Man, the dreams I had when I was twelve. NO, not those ones. The big ones about the nature of my life, the path that led ahead and the jobs that I would do.
I veered drastically between the notion that I would travel the world in the navy, seeing sights, learning new skills and making people safer and owning a corner shop, serving a neighbourhood with a stalwart sense of pride and love.
Oddly, neither of those dreams came to fruition and i stumbled towards university and out the other end back into the world of work like a clumsy foal, taking its first steps. Now that I am a thirty something and supposedly an adult, I still wonder when I will find out what I am meant to be, but whilst I wait for my Damascus road conversion, here is a review of another twelve year old.
Aberfeldy 12 Year Old
Price: £30 – 40
ABV: 40%
Appearance: A deep golden orange Colour, like pirate treasure cast on golden sands.
Aroma: This dram has a really heady, full nose. There are lots of varied notes present. At first you get sweet caramel and spicy aniseed. Then with time you get floral pollens and malt extract notes coming from underneath too!
Taste: Initially very light and sweet, almost whisps in on the palate, bringing honey sweetness and floral pollen flavours. This tastes summery, somehow like being wafted by a warm, summery breeze.
Then in the middle, there is a darker wooden spice, that definitely reminds me of aniseed balls, but somehow softer in their warmth and fuller. This part of the dram sits on the tongue and warms the throat. This part of the dram has a more autumnal feeling to it, reminding me firmly of kicking crispy leaves into the air.
Finally, as the spice lingers, we move back to the floral notes and they are joined by sweet, yet zesty orange notes and again you are thrust back in summer sun.
Mouthfeel: Light, sweet and floral
Overall: This is a dram that has never quite grabbed my attention before, but we were sent a sample for a Tweet Tasting and so when scheduled I had chance to spend some time with it. It was the nose that first drew me in. The mix of floral notes and sweet flavours is one that instantly draws you to want to take a sip. Then the palate is easy going, but varied enough to keep you coming back. There are summery qualities and also smokey qualities that made it a fantastic dram to drink to drive away the winter blues. Certainly, at its modest price point it is a great value twelve year old dram.
Real Dram Factor: 7.2
Source: Tweet Tasting Sample
More Information: https://www.dewars.com/gl/en/aberfeldydistillery/
Buy Online: Master of Malt – 70cl bottle for £35.50 or Amazon – 70cl bottle for £28.00