Next Head to Head:
Macallan Cask Strength vs. Aberlour A'Bunadh (Batch #18)
Nose: The nose on each is nearly identical to the other. Rich sherry with nuts and spice. Lots of chocolate and toffee. Plenty of caramel as well. A little nose tingle!
Palate: The Mac CS has lots of spice on the tongue, with a lot of sherry in the back. A'Bunadh also has a ton of spice on the tongue, and it is also followed by plenty of sherry. There is just a bit bitterness on the end of the A'Bunadh, and the sherry is just a tad winy.
Finish: Both have a long finish, with lots of spice and plenty of sherry flavor.
Hmmm... I am perplexed. I expected that the A'Bunadh was going to be my favorite, but I am going to go with the Mac CS.
As for Batch #18, I am going with the Macallan Cask Strength. As for other batches, it could go either way. This head to head was CLOSE! The two are nearly identical.