Aberlour 18 is definitely one of the best tasted recently. Macallan is out of my Budget ❤
@ps3inquisition4416 ай бұрын
Good review, I agree with the majority of what you said. I luckily picked this up before the massive price hike, it’s now $240 in my market. I’ll be nursing my bottle, because I’ll never have another one.
@michael720126 ай бұрын
Macallan was good 10 years ago but the new bottles I bought lately are disappointing and overpriced, Glenallachie and Aberlour are my favorite brands now
@klingfu6 ай бұрын
Very good review, I tried batch 1. I think the nose promised more than the palate though.
@xxacidmv6 ай бұрын
It is cheaper than Macallan 18 in my market, but it is still $245. As you said, there are a bunch of really great 18s that I can get at a lower price. In fact, Octomore (the .1s) go for slightly under that over here.
@Johnny__Silver6 ай бұрын
It sounded interesting and I stuck around.
@davidmason48126 ай бұрын
To me the Macallan is a bang average whisky and has been for quite a while now, it's so expensive £350, way overpriced, as against the Aberlour at £140, there are so many whiskies that are much better than the Macallan, the Ancnoc 18 is a superb whisky and ticks all the boxes and is a fraction of the price, even the Ancnoc 24yr at £180 is on another level in comparison, not forgetting Glendronach 18, Speyburn 18 and Arran 18, which to me are all superior to the Macallan. Great video as always Geoff, keep up the good work, your videos always bring a smile to my face 😊🥃🥃
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Totally agree, Macallan is 100% NOT worth it, and hasn't been for a long time. I'd buy any of the alternative you put forward there over it. Cheers David and thanks for watching! 🥃
@jckbquck5 ай бұрын
You have a green check in the ABV box....
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Editing blunder! 😬
@Setmuiteklin6 ай бұрын
For me, Ancnoc 18 is much desirable; statswise, flavorwise, pricewise, and valuewise!
@Gwhisky6 ай бұрын
Can't argue with that!
@PW-726484 ай бұрын
Thanks for recommendation
@davidowen28346 ай бұрын
Hi Geoff. I stopped buying the Aberlour 18 when they put it in a 500 ml bottle and kept the price the same ( or there abouts). In my market it’s around €120. So, too expensive , especially when one can still buy the AnConc 18 for around €90. Slàinte Geoff.
@Gwhisky6 ай бұрын
Hey David. Totally understandable. I like this new one and I'm glad that it's back to 700ml bottles, but sadly it's not a great value prospect. Cheers! 🥃
@hansvaneenennaam4576 ай бұрын
Hi Geoff, the Aberlour 18 is appr. 120 euro in an on line retailer in The Netherlands. So that's even cheaper then in Taiwan. In the start of your review, I was really starting to rethink my Aberlour attitude. But at the end I decided not to. Good review, anyway.
@SaltyCuban5 ай бұрын
I bought the older regular 18 yr old in Florida back when it was about $100. Still sealed. Only have opened and tried the Aberlour Abunadh expressions. Batches 45-46-56.
@lightplays21816 ай бұрын
Hi Geoff )). Aberlour 18 very good whisky , but little expensive , i think really price 90 euro ... Maccalan 18 veeeeeerrrrryyyy expensive )))))) Gaumarjos !
@thenavajoknow6 ай бұрын
Pretty much agree with you, but I'm simply not buying a chillfiltered, colored, 43%, ultimately ho-hum 18 year-old for €130. As a brand Aberlour obviously aims at the broad consumer market, not whisky nerds. I can get an Arran 18 for the money, or, if I do want a pretty decent castrate, a Knockando 18 for €40.
@rupertansell46626 ай бұрын
I thought the Aberlour 12yo double cask (40% ABV) is a weak expression. The Casg Annamh (48%) is much better and I may forgive the addition of E150. But the 14yo (40%) is another weak one and, I agree, the 18yo (43%) being chill filtered and coloured, for £145 GBP is extortionate. I will NOT spend my money on this. There are some far superior alternatives at this price point. I wholeheartedly agree!
@torbjornkarlsen6 ай бұрын
Hear, hear! The whisky market will be what we make it. And I for one don't want to make it full of chill filtration and caramel colouring.
@PatrickDube-mq8qp6 ай бұрын
The aberlour 18 double sherry is not coloured by the way but it is chill filtered
@WhiskyWolf5146 ай бұрын
Hmmm Nice one! I didn't see this coming buddy! I may give this a shot soon enough 😉 Thanks for the great video! Cheers my friend 🥃🥃
@Gwhisky6 ай бұрын
As long as it's well priced it's worth checking out. Cheers and once again... Happy Father's Day! 🥃
@WhiskyWolf5146 ай бұрын
@@Gwhisky Thanks Brother 🙏🙏
@jbar62846 ай бұрын
Hi Geoff, at 2:15 you give this whisky a green tick beside the 46+% wording, while also saying it's only 43% abv. /headscratch/ USD150-65 here.
