Aberfeldy distillery has, for a long time, been the somewhat low-key malt behind Dewar's whisky. Tucked away in Perthshire on the in the Highlands of Scotland, for decades 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. 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 some 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: Dewar's (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. The oldest bottlings of Aberfeldy mostly date from this era of distillation, including a very beautiful 1975 vintage cask from Cadenhead's. There is also a variety of bottlings from other independent bottlers dating from different years in the seventies, though 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. It is 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 its profile very much suits the gentle nature of its location.
In 1998 Aberfeldy was bought from Diageo by Bacardi, 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 of Bacardi 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. They are consistently well constructed whiskies with strong cask selection.
If possible, the best Aberfeldy whiskies to try are ones at full strength with a little more age behind them. The best examples from previous eras were from the early eighties at full strength, they had 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 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, enabling Aberfeldy to continue being a keystone malt for Dewar's while continuing to grow its profile as a single malt whisky. Aberfeldy is a rare distillery making extremely enjoyable Highland single malt whisky without too much pomposity or self-importance, something to be commended in this day and age.