Aberlour (pronounced ‘Ab-er-LAU-errr’) sits at the base of the rugged mountain range, Ben Rinnes. Nestled in the village of the same name, the distillery was founded by Peter Weir and James Gordon in 1826, though Peter was to pull out a year later. The village lies on the Lour Burn, which converges with the River Spey just 270 metres from the distillery. The 6th century Celtic saint St Drostan, baptised local chiefs in the distillery’s water source.
Owned by Chivas Brothers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, Aberlour is the seventh bestselling Scotch single malt. The distillery was rebuilt twice due to devastating fire damage; the first rebuild took place in 1879 and was financed by James Fleming, a local banker who relocated it upstream. It was rebuilt again in 1898 and was redesigned by the architect Charles Doig. The core expression, a ten year-old, is a marriage of sherry and bourbon butt and, in 2003, it won the trophy for best single malt at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.
Aberlour opened up the doors to its brand new visitor centre in August of 2002, with tours tailored for whisky aficionados rather than hoards of tourists.
Meaning ‘the original’ in Gaelic, A’bunadh is the distilleries tribute to Aberlour’s founder, James Fleming. It’s hand-made from start to finish and bottled at cask strength for a robust and intense, sherried whisky. The whisky is matured 100% in first-fill, ex-oloroso sherry casks.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Heaps of stone fruit, candied oranges, and festive spice, with buttery malt and caramel wafers.
Palate: Dense fruit cake, well fed with sherry and packed with sultanas, followed by zesty marmalade and gingerbread.
Finish: Dried fruit and spices linger for an age with sweet crumble, dustings of cocoa, and a touch of pepper in tow.
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