New Release: Aberfeldy 1999-2016 Official Hand-Filled #5 56.5%

With such a rich sherry, even honey is indistinguishable. Aberfeldy ABERFELDY 1999-2016 OB SINGLE CASK HAND FILLED #5 56.5% The aroma is sweet and rich sherry, prunes and bitter chocolate, faintly Shaoxing wine, with a hint of boiled beans from the depths. Upon drinking, it starts with a smooth mouthfeel that expands powerfully, featuring the intense sweetness of prunes and braised black beans, a strong tannin, a robust body, and a rich finish. [Good/Very Good] This Aberfeldy 1999, a distillery hand-filled bottling, was filled relatively recently and aged for approximately 17 years. Likely a first-fill cask, this quite rich and concentrated sherry cask imparts strong aromas of prunes, bitter chocolate, Shaoxing wine, and other characteristics clearly derived from the cask. Even when drinking, the influence of the sherry cask is quite strong, with an impressionable sweetness reminiscent of concentrated fruits and sweetly cooked black beans, along with a pronounced tannin. Given how much the cask has influenced it, it's hard to discern the house style, but I also felt that the original spirit's strength is subtly present without being overshadowed by the cask.