Aberlour – 1998 20 Year Old Distillery Reserve Collection 50cl (50cl, 52%)

Aberlour – 1998 20 Year Old Distillery Reserve Collection 50cl is a whisky from Aberlour (Speyside). Aged 20 years, bottled at 52% ABV, 50cl. Pernod Ricard’s share of the Scotch Whisky market is second only to Diageo’s; a fact that is in no small part down to their acquisition of Aberlour distillery in 1974. Despite being unlucky enough to suffer two catastrophic fires (in 1879 and 1898), Aberlour has enjoyed stable production throughout most of its life, and under the current regime its popularity has exploded. This is especially true in France where it has overtaken Glenfiddich as the biggest selling single malt. This roaring success could be attributed to the delicate berry-flavour spirit that runs from its swan-necked stills, or to the enormous popularity of its heavily sherried A’bunadh batch releases. Perhaps even the fact that the Distillery Manager used to serenade the slumbering casks with the soothing tones of the bagpipes. Okay, maybe not the last thing! This limited release range from Chivas Brothers is comprised of “rare and exceptional” whiskies from their single malt distilleries. All bottled at natural cask strength, and usually only available from their respective distillery shops.