Aberargie Inaugural Release

Aberargie Inaugural Release

Region: Lowlands

ABV: 48.2%

Price: £64.95

Crafted from 52% Golden Promise and 48% Laureate barley grown on the distillery’s own 300 acre farm just south of Perth, this inaugural Aberargie single malt was distilled from 2017 onwards and matured in a 50/50 mix of first fill bourbon and sherry casks before its release in March 2026. No official outturn has been stated.

Nose

The nose opens with an initial sweet banana bread note - a mixture of overripe bananas, baked dough, some biscuitiness and a little bit of brown sugar. We're also finding a host of orchard fruits, lots of fresh red apple flesh, mixing into more of a sherry profile with red currant jam, maraschino cherry, candied ginger, and maybe even a bit of gingerbread. It's a soft nose overall, the alcohol sits nicely at 48.2%, but the dram still manages to express itself on the nose. Time and air brings forward more of a blackcurrant and dark plum note - the air is bringing some of those richer black fruits to the forefront. 

Palate

The palate opens with a mixture of red berries - strawberries, raspberries, and cherries drizzled in sweet vanilla syrup. It quickly moves into more of a dark chocolate/coffee revel note towards the latter palate, alongside some darker fruits - blackcurrant cordial and black cherries. The finish has a decent length, and shows more of a wood spice and slightly bitter oak flavour. The texture is a bit of letdown, there's bags of flavour, but we're not finding a thick, viscous mouthfeel to match this. Going back, we're able to find a more herbal, honeyed note, and some digestive biscuits in the background. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more of a stewed fruit note now - less fresh, more cooked down with spoonfuls of sugar. It's jammed, berry-led with subtle honey and orchard fruit notes in the background. The reduction does feel like it's subdued some of the character we experienced before, and the dram doesn't really need it.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has more of a sour note up front - sour red berries now, and actually starts to develop into more of a honey, caramel, vanilla and toffee flavour - water has changed this from predominantly sherry to predominantly bourbon flavours for us. It feels lighter, with softer fruits and a little bit of oak spice. 

Conclusion

To be honest, we're a little worn out by the number of new distilleries and inaugural bottles popping up over the last few years - but we do appreciate a distillery that waits for more than three years and one day to release their first bottling. The whisky itself is good - well crafted spirit, very active casks making a dram that jumps out of the glass. It's very much a sherried dram - those casks seem to overtake the bourbon for us, but it's good quality sherry. Overall it's a very drinkable dram, and a good first showing for the distillery.

Score: 7/10

Value

It’s good to see such a sought after release at a reasonable price.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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