Very different... | Aberlour A'bunadh Alba REVIEW

[@catnapgee5357]

You have a rather.. pure and unapologetic sense of humour .. quite refreshing √

[@Gwhisky]

Hah cheers buddy!

[@ps3inquisition441]

This bottle has really grown on me since I got it. It was quite aggressive at first, but now I’m sipping it strait and loving it. I agree with you, a 12 year version would be spectacular.

[@allenbt11]

Thoughts on Aberlour 16? In my market it is typically at the same price point as the A'bunadh or A'bunadh Alba. Admittedly it is only 43% ABV, but it splits the Bourbon/Sherry divide quite neatly, and it does offer the age the 2 C/S twins are missing.

[@Gwhisky]

I tried it once and I thought the flavours weren't bad. I'd probably opt for a higher abv Aberlour, but of you're looking for something calmer with a bit of age it's not bad, actually.

[@WhiskeyStraightAl]

I like one view of the Alba better than the other😍🤩 Now, onto the whisky - not had it, but I'll follow your lead. Cheers Geoff.

[@catnapgee5357]

Out of curiosity, do you know of any affordable high(er) age cask strength bottlings that are not smokey? I'm personally just fed up with all these young cask strength bottlings. I taste the potential more than I taste the whisky. The best I had done recently was purchase an independent bottling of a Tobermory 12 from A.D Rattray, it's a light body stunner. I can now never go back!

[@Gwhisky]

Probably IBs in general are your best bet. There seem to be fewer and fewer cs stuff out there with an age statement from OB brands. There are some though. I enjoyed a dram of Tullibardine The Murray 12 just last night. Not bad!

[@catnapgee5357]

@@Gwhisky That is good advice for sure! I will keep my eye out for the Tullibardine The Murray 12 (as well as my Glencairn 🥸Cheers!

[@rostislavtraps7148]

I had Batch 1 and I really liked it. It was $65, but now it’s $95 and this is just ridiculous. Thanks for the review!

[@Gwhisky]

Eesh. Yeah that's a bit much for what it is. Thanks for watching Rostislav!

[@PezrulezHaakon]

Thank you for the review. This one is going to be a tough choice. Our liquer stores are releasing Batch 7 of the Alba in 5 days. It comes in at 58,9% ABV, but at the same time the regular Abunadh Batch 82 is availlable. Both at exactly the same price. My "problem" is that I'm a sucker for sherry bombs, both non smoky and smoky, and at the same time want to try new stuff. But they're $88 USD each. 😂 Almost two years ago I bought the regular Abunadh for around $67 USD...

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah the A'bunadh has become more expensive in most markets these days, mine included. I think both are excellent, but if you're a sucker for sherry...

[@murduk88]

If you don't like rock-n-roll, wait til you hear this new thing they call "rap." 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for bringing this one to the channel (and for having the guts to add water *first* ... double thank you for that move). Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Hah cheers Robert. Thanks for watching!

[@garrynarmstrong6790]

Great review ! Always curious when someone says they add a lot of water, how much is that exactly?

[@Gwhisky]

I don't measure precisely. I'd guess I brought it down to 50-ish?

[@jeffmill999]

I'd drink whisky with Jessica.. Just got a Glengoyne Cast Strength last week...batch 6... Never found this...my guy has all the low abv expressions... I drank the #6 ...$60us...no tax.. Nice to see you live with Ralfy and Roy this morning buddy... I decided to leave Cambodia and move back to Argentina.. I miss speaking Spanish and wide open land...fishing...and my best friend I ever have ...Hugo Motta... His daughter my old gf... She tells me her dad miss me too...ha ha... Like old USA country song .. My wife ran off with my best friend......and I miss HIM.. Cheers Geoff

[@Gwhisky]

Hah. So we're back to the Argentina plan. Cool!

