By the time Aberlour reached Batch 70 of A'bunadh, the series had become one of the touchstones of cask-strength sherried Speyside whisky — a regular fixture on shelves and tasting flights, reliably rich and reliably uncompromising. The formula has not shifted since 1997: first-fill Oloroso butts, no age statement, no chill-filtration, no water, and a batch number rather than a vintage.
Batch 70 noses with classic A'bunadh weight. Plum jam and chocolate orange arrive first, then walnut shell, then the dry, resinous note of well-used European oak. Behind it all sits a faint Christmas-cake spice — clove and a little dried ginger — the signature of long maturation in properly seasoned sherry wood.
The palate, at just over 60%, is powerful and dense. Dried fig, espresso, glacé cherry and a deep, slightly bitter cocoa arrive together; the texture is almost syrupy. A few drops of water release more of the orange-peel character and soften the spice without thinning the body. There is no Speyside delicacy here, but neither is there any clumsiness — the components are balanced, even if the volume is turned high.
The finish is long, warming and drying, with bitter chocolate, raisin and a final scrape of oak tannin. A'bunadh has always rewarded patient, unhurried drinking, and Batch 70 is no exception. It is, in the unhurried Speyside manner, exactly what it claims to be.
