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Aberlour Whiskey - An In-Depth Into Scotland's Whiskey Heritage
Aberlour is one of Speyside's most distinctive distilleries, founded in 1879 by James Fleming on the banks of the Lour Burn. The distillery is especially renowned for its mastery of 'double cask' maturation, where the whisky is aged in parallel in traditional American bourbon casks and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks before being blended together.
Water, malt and distillation
The water comes directly from springs on Ben Rinnes. Aberlour stands out by using unpeated malt and unusually wide swan necks on its copper stills. The result is a full-bodied, fruity new make spirit with the weight to withstand many years of maturation in powerful sherry casks without losing its distillery character.
Flavour profile and selected bottlings
Common to all Aberlour is a rounded, malty core with deep notes of raisins, nuts, Christmas spices and dark chocolate. The absence of peat smoke makes the style soft and approachable, yet with considerable body.
- Aberlour 12 Year Old (Double Cask Matured, 40%): The obvious introduction to the distillery. It balances vanilla sweetness from the bourbon cask with ripe apples and gentle sherry spice.
- Aberlour 16 Year Old (Double Cask Matured, 40%): Longer maturation gives a more pronounced oak character, dried figs and dark toffee. Ideal as an after-dinner dram.
- Aberlour A'Bunadh (Cask Strength, batch-produced): A cult classic among whisky enthusiasts. Matured exclusively in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at natural cask strength (often 59-61%) and without chill filtration. Expect an intense explosion of dried fruit, dark cocoa and warming spices.