[@jeffmill999]

@@Gwhisky the ladies here are all in debt and money scammers...5+ years...of it. Did it all in Cambodia and Thailand.. Time to go to a place I have friends...and I speak fluent Spanish... I want to go be with people I can trust...fish...drink wine,. My best friend in my life is there and his daughter is a great friend... Time to go back west.... I will be here 4-6 months

[@dextercool]

€90 in my market - a tad high for something not as great as Glencadam 10. Sounds interesting though. As you said, as a 10 year-old, it would make far more sense. (("40% swill" lol))

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I would be a big fan of this if the price came down. Loads of potential but the value... not terrible, not great. 🥃

[@louisdanao]

Here in Manila, the Alba is about 135 usd (batch 2, ~58%ABV) while the bog standard A'bunadh is at least 90 usd. I've not tasted the Alba, curious but hesitant because of the price.

[@Gwhisky]

Imo that's too much of a price jump. I'd pass, personally. 🥃

[@allanwhittle3041]

Spot on review Mr G On my second bottle of this stuff 👹 IMO..Your right on all your observations it is young and it is hot , it’s bound to be it’s bloody strong stuff . I do a “ Ralfy “ and pour it a couple of hours before drinking and add a big dollop of water 4/5 teaspoons and then when I finally start to drink it , I often need to add a bit more , ya really can’t get to savior this stuff at all without taming it big style . But it ya get it just right ..It’s pretty good Thanks for the reviews ..always enjoyed 👍🥃

[@EuropaWill]

That sure sounds like a lot of time and work for hopes of getting it right and "pretty good". I think we have come to be very compliant whisky consumers. Willing take anything these distilleries give us happily when we could/should be a lot more unforgiving. Young and hot is good when talking leading ladies, not Scotch.

[@alandiaz1041]

Hey Geoff, I feel that a high ABV sherry cask Scotch is much more approachable than a high ABV bourbon cask. Funny that you said the old original was better than the new one. I agree. Sometimes I think that maybe it’s me. Maybe along my journey I have become more discerning about what I like than I was years ago. I wish I had kept some of those older bottles so I could do a blind and compare. I didn’t. Here is one more “old man” line for you: “GET OFF MY LAWN!!!” BTW, the Alba is well over $100 (USD) here in Florida. It’s not outrageous but it’s more than I would pay. I can get more interesting scotch in that price range (IMHO).

[@Gwhisky]

Hey Alan. Yeah I think over USD $100 is pushing it. Definitely good stuff but a bit unrefined and you do have better options within that price range. Shame I didn't hold on to any of those old Aberlours. They were older, darker, richer, and more interesting back in the day. Don't think it's my nostalgia goggles, either. A side-by-side would be really interesting! 🥃

[@vimalrajkappil]

On a given Chance between craigellachie 13 vs Royal Brackla 12 ,which one will you choose??

[@Gwhisky]

That is very mood based. Tip tier sherry or bourbon. Maybe Craig in Summer and Brackla in winter? Impossible to choose! 🥃

[@louisdanao]

@@Gwhisky agree! Both are excellent! I'd choose both!

[@disgustipated7104]

Sup G! have you tried writers tears destillers edition? it's one of few 46% whiskeys I can get for cheap in Sweden (40% in most other places) converted from skr - 33,5 usd. I think it is a blend of 60% singel pot stilled and 40% singel malt (no grain). great reviews as always. if you get the chance try some of "Smögen" my favorit peated brand from sweden. I got a 9 year old bourbon matured at 51,4% and it is great stuff.

[@Gwhisky]

Hey Disgustipated. Thanks for watching! I've seen Writer's Tears in Taiwan before, but it's been a while. I'll check around for the Distiller's Edition. As for the Smögen, I'm quite certain I've never seen that brand here before. We're a great place for scotch, but there are a lot of European whiskies that we sadly don't have access to here in Taiwan. Appreciate the suggestions!

[@AlinJapan]

Bonus points for Jessica Alba.

[@Gwhisky]

😉

[@singlemaltwhiskyenthusiast9248]

Faperino

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

Never seen this A'Bunadh Alba in Bulgaria and probably never will. It does look interesting though. Still, knowing the regular A'Bunadh and its recent price I'd most probably choose Arran Quarter Cask "The Bothy" over Alba as sherry-free cask strength whisky. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

As a value proposition, the Bothy is certainly the way to go. Cheers!