@Gwhisky6 ай бұрын
Yeah that was just a mistake in the edit. Thanks for letting me know! 🥃
@adrianwiuk6 ай бұрын
I like Aberlour, and have a A' Bundah open at the minute, but this fixation with batching even their basic expressions is a little tiring and just seems to be an excuse to hike up pricing and create a resale market that shouldn't exist. It might not be Macallan pricing, but it's still too expensive for a poorly presented core range offering. 88 seems very generous, but I've not tried it so have no point of reference.
@SimonneNZ6 ай бұрын
Good review Geoff! This one is way outside my budget but even if this was within my budget the 43% ABV would put me off. Speyburn 18 is 46% and is about $100 NZD cheaper. Cheers!
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Thanks Simonne. Yeah this one really can't compete with these specs and that price tag. Beautiful whisky, but it's too weak on value. Cheers! 🥃
@DeesoSaeed6 ай бұрын
Sometimes I really don't understand the product policy of some distilleries that obviously know how to do great whisky but refuse to give consistent treatment across their line up. Arbelour has NCF and higher ABV whiskies in their core range but for whatever reason this one doesn't seem developed to its full potential. This summer I'm going to Scotland and I'd love to get one of their distillery exclusive since I've heard really nice things about them.
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
I'd be quite curious myself about their distillery exclusives. I'm sure they're excellent. And yes, some baffling choices were made for their standard line. 🥃
@christinecamley6 ай бұрын
Terrific thoughts and review Geoff! Much appreciated! Cheers! 🙂
@Gwhisky6 ай бұрын
Thanks Christine. Cheers right back at ya! 🥃
@christinecamley6 ай бұрын
@@Gwhisky Thanks so much Geoff!! 🙂
@Lovemelikeareptile6 ай бұрын
I'm stopping at casg annamh and a'bunadh, the others I have tried from Aberlour have been a miss, and considering the price tag I'm not willing to chance this one. That said, I appreciate your reviews and might try to convince a friend to get a bottle so I can rewatch this with my own sample and not drop big bucks. As an aside, Craigellachie 13 was well received by reviewers such as yourself, and I believe "Cambletown funk" was a descriptor that was used. Would you be open to discussing this particular flavour note in more depth and perhaps give examples of comparable whiskeys? Might be an interesting topic to explore. Cheers Geoff, keep up the good work!
@MortAllachie6 ай бұрын
I’ve looked at this, but because of the price and ABV, I have ignored it. A`Bunadh is one of my favorite whiskies, so why would I pay 30-40$ more for a 43% that I probably wouldn’t like as much. And if I trust you that Longmorn 18 is better than Aberlour 18, and I prefer A´Bunadh over Longmorn, we have a winner 🥇😂 Thank you 😊
@_fwd_racecar_6 ай бұрын
i always purposely misspell macallen out of spite showing i dont take the marketing hype seriously. my current favorite budget bottle is "naked malt" that is blended with macallen though, so thats ironic
@_fwd_racecar_6 ай бұрын
also a lot of the standard speyside malts and grain blends kinda taste similar, then i tried macallen12, and thought oh this is the flavor profile the others were trying to copy.... but at the end of the day, macallen12 being the nice version of a grain blend still doesnt impress much
@barfridge06 ай бұрын
At least it's not a 500ml bottle like the Aberlour 18 I accidentally purchased without realising.
@joeappleton68495 ай бұрын
Aberlour good on taste
@Koby6166 ай бұрын
Did you say it's 46 abv at the start of the video? Nice review. I tried only aberlour 12. It's nice brand. I think 130 it's too pricey for me. Of course way better price than maccalan 18
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
I said it was 43% in the video but I mistakenly added a check mark in the edit next to 46% or higher. Apologies for the blunder! 🥃
@Koby6165 ай бұрын
@@Gwhisky it's ok. Happens only once in 💯 videos
@88johnbarnes6 ай бұрын
How would you rate this Aberlour 18 against Tamdhu 18? 😊
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
I prefer the Tamdhu, but that's almost double the price of this in my market. 🥃
@thewhiskyenthusiast5 ай бұрын
Nice review Geoff! I've tried this head to head with the relatively older version which was released in 50cl bottles and even though this one was better on the nose, the older version was more robust on the palate. I wouldn't know if this can topple Macallan 18 but even though I haven't tried it yet, people say Tamdhu 18 is the real Macallan 18 killer. Have you tried it yet?
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Funny I did the same side-by-side and the two came out about even for me. As for the Tamdhu, yeah that's the real Macallan 18 killer. However it's well over US $200 here, so I'm not convinced yet. The sample I had was excellent, though. 🥃
I'm confidently giving both a miss. Not because I think they're not good drams, but because I don't want to condone these specs. If we buy these castrated bottlings, we should also expect to see more of them. If we buy integrity bottlings, we can expect to see more of them. With so many good options available, I don't have any difficulties skipping the 43%ers, except for the odd mixing whisky. And a Mortlach 16. I'm not perfect. But Macallan? Never!
