Aberfeldy

Dewars Aberfeldy Distillery

History Aberfeldy Distillery was founded by the John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. in 1896, and opened in 1898. The distillery is located on the eastern outskirts of Aberfeldy, on the southern bank of the upper Tay. The demand for barley as a basic foodstuff during World War I led to the distillery being closed from 1917 to 1919. The Second World War also caused barley supplies to be cut, and the distillery was again forced to shut down for some of this period. Supply to final markets was kept up by reducing the period whisky was laid up from 7 years to 3. In 1972 the distillery was enlarged, and the old stills were replaced by four new steam heated stills. In 1999, an Aberfeldy 12 Year Old Single Malt brand was introduced. In 2000, the Earl of Elgin opened “Dewar’s World of Whisky” at the Aberfeldy Distillery: this is a centre for marketing the products and educating the public about the process of distillation and history of the Dewar’s brand. Aberfeldy is the largest malt whisky component of Dewar’s Blended Whisky.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official Bottling
  • aberfeldy-12-year-old-whisky Aberfeldy 12 Years Old (2017) - Deliciously honeyed dram rather quite simple appearing at first but actually quite complex. 85/100
  • aberfeldy-12-year-old-whisky Aberfeldy 12 Years Old (2021) - This whisky really is honey in a glass, it is quite hard to get away from those sweet honey notes. If you do you'll find some well-incorporated fruits and substantial malt. Delicious! 84/100
  • aberfeldy-12-year-old-whisky Aberfeldy 12 Years Old (2018) - Aberfeldy 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review & Chocolate Pairing: Deliciously honeyed dram rather quite simple appearing at first but actually quite complex. Tasting with dark chocolate highlighted honey and fruitier notes on nose and palate and accentuated the oak wood and gentle spices of the finish, I liked how the chocolate was drying but the whisky mouth-watering. 85/100
  • Aberfeldy_16YO Aberfeldy 16 Years Old (2016) - Smooth and oily, perhaps a touch over-spiced for my palate in places this is a dram full of subtleties that rewards spending some time with. 83/100
  • Aberfeldy SC 2001 Aberfeldy 16 Years Old 2001 Single Cask (2017) - Sweet and spiced, powerful at CS and hides a lot of the more pleasant aspects so don't be afraid to dilute with a little drop of water. 87/100
  • Aberfeldy SC 1999 Aberfeldy 17 Years Old 1999 Single Cask (2017) - Awesome! An excellent example of Aberfeldy working well in an Oloroso sherry cask! 91/100
  • aberfeldy-18-year-old-whisky Aberfeldy 18 Years Old (2018) - Creamy with a good hint of citrus, still in that very relaxed/subtle Aberfeldy style, I think I was looking for more depth and something more to ruminate over in this dram which didn't quite appear. 84/100
  • Aberfeldy 18 Years Old Cote Rotie (2021) - On the nose the French oak predominates an already sweet and fruity whisky. On the palate red berries add to that honey and vanilla and results in a real dessert-like whisky. More jammy than the 12 year old the official note of Eton Mess fits the bill here. Delightful. 86/100
  • Aberfeldy Cask 6978 Aberfeldy 20 Years Old 1994 Single Cask (2015) - A delicious single cask expression with a real toffee-d nature. Lots of nice woody and herbal spices in here like a good gingerbread or parkin cake mix with the treacle influence. 84/100
  • Aberfeldy 21 Years Old (2014) - Aberfeldy 21 year old is a perfect smooth and silky dram with wonderful flavours of creamy toffee and honey. While I enjoyed sampling this, I wasn't really blown away by it. The sherry and smoke influences I have heard others describe in this dram didn't really make an appearance to me. Sadly it is so silky and smooth it is almost forgettable. While that is an achievement in itself, I prefer drams that make their presence felt with a much bigger impact than this. Incredibly refined it is a pleasure to dram but again I find myself lacking the willpower to commit to wanting a whole bottle. We were also spoilt with much more characterful Aberfeldy expressions during our visit which made the 21yo pale in comparison. 85/100
  • The Whiskyphiles Aberfeldy Distillery Aberfeldy 26 Years Old 1988 Single Cask (2014) - Possibly one of the best drams we have tasted. There is a lot to be said about the ambiance and tasting of whisky in a traditional dunnage warehouse straight from the cask. Presumably this is how a lot of master blenders sample their stock and so I feel this really is the most accurate way of ascertaining the true character of the whisky. That said on a high of whisky geekery and information overload, this whisky was a well-received conclusion to our tour and was always going to go down well. Having conversed with others who have also had the chance to sample this cask it appears pretty unanimous that this is a superlative whisky from Aberfeldy. 93/100
Independent Bottling
Gordon & MacPhail
  • aberfeldy-1993-connoisseurs-choice Aberfeldy 25 Years Old 1993 Connoisseurs Choice (2018) - Aberfeldy 1993 Connoisseurs Choice whisky review: A beautifully sherried Aberfeldy, dry and leathery with plenty of dark fruits and chocolate, with water this opens up a lot more and just gets better. 88/100
Lady of the Glen
  • Aberfeldy-14yo-2005-LOTG-2020-1 Aberfeldy 14 Years Old 2005 Single Cask (2020) - Aberfeldy 14 Years Old 2005 whisky review: Another accomplished dram for a bourbon hogshead, a little of Aberfeldy's honey-like nature shines through in this dram. 83/100