[@wahousedivided]

All the reviews on Total Wine said "So smooth and easy to drink!" ... Not my batch! I have batch 006 as well, and it has a strong bite like you said! Thanks for the video. Will try with water next time.

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks for watching! 🥃

[@DileepB]

How does it compare to the 48% ABV Aberlour Casg Annamh?

[@Gwhisky]

It's a totally different take on the spirit. No sherry. Much less spicy, much brighter and cleaner with none of the sherry. Interesting stuff. 🥃

[@DileepB]

@@Gwhisky The A'bunadh without the Alba at the end is the one aged in sherry casks. I was confused!

[@indianpeathead2043]

Love the energy! 🙂

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks IP! 🥃

[@SaltyCuban]

What’s up Geoff!! Gm to ya. Well here in Florida its 7am. Commenting before I watch the video. At work right now. I’ll edit the comment later. I’ve had batches 46 and 56 I still have 45 unopened. Good but not worth the climbing prices IMO. @$120.

[@Gwhisky]

Those older 40-ish batches were fantastic. This is the Alba though. Virgin Oak maturation, so quite different from the sherried one. Good stuff! Cheers buddy!

[@SaltyCuban]

@@Gwhisky Ah damn it. Read too quickly. 😆 I haven’t had that one. I’ll keep an eye out for this one.

[@mgordo2]

Just picked up a bottle (also batch 6) for $50.00 at Costco in Los Angeles. Looking forward to it. I’m hoping that if I consume it slowly, the gradual oxidation will temper it.

[@Gwhisky]

Hope you enjoy. That's a great price! 🥃

[@daveandrews5485]

Combining a whisky review and Jessica Alba is not something Ralfy would do. You are a legend my friend. 🤣

[@Gwhisky]

😎😎😎

[@jeffmill999]

I usually drink my whisky after I pay girl to leave...

[@richardbarrick1492]

You mentioned Glencadam 10 yrs. So it's better than this particular Aberlour? Interesting to me, anyway ❤👌Glencadam is 1of my first whisky buys---

[@ninetyZeven]

A malt named Jessica. Called it!

[@Gwhisky]

😂😂😂

[@benmarnoch4111]

Well done Chivas/Pernod, don’t say that often when discussing their Scotch strategy.

[@Gwhisky]

An interesting direction for this brand!

[@Rohit_M]

It sounds like a unique offering from Aberlour compared to their sherried versions at all different abv levels. The frustrating things with Aberlour are general lack of age stated offerings and secondly, their stuff is not naturally presented. My thinking was along the line of what you mentioned, this Alba offering sounds like a marriage of Deanston virgin oak, Glencadam 10 and maybe even something like Arran 10 or the Arran QC. I experimented adding the sherried A'bunadh to Glencadam 10 and it was great. I like Jessica but it's a hard pass on the Aberlour A'bunadh Alba for me.

[@Gwhisky]

Totally fair! It's a bit overpriced for what you're getting, and there are simply better whiskies to be had. But yes, it's a really interesting new direction for the brand. Hope to see some more older offerings from bourbon casks. Cheers Rohit! 🥃

[@sloppyjoe6243]

You have a spot on your shirt

[@laurentsteck6086]

I just tasted the batch 7. Quite nice I must say. Of course you have to put a lot of water as you said. I agree that it should have a few more cask years. But nevertheless a quit enjoying whisky. Cheers

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you're enjoying. I'm really into the brighter cleaner stuff nowadays, and I think this is a nice departure from the standard range. Cheers Laurent! 🥃

[@johng.7560]

I have heard too many reviews mentioning the alcohol bite to waste $80+ dollar on a NAS cask strength offering. As far s value goes losing the age and upping the ABV is at best an even trade off, it is not a justification to increase the price 60%. I believe companies increase their price on avg. $5 to $10 per year of extra age, so decreasing the age would be a $5 to $10 drop in value. ABV should be a straight up percentage difference between their standard and the increased abv version. Recently I found the Alba for $72, chose a Bunnahabhain 12 for $67 instead, even though the Bunna has been increased recently quite frankly beyond the limit of it's value.

