A bottle of scotch does not always need a luxury price tag to win major awards, as Aberlour A’bunadh has just shown. According to Forbes, the cask-strength single malt was named Best In Class Scotch Whisky at the 2026 ASCOT Awards. The bottle typically costs around $100, which makes the win more interesting than another trophy for an ultra-rare collector’s release.
Aberlour A’bunadh is hardly a new name among whisky fans. The non-age-stated single malt has been around since 1997 and has built a strong following for its big sherried character.
The name comes from Gaelic and is pronounced “ah-BOON-ah.” It loosely translates to “the origin,” which fits the whisky’s traditional style. Aberlour bottles it at cask strength and matures it exclusively in first-fill sherry casks, giving it the rich, dark-fruit profile that fans often call a “sherry bomb”.
ASCOT judges praised the whisky for keeping its high alcohol level under control while still delivering plenty of flavour. Tasting notes from the judging highlighted dried fruit, nuts, oak, and nougat, with later rounds also picking up delicate smoke, dark chocolate, and tobacco-like tones.
That combination explains why A’bunadh has remained popular for so long. It is powerful, but not just for the sake of strength. Its appeal comes from offering considerable depth and nuance at a price that remains realistic for many enthusiasts.
The ASCOT Awards were launched in 2021 by whiskey writer and expert Fred Minnick, and the competition now covers spirits from around the world. Best In Class winners are expected to compete for the overall Best In Show title.
But even without the overall title, A’bunadh’s result shows that one of the year’s most highly rated Scotches remains relatively affordable.