Aberlour A'Bunadh Cask Strength Batch #85 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

A’bunadh (pronounced a-boon-arh), literally meaning “the origin” in Gaelic, is a toast to the forefathers of today’s whisky makers, and particularly James Fleming, who founded Aberlour Distillery in 1879.

Aberlour A’bunadh is produced in the tradition of 19th-century single malts, from an era when villagers would come to the distillery to collect their dram straight from the cask, often in apothecary bottles obtained from the village chemist. These bottles are the inspiration for the A’bunadh bottle shape used today.

Matured exclusively in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butts, among the rarest and most precious casks used for maturation, and bottled at cask strength, A’bunadh possesses unrivalled aromatic intensity. A richer mouthfeel and greater flavour complexity are achieved by bottling without the use of modern chill-filtration methods.

As Aberlour A’bunadh is produced in small batches, the flavour profile may vary slightly from one bottling to another. Douglas Cruickshank, Aberlour’s Master Distiller, recommends the addition of a dash of water to release all the aromas and bring the whisky to a perfect drinking strength.

As a result of the traditional production methods used for Aberlour A’bunadh, a slight cloudiness may appear when water is added. This misty appearance is perfectly natural and does not affect the taste or quality of this exceptional and unique whisky.

Rumour has it that when the second pair of stills were put in in 1975, a time capsule was discovered behind the name plate, containing an 1898 newspaper about the distillery fire wrapped around an 1898 bottle of Aberlour. The workmen who discovered the bottle polished off four-fifths of the bottle during their lunch break, but the remains of the bottle went off to the laboratories in Keith, and were analysed. A'bunadh is an attempt to recreate this single malt.