Claxton's Unicorn Series Aberlour 28 year old

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

A Claxton’s Unicorn from Aberlour

The Unicorn Series is a range of rare whiskies from independent bottler Claxton’s. The range celebrates rare casks that produce a minute amount of whisky. In this review, the focus is on a 28-year-old Aberlour. Only 34 bottles of this whisky will ever be released, making it one of the rarest drams you’ll ever find.

Aberlour is a classic Speyside distillery. It was established in the second half of the 19th century when Speyside whiskies were riding the crest of a wave. The plant was built by James Fleming, son of a tenant farmer. As a youth, Fleming worked the family farm before taking a job in the grain trade. Then, in the mid-1860s, he entered the world of whisky when he acquired the lease on Dailuaine. For 10 years he produced whisky before moving to Aberlour to set up a new bank. There, he became a respected member of the community, serving as chairman of the school board, county councillor, town provost and an elder of the parish Church.

Fleming returned to Scotch in 1879 when he secured a feu on land owned by the Earl of Fife. There, he built Aberlour distillery on the outskirts of the village he called home. By the following year, the distillery was in production and by 1892, Fleming was ready to sell. Aberlour was taken over by Robert Thorne & Sons and from there the distillery changed hands several times before coming to rest with Pernod Ricard in 1975.

As for Fleming, he passed away in 1895, leaving the distillery, along with Fleming Hall, the village’s first public meeting space, and the Fleming Cottage Hospital as an impressive legacy. He is buried in the cemetery that lies opposite the distillery.

The resting place of James Fleming of Aberlour

I spent a few days in Aberlour in 2018 and must confess that I fell in love with the village. By chance, the Highland Games were taking place when we visited and the place was buzzing. There were pipers and dancers and it seemed like every member of the population for miles around was in attendance. We watched caber tossing and tug o’ war and in the evening, pipe bands united and marched through the streets. It was a special day.

As for the whisky, Aberlour’s official bottlings are known for maturation in sherry casks. It’s a malt I’ve often enjoyed, especially the old A’Bunadh bottles (before the price went up), but it’s been quite a long time since it crossed my path. This Claxton’s release looks like a fun way of becoming reacquainted though.

The Whisky

This single malt Scotch whisky was aged for a total of 28 years. It was finished in an oloroso sherry cask and bottled at 42% ABV. There are just 34 bottles released.

Smell: Lots of enticing sherry notes. Walnuts and grape juice. Raisins and dates. Glacé cherries. Orange marmalade. There’s a perfumey floral thing too, like a wee touch of Jasmine. There’s some dusty oak in the background and some subtle, dry spices.

Taste: Sherry dominates the arrival with raisins and sultanas on the tip of the tongue, followed by treacle and dark chocolate further back. It’s only really as it moves towards the finish that you start to get a sense of its age as some dry oak starts to emerge. There’s some peppery spice throughout but it never gets above a tingle. Chocolate Orange creams.

Thoughts: I don’t think this release is quite as spectacular as the 29-year-old Springbank that preceded it in the Unicorn Series (see here) but it’s a good example of a well-aged, sherry-matured malt. The dram shows its age, particularly in the finish, but stops short of being over-oaked and the spirit itself has a lightness of body that helps to counter the woodiness. Nothing too surprising in terms of character, perhaps. Indeed, it presents largely as you’d expect an old Aberlour to do but that’s no bad thing. A solid offering that would make a fine addition to any cabinet.

Price: £135. Things just got interesting. This is an impressive price for an old and rare dram. For some context, there is an 18-year-old from 2022 currently on sale on the Aberlour website for £145. With this Claxton’s release, you can add 10 years and subtract £10. It’s a no-brainer – assuming you’re lucky enough to get drawn in the ballot.