Aberlour Distillery is located in the heart of the Speyside whisky region and their whisky is a classic example of the area’s sherry-matured single malts. Their most famous release is arguably the A’bundah, a cask-strength whisky aged in Oloroso sherry casks. But that might change with the introduction of the new Aberlour A’bunadh Alba, a cask strength single malt aged exclusively in ex-bourbon oak.

The Aberlour A’bunadh Alba debuted in the United States at the beginning of September, which marks Bourbon Heritage month. That’s no coincidence considering the Alba is aged exclusively in ex-Bourbon oak! Alba, which is Gaelic for Scotland, is also named after the species of white oak the whisky matures in, Quercus Alba.

I was lucky enough to try the new A’bunadh Alba with Aberlour’s Master Distiller Graeme Cruickshank in Chicago. It’s an honor to be in the same room as Graeme Cruickshank, but to taste a new whisky with him is beyond exciting!

Introducing the Aberlour A’bunadh Alba

The Original A’bunadh

Meaning “the original” in Gaelic, the A’bunadh ages exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks. While there is no age statement, Aberlour releases the bottlings in limited batches that vary slightly. And the whisky’s cult-like followers love to obsess over which batch is better.

Non-chill filtered with no age statement, the A’bunadh ABV varies from around 59-61%. Typically the nose is full of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange with rich, deep notes of Oloroso Sherry. The palate has orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate plus sherry and oak, with a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is intense with bittersweet notes of spices, dark chocolate, and oak.

The New A’bunadh Alba

On the other hand, Aberlour’s new A’bunadh Alba is similar to the original with one big difference: ex-bourbon casks. Meaning only ex-bourbon casks. Also cask strength with no age statement, the Alba releases will vary slightly by batch. But aging exclusively in ex-bourbon is huge — at least for Aberlour.

Aberlour’s entire core line — the 12, 16, and 18 year — ages in American oak. But it’s in combination with seasoned sherry casks. Aberlour refers to this as Double Cask maturation. And the Triple Cask matured Casg Annamh ages in first and second first American oak and sherry casks.

So maturing the A’bunadh Alba exclusively in American oak is quite a deviation from Aberlour’s usual process. Or is it? Clearly Aberlour ages some of its whisky in American oak to blend it with the sherry-aged juice. The only difference is the Alba is sans sherry-aged whisky.

And the result is as amazing as you’d expect from Aberlour.

A’bunadh Alba Tasting Notes

The Aberlour A’ bunadh Alba is non-chill filtered and will not have an age statement. The ABV will vary by batch, but always be cask strength. For the first batch, the nose has sweet apples and pears with notes of honey and vanilla. The palate is citrusy with notes of baked apple and hints of almonds. It finishes smooth and sweet.

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The A’bunadh Alba makes a terrific complement to the regular A’bunadh. And, honestly, it stands out on its own as an outstanding single malt with all the quality you’d expect from Aberlour.

For now, the Alba is only available in the United States, priced around $90. Make sure to track some down. I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments!

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