Aberfeldy whiskies

History

The brothers John Alexander and Tommy Dewar, sons of the house’s founder, chose a site by the village of Aberfeldy at the end of the 19th century, close to where their father had been born. The distillery began producing at the end of the 1890s and from the start worked for the family’s blends, which were by then sold around the world. For much of the 20th century it passed through the hands of the big Scottish groups, always linked to Dewar’s. In 1998 the brand and the distillery passed to Bacardi, which has given more prominence to the malt bottled under the distillery’s name.

House style

The house style is sweet and honeyed: honey, ripe orchard fruit, a touch of vanilla and some cereal. Long fermentations bring fruity notes, and the water of the Pitilie Burn, which flows down to the Tay, is associated in local tradition with that smooth character. It is a medium-bodied whisky, unpeated and with a pleasant finish. Its malts are bottled at a wide range of ages, and with the years they gain notes of beeswax, gentle spice and candied fruit.

Where to start

Aberfeldy 12 Year Old is the natural way in: a smooth, honeyed Highland malt, good for discovering the house style. If you like it, its closest relatives are the Dewar’s blends, which share that sweet base. To notice the difference between malt and blend, try the 12-year-old next to a Dewar’s: you’ll find the same honeyed background, with more body and more fruit in the malt.

• Aberfeldy 12 Year OldSingle malt · 40% ABV