Today I chat about the Aberfeldy 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. Aberfeldy is a distillery dating back to 1898. This Highland distillery was founded by John Dewar & Sons, nearby the town of the same name.
It was established to ensure a steady supply of quality single malt for the Dewar’s White Label blend. The distillery sits on the River Tay’s south bank and takes its water from the Pitilie Burn.
Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet, mentioned the town of Aberfeldy in one of his poems. He wrote the Birks of Aberfeldy in 1787. Burns was inspired to write it by the Falls of Moness and the birch trees of Aberfeldy during a tour of the Scottish Highlands.
The main output of the distillery is used in the Dewar’s blended whiskies. The company only launched the Aberfeldy 12 year old single malt whisky during 1999.
Today, the distillery produces two official single malt bottlings – a 12 year old and an Aberfeldy 21 year old whisky. The label features a squirrel in the background, a reference to a nearby woodland that plays host to a colony of rare red squirrels.
It seems that John Dewar & Sons, a company that has always focused heavily on blended Scotch, is starting to focus more on the single malt market through their “Last Great Malts” Collection releases.
It will allow them to showcase all the interesting malt distilleries that sit behind the famous Dewar blend. These distilleries include Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Royal Brackla. The company plans to launch a 16 year old sherry finish and a 30 year old in 2015.
The Aberfeldy 12 year old single malt is matured in a combination of sherry and bourbon.
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REGION: Highland
ABV: 40%
COLOUR: Warm gold, and it is a beautiful shade in the glass. It is a thick oily whisky with slowly forming fingers on the sides of the glass.
NOSE: Sherry and oak abundantly when opening the bottle. The nose brings spiciness and vanilla sweetness. The nose is very subtle with fresh-cut florals. There are notes of oak and barley in the background with hints of toffee.
PALATE: You can feel the oiliness of the whisky coat your mouth. The palate is peppery, with wood and cereal coming through immediately. There are notes of honeyed sweetness and malt with hints of sherried fruit. It is a reasonably smooth whisky. A medium-bodied whisky.
FINISH: The finish is medium length and ends in notes of leather and spice. There are remnants of oak and cereals in the finish.
RATING: GOOD
I found the Aberfeldy 12 year old whisky rather bland. There is nothing that stands out for me to remember it by. Looking at the releases coming out of the Dewar’s “Last Great Malts” collection, perhaps I should put the 30 year old on my wish list for 2015.
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