[@peterruffolo700]

You've made me curious about this one. I really enjoyed my bottle of Deanston Virgin Oak was considering picking up the Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill to see if it might taste like a more potent version of the Deanston. Now the Alba sounds like it could fit that bill nicely. Have you tried the Nadurra First Fill?

[@Gwhisky]

I have. Personally I'm not the biggest Nadurra fan since they did away with the age statements. I might actually opt for this over the Nadurra. 🥃

[@markanderson8677]

I'd like ot see a video on your Scotch that hits 95 or above.

[@maritimeus]

I had Alba once and I'd like share my experience. So sit down, put your feet up, and pour yourself a dram of Alba. And don't forget to pelvic smash that like button for Geoff. Here's my story of raw passion: I wasn't exactly inexperienced, but when I found Alba (or when Alba found me), I knew I'd never be the same. I was just strolling around my usual haunts looking to see what I'd take home for the night. There was nothing initially special about this evening, when my eyes befell upon the most beautiful thing; Alba was there all alone, almost in shear nakedness. Why was Alba just sitting there? All these other guys were just walking by without even noticing a top shelf beauty like this! They must be blind. I had to try to coax this unicorn to come home with me. The rest was unimaginable. Alba offered the honor and I honored that offer. I brought Alba back to my truck, tore out of that parking lot like a bat out of hell and went straight home. It was late, so my wife and kids were already fast asleep upstairs. I was sure to be as quiet as possible. My wife really doesn't like when I do this. I'm a family man and I never will let anything wreck this home! I took Alba into my hands and said a few sweet words before I got to work. I hoped that I wouldn't screw this up. This could be my only chance with Alba! I told myself that this has to be the last time. Deep inside me, I knew I was lying to myself - I'd collapse at the opportunity if it arose again. And so it began. My hands slid down just below Alba's neck and I took Alba gently by the sides. I popped that cork and stuck my finger deep into the lip, which is always the way I start on my journey. I was breathing hard because it was breathtaking, but Alba didn't let down, not for a moment. I was out of control and found myself on the couch, then on the floor, and even ended up in the bathroom of all places. When I woke up, Alba was gone and I was left picking up the pieces of my broken life, yet again. I'll never forget that night. I found Alba to be youthful, but performed like an 18 or 21 year old. I searched and searched, but there was nothing virgin about this expression and any sherry was long gone. Word on the street is that Alba ages well and I wouldn't mind taking one for the team and going for the 41 year old these days. An absolute classic! Had a great mouthfeel and was very spicy with a hint a sweetness, and most of all wet. It was only nutty right at the end, and by that time I was truly exhausted. It was like Alba had sucked the lifeforce straight out of my body. If I have it in me, I'd really like to try 2 Alba's at the same time. As you can see, I'm a true gentleman, so it'll be my pleasure to pay above market price for my next Alba. Alba keeps me coming back for more, and vice versa - I think I have an addiction. Thank you Alba, thank you! Thus ends my "evening with Alba."

[@Gwhisky]

Amazing! Alba is indeed a saucy little minx. "I popped the cork and stuck my finger deep into the lip." 😂😂😂 Dying. I need a shower. 🥃

[@jimmypaul9424]

Great comment, made me laugh.

[@MichaelDKmann]

So I'm curious since I've seen your current reviews and I have a harder time tasting them before buying. If you had to rank in order which ones you'd buy... How would your rank these current batches? A'bunadh, A'bunadh Alba, and Casg Annamh? Also great content, keep it coming!

[@Gwhisky]

Current preferences would be the Alba, the Annamh, then the regular. The Annamh batches are inconsistent, the newer sherried Abunadhs are decent but not great. The Alba isn't great yet, but I'm very intrigued by the profile and the potential. 🥃

[@RichardT2112]

Consider that perhaps the whiskeys did not change (too much) rather your tastebuds or your expectations. Great video none the less.

