Aberfeldy distillery (pronounced: ab-er-FEL-dee) has, for a long time, been the somewhat low-key malt behind Dewar's whisky. Tucked away in Perthshire in the Highlands of Scotland, for a long time Aberfeldy was something of a forgotten curiosity for many malt aficionados. This was probably to do with the lack of diversity in the available bottlings at the time as Aberfeldy was never widely bottled by the independents and, until relatively recently, official examples rarely stepped outside the 12-year-old and 21-year-old expressions.
This was a great shame, because Aberfeldy has a very elegant and robust profile that fits its location in one of the gentler parts of the Highlands very snugly. More malty and sinewy than a Speysider, but not a coastal or wax driven powerhouse like its more extreme northern cousins, Aberfeldy has always been a very drinkable malt with an unassuming individuality. Thankfully, the distillery's profile has grown under Bacardi's stewardship, particularly since a relaunch in 2014.
Founded: 1896
Stills: 2 Wash Stills, 2 Spirit Stills
Capacity: 3.4 Million Litres
Water Source: Pitilie Burn
Owners: Bacardi
1960-1973: Transitional Era.
In 1960 Aberfeldy was a small two-still distillery that fell into place with many others in the post-war era of Scottish distilling. In that year the first of several changes took place when the stills were converted to mechanical stoking. There are very few bottlings of Aberfeldy from this era so it is difficult to say anything about its character, but it's fairly safe to say that given the old-style nature of its production and location it would be a fairly robust and old fashioned Highland spirit with a much more waxy, herbaceous and fruit-driven profile than current bottlings.
1973-Present: Modernisation and Stepping Out.
Between 1972 and 1973 the Aberfeldy distillery was rebuilt and refitted with four new stills, all of which now had internal steam heating and new shell condensers in place of the old worm tubs. Most of the oldest bottlings of Aberfeldy date from this era of distillation, including a very beautiful 1975 vintage cask from Cadenhead's. There were also a variety of 1970s vintage Aberfeldys from other independent bottlers, though naturally these are all getting harder and harder to find nowadays.
These early indie bottlings all display Aberfeldy’s signature characteristics of sinewy malt, biscuity sweetness, fresh green apples, herbs and light spicy tones. Aberfeldy's whisky has a very rounded and easy-to-drink profile that also manages to carry enough complexity to be entertaining at the same time. If you get a chance to visit the distillery you will see that the profile of Aberfeldys single malt whisky very much suits the gentle nature of its location.
Aberfeldy was bought from Diageo by Bacardi in 1998, along with the Dewar's brand and other associated distilleries including Craigellachie, Royal Brackla and Aultmore. Diageo had only ever bottled Aberfeldy as an excellent Flora and Fauna 15-year-old in 1991, but under the new ownership a 12-year-old Aberfeldy was soon launched, closely followed by a 21-year-old and later a 16-year-old. In 2024 a prestige Aberfeldy 25-year-old was added to the core range. These bottlings are fairly consistent and give strong and flavoursome examples of the make without any overt wood technology or silly cask influences. They are consistently well constructed whiskies with strong cask selection.
If possible, the best examples of Aberfeldy to try are those at full strength with a little more age behind them. The best Aberfeldys from previous eras were from the early 1980s at cask strength, typically showing a wonderfully precise herbaceous quality with excellent garden fruits and an elegant oiliness, the epitome of perfectly balanced, complex, modern whisky.
Bacardi have continued to quietly nurture Aberfeldy for over 25 years now, periodically refreshing the packaging and keeping the distillery's offering fresh by augmenting the core range with a series of limited releases. Sales of Aberfeldy single malt whisky have grown enormously under Bacardi's tenure and the distillery capacity has been increased by almost 50% in recent years to over 3 million litres. The installation of a biomass boiler around a decade ago is reported to have cut Aberfeldy's carbon emissions by 95%, enhancing the distillery's environmental credentials.
Aberfeldy is a rare distillery without too much pomposity or self-importance, something to be commended in this day and age.
