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17th September 2021 |
Aberfeldy 18
Year Old Batch 2921 finished in French
Red Wine Casks from the Côte Rôtie
appellation is the third limited edition
in the distillery's French Red Wine Cask
Collection.
 John Dewar & Sons
has unveiled the third limited edition
in its Aberfeldy French Red Wine Cask
Collection, this latest expression from
The Golden Dram is Aberfeldy 18
Year Old Batch 2921 which has been finished in French Red Wine Casks from
the Côte Rôtie appellation.
Aberfeldy’s French Red Wine Cask
Collection launched back in 2019 with the
first release of Aberfeldy 15 Year Old,
finished in Pomerol casks from Bordeaux,
the second release in 2020 was an 18
Year Old expression finished in Pauillac
casks, also from Bordeaux. For the third
bottling in the series, Malt Master,
Stephanie Macleod has chosen a robust
yet elegant style of wine for this
year’s offering.
The famous Côte Rôtie is a prestigious
red wine appellation at the northern tip
of France’s Rhône Valley. The area is a
mere 40 miles long and is responsible
for a tiny 4–5% of all the wines from
the region. Côte Rôtie, translated as
“Roasted Slope”, is home to some of the
steepest vineyards in all of France.
Wines are predominantly made from the
Syrah grape, which thrives in the
well-draining granite soils, offering
depth of flavour and complex aromatics
with dark red berry characteristics and
sensuous, silky textures that caress the
palate. Up to 20 percent of Viognier can
be used, adding finesse, elegance and
floral characteristics to the wine.
Aberfeldy’s Malt Master, Stephanie
Macleod comments: "This style of wine
has got these wonderful fruity notes,
but also floral notes and so it’s just a
match made in heaven for Aberfeldy.
These wine casks don’t come around very
often, so we when we were offered them
we snapped them up immediately." Adding:
"The day they came on to our site we
opened them up and I gave them a nose -
it was just amazing, I felt there and
then this was going to work."
Aberfeldy says that these casks
have bestowed expressive and seductive
qualities on their aged malt resulting
in a refined smoothness and
fruits with luscious, red berry
characteristics. Stephanie added:
"This sumptuous dram is bursting with
intense, rich fruity red berry notes of
raspberry, lingonberry and red currents
smothered in honey. It’s deeply
evocative of an Eton Mess as the
sugariness and the sharpness of the
berries come through. A zing of candied
citrus peel brings balance before
mellowing to a smooth vanilla and
butterscotch sweetness."
Aberfeldy 18 Year Old, French Red Wine
Cask finish is bottled at 43% ABV and
has a RRP of £95 and will be available
in limited runs, initially from the
distillery’s online shop from 1st
September, and then will roll out in the
following main markets: USA, Taiwan,
China, Germany and France with smaller
volumes to be made available in Austria,
Sweden Singapore and Malaysia.
You will soon find Aberfeldy 18 Year
Old, French Red Wine Cask finish available from specialist
online whisky retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
Amazon
and
Master of Malt
|
Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Batch 2921 Review
|
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
An ever so slightly sweet candied mix of
sultana, raisin and red apple infused
with honey and caramel,
distant lemon, a little gentle spice and
a equally gentle floral note lurking in
the background.
Taste:
Red berry and hedgerow fruit infused
with honey and spice leads, followed by
a wee touch of
vanilla, creamy milk chocolate, some
late pepper.
Finish:
The fruits bitters out leaving a little
honey, nutmeg and some lovely mouth
coating lingering pepper and drying oak
tannins.
Comment:
The French Wine Cask Finish has made a
light red berry and hedgerow fruit
impact on this 18 year old honeyed
Highland dram and given it a lovely oak
tannin edge.
SMW Whisky Score
85/100
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