a herbacious, clove and honey mixture which tends to linger. But then come the red apples. I have rarely nosed something which is so strong and so obvious. You can try and pinpoint some vanilla and almonds but the red apple keeps distracting you.

The delivery is once again made up of red apples rubbed with cinnamon and light cocoa with a touch of clove.

There is, unfortunately, no finish at all. There might be some figs but that could be my imagination.

A decent, if uncomplicated, malt.

I have been waiting to try this one for quite a while now and finally my dreams were answered by a client who sent me one as a thanks !! They say the best things in life are free and this Scotch has been no exception for me.

Nose: Strong whiff of the darkest of chocolate with a scatter of cherries and cherry stones along with the faintest waft of smoke from a bonfire fed with chestnut tree branches.

Palate: The chocolate has a strong presence here, not sweet but mysterious and dark. Not much in the way of fruit other than the cherries popping up again briefly. My tastebuds feel smothered but in the best way possible with the oiliness of the whisky having a big part to play in its body.

Finish: Has a fantastic length to it with a gentle warmth which doesn't leave for quite come time. Smoke wafts back into my nose and wraps around my tongue leaving a fantastic tingling sensation.

Well worth the wait is all I can say. Easy to drink without being boring or uninteresting. I can see me maintaining a constant supply of this for whenever I fancy a dram that I do not have to spend much effort with (the price doesn't hurt either!).

My friend got me a bottle of Aberlour 10 year old as a gift, and so far i like it more than Macallan 12 year old. Nose: Cinnamon, dark fruits, vanilla, a touch of chocolate Palate: Cinnamon, apricots, peaches, vanilla, chocolate Finish: Vanilla, dark fruits, spice Good whisky the only way i can put it, while i would not say it is fantastic i do enjoy it.

After reviewing some blends I'm now moving on to some classic Speyside malts starting with the 10yo Aberlour.

The nose is quite prominent with fresh pear dominating the dram with sweet spearmint and pepper in the background. Nice but fairly uncomplexed and lacks some finesse.

The palate is featuring dry fresh oak, sweet mint, green fruits and cucumber. Almost like a minty fruit salad.

The finish is too short and not very engaging with bitter minty oak.

Would probably gain on some sherry cask influence. Since Aberlour feature this in there range I guess they thought the same. Will probably review the 12yo double cask matured next time I'm going for an Aberlour.

Nose: First cherry and orange with leather. Becoming both lighter and simpler: orange rind and cashews. Later even lighter with vanilla developing.

Palate: Punchy sour orange entrance; leather and cream with flower petals; then butterscotch and bitter nutmeg.

Finish: Dry, remaining hints of citrus, with nutmeg on flower petals.

This is a good enjoyable malt, if a little sour and bitter (compared to smoother alternatives). Next to the 18, the aromas and flavors come across as almost weak. Nevertheless an enjoyable light sherry malt, especially for the creamy palate; if it had been my first then it would have been quite convincing.

Aberlour 10 is one of my first trips to the world of enlightened whisky tasting and it turned out to be a fine choice. I did my notes on this dram about a month ago and am just now writing my thoughts here.

Before I begin, please note that I place different priority on the nose, taste, finish, and balance.

The first thing I noticed about this particular bottle is that the nose was much more active than any other whisky I have put my nose to. My sense of smell is dulled by years of working with chemicals but right away I could smell both apple pie (apples, brown sugar, etc) as well as dried fruits. After adding a drop or two of water, vanilla also comes to the fore.

The taste matched the nose very well, which I take as a good sign. Added in were toffee notes and a very slight cream taste.

The finish was just right in length. There were spices present and it and wasn't overly harsh. The only thing I would say is that the finish was a little more heated than I would have liked.

Overall, Aberlour 10 hits all the right notes for being sweet and savoury. It is one of the best 10 year olds I have tasted, and certainly gives the most value in that age range (keeping in mind that I am gauging this on the LCBO price lists).

Nose 25/30 Taste 37/40 Finish 17/20 Balance 8/10

This is my first attempt writing a review & I suppose the beginning of taking notes etc when having a whisky. I have found great inspiration from many of the reviewers on connosr, which has lead me to give it a go. I am going to aim to keep reviews interesting, and hopefully lend a story or two rather than just boring tasting notes. I like these reviews the best, whisky is a journey after all!

I sat down with my dram of Aberlour 10 yo and let it breathe while I wrote this little intro. As time went on I notice the oak, wood & sherry smells creeping towards me, definitely enticing me to take a sip. Taking the first sip the wood and sherry bounces on the palate along with a sweetness I liken to maple syrup or toffee along with hints of dried fruit. The finish is medium-long with the aforementioned sherry & sweetness lingering.

