ABERFELDY 2001-2023 22yo Official Bottling Distillery Visitor Centre 25th Anniversary #58 53.1%

ABERFELDY 2001-2023 22yo Official Bottling Distillery Visitor Centre 25th Anniversary #58 53.1%

ABERFELDY 2001-2023 22yo Official Bottling “EXCEPTIONAL CASK” Distillery Visitor Centre 25year Anniversary #58 53.1%

The aroma is multifaceted: apricot and berry jam, strong honey, apple pie, vanilla-flavored crème brûlée, caramelized nuts—very rich. The palate is mellow with a viscous texture; like the aroma, it features diverse cooked fruits and faint spices, with a deep honey richness and malt umami seeping out from the depths. In addition to the sense of maturity, it has body, and the complex, slightly oily finish is long.

【Very Good】

This is a single cask bottled to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the visitor center at the ABERFELDY distillery, and naturally, it is an official bottling.

Distilled in 2001 and finished for a long period of about 6 years in Oloroso sherry casks since 2017, it is also labeled as a "double cask."

The natural sense of maturity and the excellent character of the sherry casks used for finishing are fully present, yet not dominant at all.

The character of the base spirit, which carries the strong honey richness typical of ABERFELDY, is also prominent, and it is wonderful how it coexists at a high level with the cask influence, perfectly balanced like two heavyweights locked in a grapple.

Despite this level of maturity and cask influence, it possesses a distinct personality that might allow one to identify it as ABERFELDY even in a blind tasting, which really resonates with single malt fans.

Since the cask influence, maturity, and base spirit character are all strong, there are many elements that are easy to pick up, making the tasting experience very enjoyable.

The alcohol percentage has mellowed just right, and because refinement and body coexist, it is very pleasant to drink even neat.

It offers both intrigue and deliciousness without being tiring; I quickly finished one bottle at home and have already moved on to the second.

As it is a distillery commemorative bottle and a single cask, it is unfortunately not sold in Japan, but when I checked a while ago, it was still available on overseas websites.

While immature bottles of questionable quality sell out in an instant, it felt strange to me that a special bottle like this—overflowing with the charm of single malt and reflecting the distillery's true dedication—is sold at a price that isn't high relative to its specs in today's market, and can even be repurchased after being thoroughly enjoyed.

Perhaps the charm I seek in single malt has already diverged from what is currently considered popular.