Aberlour A'bunadh

from a purchased sample

Nose: Rich, oxidized sherry. Very vinuous, no surprise. Salty nuts. Grapy. Christmas cake, light chocolate malt, and a little vanilla. Obvious red wild fruit and berries, something citric like grapefruit, coffee, and honey. Fudge. It's very nice. (with water) Much brighter and more vivid. Actually, the it's almost too sharp here. A few more notes of rose petals and pink flavors - strawberries with salt and some wax. Chocolate malt and orange extract. Baking spices and more toffee melted on burned spicy fruit cake.

Palate: A bit off here, to be honest. Fudge, honey, chocolate, a bit dry. Alcohol is loud, not a shocker at this proof. Burnt caramel/brown sugar, fruit cake, cocoa nibs, and some gummy dried fruit. (with water) More baking spices, honey, fudge, chocolate malt, and a little red fruit (raspberries).

Finish: Toffee, red fruit, fudge, pudding, and all the rest of a decent sherried firecracker. It falls a bit short with water, but it still works and does well. I think that I prefer the nose with water and the palate and finish just a hair neat.