In Australia this is a fairly affordable whisky, all I can say is I do like this whisky and it really has wet my appetite for the A'bunadh.

This Is a pleasant but unremarkable bottle.

Spices and fruit. Cherries and raisins with a sweet fudge undertone. There is a rich honey finish but it is fairly short.

You get what you pay for in this world and this bottle is no different. Value but not particularly memorable although still worth a try. The sherry is there and overall it does grow on you.

I always make sure to have a bottle of Aberlour 10 around (if I don't have a 12 kicking around)

Nose: the first thing that hits me is how fresh and perfumy this whisky is on the nose. Orange and lime zest, a hint of caramel, dusty dry flowers, small red fruits and a boatload of spices. Balanced. Could have been a bit more elegant, since it is still a bit feisty (paint thinner, metallic) on the nostrils due to the age and bottling strength, but this is a very competent scotch in the nose department. Adding water softens the nose and amps out the sweet aromasé

Palate: a bit thin in the mouth. I get a bit more chocolate and malty caramel on the palate than in the nose. Then the orange zest and Grand Marnier starts to emerge followed by cinammon and spices. Fairly subtle and pretty simple, but what it does, it does well. Adding water tends to make the whisky turn somewhat bitter, which I don't really care for all that much.

Finish: short and dry finish with a big pepper/cinammon note that doesn't last long. I get sweet watermelon rind followed by Cherry Blossoms a minute or so after the sip. A very moreish whisky.

This compares very favourably to the Glenfiddich 12 and Glenlivet 12 of this world. At around 45$ in Quebec, it's a good whisky, but I prefer the 12 since it smoothes the rough edges a bit more, but it's more expensive by 20$.

I tried this after a class of Yamazaki 12yo which is not fair for this one. But Good impresion in general, but not a wow effect. Grapes, sweetness,toffe?, medium finish with a hint of peat embeded in the liquid.

for it's price let's say i didn't expect more. is a bit over the average and a lot overshadowed by the 16 yo or the a'bunadh. the taste chaqnges from time to time wich is nice but ...let's say is a decent dram..

Bold? Am I bold and 'cheeky' to assert that a mild-mannered 'little old' Speyside whisky like Aberlour 10 yo can be a 'destination whisky'?

I think not. I very much consider myself to be a card-carrying member of the 'Big Flavours Club'. After all, if you gave me my 'druthers, my #1 preferred whisk(e)y strength would be 68-72% ABV, something almost unimaginably strong for Scottish Malt drinkers, but obtainable with American whiskeys. Sure, fave Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye is a mere 62-65% ABV, but it is TRYING to be strong, and flavourful...

But, I don't just like the Big Flavours whiskies alone. If I did I'd have to toss the majority of Scotch out the window, and I LIKE the majority of Scotch.

Power is not all, even power-combined-with-beauty is not all,...there is ALWAYS a place for beauty alone.

And that is where a whisky like Aberlour 10 comes in... mild-mannered, beautiful, perfectly balanced, refreshing. I can only speak of the two bottles of it from which I have sampled, but they were quite consistent with one another, even though one was a restaurant bar bottle of indeterminate age.

This much-taken-for-granted malt is not currently distributed in the USA. Many thanks to @Pudge72 for procuring a bottle for me in Ontario. The reviewed bottle has been open a little less than one year, and has changed very little in its flavours during that period.

Nose: moderate intensity beautiful aromatic malt, wine, and floral flavours, and a bit of vanilla

Taste: as in the nose, beautiful malt, wine, and floral flavours of rose and carnation

Finish: really quite long for a mild-mannered pretty sort of whisky. All of the flavours hold up well. Lovely

Balance: 'Big Flavours Only' whisky buffs tend to look down their noses at Aberlour 10. I consider this to be a grossly underestimated whisky. My bottle of Aberlour 10 has some of the best balance I have ever encountered in a whisky, and I personaly prefer it to both the Aberlour 12 yo and Aberlour 16 yo expressions. I consider Aberlour 10 yo to be one of the very best examples of a beautiful extremely well-balanced mild-mannered malt, along with the now scarce Balvenie 10 yo Founders Reserve.

Is Aberlour 10 yo a "Starter Whisky"? Yes, if you're very lucky to start here. It is also a "Finisher Whisky". Is this a "Beginner's Malt", only? Totally ridiculous. I sip this when I am in the same mood for beauty as when I reach for Talisker 18 or Bushmills 21.

