Aberfeldy 1996/2013, Connoisseurs Choice 46%
Another distillery opened by a blender looking to expand his supply, the Dewars in this case, Aberfeldy’s story is therefore tied to the brand. Yet shortly after the First World War, it was acquired by SMD and so on, till it was inherited by Diageo. It was only in 1998 that Bacardi (by now owners of the Dewars brand) bought it and closed the circle.
(Photo – altfuels.com)
Such a blending workhorse as this pulls such a heavy load that it is really not in Dewar’s interests, nor Diageo before it, to market Aberfeldy heavily as a Single Malt. Hence virtually no news comes out of Aberfeldy. We do know that in 1972, the distillery was rebuilt and the current four stills were installed, which may or may not have been copies of the older two stills, but since blends are basically a volume game, the new stills are likely to be larger versions of the old.
(Photo – whisky.com)
Long fermentation and slow distillation is used in Aberfeldy, intentionally perhaps, to produce a lighter aromatic spirit suitable for a major blending constituent?
(Photo – thewhiskyexchange.co.uk)
Nose: Spey… wait, this is a Highlands malt! Round with soft butter curls, toasted cereals, some light honey, a fleck of minerality, green grapes, and a big backbone of moist moss and green foliage. So very ‘natural’, and pleasing.
Palate: Firm! Surprisingly grippy on the tongue. Further from a typical speysider now. A bit dusty, with cracked black pepper, and a nice weight. Like an oaky chardonnay, with lots of yellow pollen and also very uniquely – vaporous kerosene notes. But also raw planky wood towards the finish.
Finish: Bit short, but dry with touches of flints again.
Much better on the tongue than in the nose, and really quite firm in a gentle way, and also so very naturally drinkable. I say naturally because this was certainly not from first fill bourbon and most definitely never saw any wine. A key ingredient to having good whisky: start with good distillate. And you can certainly sense the potential in this distillate.
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