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Totally fair! 🥃
@alidownes77685 ай бұрын
Totally agree. I found this underwhelming. I feel like an 18 should pack more of a punch. The Bunna 18 blows this out of the water in my opinion. The Tomatin 18 too!
@levonhovhannisyan21816 ай бұрын
Can we expect Glenlivet 18 or Glenfiddich 18 review? 😶🌫
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
None are planned currently, but I'm sure to get to them eventually! 🥃
@DileepB6 ай бұрын
chill filtered at 46% ABV!
@rupertansell46626 ай бұрын
It’s actually 43%
@Gwhisky6 ай бұрын
I said 43% in the video but accidentally edited in a check. My bad. 🥃
@deeshmond6 ай бұрын
Hard pass. In my market I can get bottles like Ancnoc 18 (and 24), Arran 18, Tamdhu 18, etc for less than this. They’re all better quality than this and no BS specs (noticed the ✅ next to 43% at 2:15 btw)
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Yeah agree, the value and the specs are a turn-off here. And yeah... apologies that was a blunder in the edit. Cheers! 🥃
@vimalrajkappil6 ай бұрын
I think the A'bunadh , Cash Annamh are miles better than the 18 years old, It's still bottled at a 43%ABV . Seriously, when bottles of whisky aged for 18 years are bottled at 43% and cost more than $200 they have a certain sort of customer in mind and i am not in it. It's the Dalmore club or the Glenlivet, Glenfiddich club
@whatsthepoint1705 ай бұрын
I made a huge mistake of trying this one after Glendronach cask strength. It tasted like water…for obvious reasons. That’s my fault, I need to give it a fair shot next time. This comment seems useless now that I finished it, but I’m posting it anyway
@ramanb5 ай бұрын
Aberlour always do manage to fit delicious juice in all their bottles, even though they do persist with chill filtering, coloring, etc. I have about a dozen in my collection and will continue to buy them. This one however will not be added as it’s $400AUD in my market which is about $267USD. I don’t see value!
@iancrombie88626 ай бұрын
Used to like this 8 years ago,but no more since the price went up a lot,like the Abunadh...the Casg Anamh is Much better,and 48% abv...
@SebMoellerM6 ай бұрын
I have a theory: take a bottle of Abelour 18, and a bottle of Glenlivet 18, mix them together and get Macallan 18 … and get arrested by the Whisky Police for sacrilege
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
You're a genius and you belong in jail. 🥃
@craigweatherby28305 ай бұрын
I'm not buying this. Not at $130 bucks! Hey, some of us viewers are "normal" citizens with normal sized pocketbooks (can you say $50.) Certainly not McCallan. These prices (and hype) have driven me to a more diverse flavor profile provided in bourbons. Sorry to abandon my Scotch friends. I'll always choose Bunnahaban (when available, regardless of its age statement) when I can find it. Isn't it peculiar that Bunnahaban is so burbon like? You think there might be s connection?
@haroldgrey1345 ай бұрын
Man this bottle is $ FOUR HUNDRED Australian dollars where I am (Australia) I'd kill for the price you pay in Taiwan 😂`
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Australia man. Insane some of the prices I hear about from down there. 🥃
@peathead44506 ай бұрын
O dear .... double sherry cask finish... that's double something not for me ... and with your tasting notes that contain both chocolate and dark chocolate, this definately is a LFO whisky (LFO = leave for others) Thanks anyway, Geoff, as you had to spent time to make this video. Slàinte mhath
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
A man of consistency you are. Cheers, my friend. 🥃
@YoungShag4 ай бұрын
I’m sorry. It’s pronounced “Aber-loor” not “Aber-lour”. “Door, not flower”
@Gwhisky4 ай бұрын
No, my pronunciation is correct. 🥃
@citylights85216 ай бұрын
I get the impression that you do like this whisky more than you’d like to admit but to avoid the hellfire of the ralfyminions from nonchillfiltered46naturalcolourland you hold the feelings back a bit.
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Actually it's the opposite. I find it somewhat flawed and I surprised myself when I scored it 88 in my notes prior to shooting. That score is solely based on the fact that it's got such beautiful flavours, but it's still not "my style." Cheers! 🥃
@ninetyZeven6 ай бұрын
~ pRetTy suRe tHE abUnadH is tHe onLy 1 thEy dOn'T cOlOr , @gwhiz ~
@Gwhisky5 ай бұрын
Sick burn. 💯
@ramanb5 ай бұрын
Aberlour always do manage to fit delicious juice in all their bottles, even though they do persist with chill filtering, coloring, etc. I have about a dozen in my collection and will continue to buy them. This one however will not be added as it’s $400AUD in my market which is about $267USD. I don’t see value!