In a category of mildly-flavoured malt whiskies Aberlour 10 easily rates 95 from me for its perfect balance. Among all whiskies I rate Aberlour 10 90/100, which merely reflects my overall preference for strong flavours and completely undiluted whiskies.

Nose: not as expressive as I recall. Lots of sherry in the form of grape. A bit of malt. Pleasant overall.

Taste: Big-time sherry up front. A bit hot and tangy mid-palate. Again, a little less lively than I remember previous bottlings had been.

Finish: a nice fruity tang. None of the sour notes I find in some sherried malts.

Balance: This was my go-to budget malt but now I think I would prefer Glenfiddich 12. Still a fine whisky in its own right, though.

My wife gave this bottle back in April 2011, the night I handed in my Master's Research Paper (a friend gave me a bottle of Talisker 10 the same evening), and it has been my go to, comfort dram ever since, beating out the Glenlivet 12, Glenmorangie 10, and Balvenie Double Wood in terms of nose, taste, finish, and overall balance. And now here I sit, with the last dram in my hand, finally getting around to writing something about it.

Colour: a nice, rich, reddish-amber, with one reasonably thick legs.

Nose: very soft sherry, ripe plums, dark chocolate, orange rind.

Taste: sweet, medium thick syrup on the palate, with sherry and fruit (cherries?).

Finish: long and satisfying, with a distinct sherry flavour.

Balance: the flavours are very well integrated, and while it is not as complex as say, the Talisker, it is certainly miles ahead of the Glenlivet (but then again, I seem to favour sherried whisky, so that is my personal bias speaking).

Price Point: at $45.95 CAD (as of June 7, 2012), it is cheaper than most other single malts in the age range, which makes it a very decent daily dram, and one I would recommend (and have recommended) to people new to Single Malt Whisky.

Very good whisky. I picked this up at the LCBO purely because of the price ($45 CAD) which is on the low side for scotch whisky single malts. The nose on this is great, christmas cake is what comes to mind first so we're talking dried fruits and alcohol. The arrival is paced and full flavoured with sherry, oak and it has a generous mouthfeel. Not very complex but it I didn't find myself sipping lots to feel satisfied. Sherry dominates and I'll say this openly, I'm not always a fan of the sherry casks. The finish is medium to long and I got a smoky surprise! Much invited! I didn't taste any peat.

It's obvious to compare this to a Macallan and while I've tried Macallan 10, it's about $15 more and definitely slightly more refined initially but I don't own a bottle so I can't fully comment.

Finally, toward the end of the bottle the mouthfeel thinned out but an delicious and welcomed tobacco note came through and stayed for the last 1/4 of the bottle!

Good whisky, I wouldn't say no to a dram but I won't buy it again because I don't fancy the sherried whiskies.

Nose - Rasins and honey.

Taste - Caramel & butterscotch, creamy vanilla.

Finish - Long and smooth, a delicious warmth that lingers.

Overall - I really enjoyed this whisky. Forgot that I had this bottle as it was at the back of the cabinet. It's been open for about 1 year now and has developed a pleasant sweetness. A great value single malt, that I have been happy to share with others interested in getting into the single malt world.

Nose: Very fresh and fruity. Vanilla and maybe a bits of floral.

Taste: Sweet with a hint of spice. Creamy caramel and honey.

Finish: Long smooth and warming. The sweetness lingers.

Colour shows the smallest amount sherry influence. Nose is very lightly floral and fruity. Cherry and rose scented. Flavours are predominantly sweet with toffee and caramel notes. Some vanilla flavours immediately reminiscent of the ex-bourbon oak.

This is my first review and I hope I do the whisky I'm reviewing justice. If anyone has any suggestions or critiques I'd really appreciate them.

Aberlour 10 year old is a great entry level single malt for those new to whiskies. When you smell it the smell is fruity, almost wine like with some soft floral hints.

The wine like impression continues for me as you take a sip. It's sweet, again almost like a nice wine with a taste of apples or pears. It's a dry taste, which is extremely easy going on those not used to whisky and it goes down short and smooth with a pleasant after taste.

For around $50AUS a bottle it's a steal and a half especially if you wanna spend the night sharing some whisky with friends who are new to the Single Malt world.

Nose: Cherry nougat , New Oak. Taste: Mouth Filling , complex with chocolate cherries and cinnimon spice,Rich sherry. Finish: Caramels , more spice and pepper. Overall: This is a great entry level malt. Its complex but not over powering. A great price. The daily dram.

Aberlour can be found in the heart of Speyside in the village Charlestown of Aberlour, between Craigellachie in the north and Glenallachie in the south, along the A95. The 10 Year Old is their entry malt and a blend of both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The whisky is very successful in France (where unfortunately, during my last vacation, I heard a shop owner mispronounce the name completely). Aberlour rhyms with ‘hour’, not ‘moor’. I tried it as an aperitif at a local restaurants about a month ago.