[@Gwhisky]

I've definitely changed over the years. But the whisky has too. I've done side-by-sides with earlier batches and the difference is substantial.

[@RichardT2112]

@@Gwhisky fair point, I too have noticed this in my 10 year journey thus far … always equated it to me changing (taste buds and expectations). I guess the old saying is true … one can never go back! Cheers Richard

[@Gwhisky]

@@RichardT2112 Yeah there's usually the assumption that it's just the whisky or it's just the person that's changed. More often than not it's both. Cheers! 🥃

[@lukato001]

Ardmore Traditional cask

[@marty_sugar]

👍🏻

[@Gwhisky]

🥃🥃🥃

[@precariousdave]

Actually had to get my reach for my specs to check out this Jessica's specs. I'd say five stars was mean. And naughty. But ... before heading further into "Jim Murray" gospel choir, I liked this review. I think you got away with it.

[@dylanthomas7443]

Just got a alba batch 4. Terrible. Especially when compared with the A'bunadh 65 to 76. I think the Sherry cask is the way to go. Also generally the non-Alba has some old whiskies too.

[@Gwhisky]

Ouch! Haven't had that batch. Only had the one bottle, actually, so I'm not sure about other batches.

[@progste]

"Added plenty of water to calm this down" ...Why? The thing I enjoyed most of the normaal A'bunadh was the intense aroma flavor, if you want to see how it changes with water that's fine too, but shouldn't you first give it a shot neat?

[@Gwhisky]

I did give it a shot neat. Prefer it with water.

[@progste]

​@@Gwhisky oh sorry, it wasn't clear in the video

[@sethcaine3659]

Benromach 15

[@TylerBlumkeYugioh]

The newest batch isn’t worth the money in my opinion. I love most cask strength single malts but this one has no stand out flavors and comes with the burn of a Molotov cocktail.

[@EuropaWill]

Too much 40% swill. 😂

[@Iceman-xe7jo]

First pour on this so far I’m not impressed. The alcohol is very harsh and it tastes young. The barrel expression wasn’t very good. I’ll see what happens once I get a few pours in an it settles. I added some water and that’s when I did get more flavors coming through but that’s when it tasted immature to me.

[@ps3inquisition441]

You always say you aren’t a huge fan of the brand.. and then you usually enjoy the whisky. Quite the dichotomy.

[@Gwhisky]

I cherry pick the releases I'm most likely to like. You'll notice I haven't touched on a good chunk of their core range.

[@ps3inquisition441]

@@Gwhisky We must not get most of the range where I live. Only the good stuff I guess. The 18 is my favorite so far, just a bit better than the 16, but maybe a bit overpriced.

[@ironmantran]

Autumn/Fall 2022 . . . Exchange rate from GBP to CAD drops to 1.45 (from 2.20 since 2008) = or minus -36% , yet price is the SAME since 2008 . . . talking about price gouging from Distillers to Middle Men to Monopoly government outlet and tax . . . sad, really....

[@Gwhisky]

Would you expect any less from our beloved government?

[@ironmantran]

@@Gwhisky i HATE red capitalism . . .

[@xiamengbaby]

It's not as good as Glencadam 10....enough said. I can get two Gc 10s for the price of that Alba, or a Gc10, a Deanston Virgin Oak, and still have about enough more for a Wild Turkey 101. Or if I want a little sherry, I'll get a Bunnahabhain 12 and a Glencadam 10 and have money left for a bag of chips or pretzels, over the price of one Abunadh Alba. 😆

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah it's good stuff but the value could definitely be better.

[@seaweedworld]

I love both the Abunadh and the Alba. Started my whisky journey with the Aberlour 12 which is very affordable in Canada. Enjoying your reviews but can you omit the “babe” factor on your reviews. We women are enjoying and knowledgable about whisky and don’t need to deal with this crap. Cheers.