The nose is sweet and reminds me of a combintation of orange licqueur and honey. A hint of nuts and some spices. Not a lot going on (read: not complex), but very pleasant all the same.

On the palate, your tastebuds are not being put to the test. This malt is quaffable: fruity malt, clear sherry influence, but light body.

The finish is short and spicy.

As an aperitif, this is not a bad choice at all, especially if you order meat. Like I said: entry malt.

(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.

Nose: light and floral with delicate notes of nuts and apples, this is classic speyside whisky. Very slightly oily, but generally a charming bouquet.

Palate: Fresh and delicate; there are notes of melon, citrus and some vanilla and spice (maybe nutmeg). Developing well on the palate, the dram begins to reveal a honey and butterscotch sweetness

Body: smooth and light-bodied, this is a very easy-drinking whisky and would maybe make a good aperitif.

Overall, this is not a particularly interesting or complicated whisky, but it is extremely approachable and goes down very easily. This would be an excellent dram to help introduce someone to whisky, especially if they are a wine drinker.

Fresh Crisp with lots of flavors coming through the nose & pallet, Im a novice at this but what you get from this whisky is a delight, something lush just hits you each time you take a sip, Morrisons have it on offer at £16.00 per bottle, that £10.00 off, so a lotal bargain at the moment, I may just get another whilst it's on offer, This is a must try in my book, Enjoy!

OUt of all the supermaket whiskies in tesco at the price of aberlour its my clear winner by a mile. Its good enough to stand upto its competition in the price band and it makes a decent hot toddy too.

This is one of the best value malts on the market and for some reason doesn't resonate with more dram drinkers. As a first pour this is one you should reach for. Great price. Great whisky. Love Aberlour!

Nose, Taste, Finish and Balance are graded out of 2.5 each:

Nose: Malt on the label, malt on the nose. Lots of it. That as well as an uncanny resemblance to Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Perhaps in more sophisticated terms I would describe it as cherries drenched in vanilla cream, with a little liquorice on the side. 2.0

Taste: A medium-bodied swathe of vanilla oil offers buoyancy to an oaky raft of mild spice, upon which minted apples and toffeed peppercorns calmly float downstream to the finish. 2.0

Finish: And there is a bigger waterfall to be found at the finish than one might expect. Not a violent crashing one, nor a trickling meandering one. It is steady and long, with a graceful stream of chocolate mints cascading gently into a pool of honeyed barley. The resulting oak-laden spray creates a spicy mist, which floats beautifully over the lingering pool at the foot of the fall. 2.0

Balance: There is a very fluid interplay between rich sweetness and oaky spice throughout, with notes of fruit and mint binding the two together with effortless poise. If I was to be harsh I would say that this whisky would benefit from a slightly higher alcohol volume, so that those delicate flavours could be pushed that little bit further, and allow the river to really run wild. At the moment it feels like there's a dam somewhere upstream limiting the flow. That said this is a delicious whisky, perfect for after dinner and perfect as a "so you think you don't like whisky?" entry level single malt. 2.0

Nose: the nose was slightly oily and generally very light. There were hints of nut, apple, and a light floral note...overall it was quite fresh

Body: I found this whisky very smooth. The after-taste sticks around for a short while but not long; this is a very drinkable dram

Palate: Again light and fresh; think melon, subtle citrus and some vanilla. This was off-set by a hint of smoke and ash. I also noted a little taste of butterscotch right at the end

The nose is vanilla sweet and fruity - I get apples, pears and just a hint of citrus. On deep breaths I get just a tail of spice as I just about finish filling my lungs. For such a cheap whisky, this is genuinely good!

The taste is quite rich, and more complex than you expect. More sweetness - but more toffee-like than vanilla. There are subtle hints of fruitiness, but it's hard to make out individual flavours. Hints of herbs, spices and just a whiff of smoke in the background. There seems to be a fair bit going on here, and it takes a few sips to get everything down.

The finish is very warm, and long, with the toffee sweetness fading to a spicy note that teases your tongue.

While this isn't a top of the range malt, it is a genuinely good dram. More than that it is very non-threatening to new drinkers, and in my experience is a fantastic introduction to single malts, especially for people who are familiar with and enjoy wine. There are a lot of fortified wine-like characteristics with the sweetness and depth of taste.

So, in a nutshell, this dram is fantastic value for money, one of the best introductory malts out there, and still worth coming back to for those with a more developed palate.