About Aberlour
The Aberlour Distillery is located in the village of the same name, Aberlour, in the heart of the famous whisky region of Speyside in Scotland. The distillery welcomes you right at the end of the town (or entrance, depending). Aberlour is one of the few whisky distilleries in Scotland within walking distance. However, accommodation is hard to find in the small town.Try the legendary whisky pub & bnb The Mashtun, a great choice for whisky enthusiasts.
The Aberlour Distillery has a turbulent history. You can find out why Aberlour celebrates its birthday three times in the history section below. Aberlour belongs to Pernod Ricard and thus also has the famous Glenlivet Distillery as a sibling distillery. For us, Aberlour is one of the timeless single malt Scotch brands and is a good choice for introducing whisky newcomers as well as for experienced whisky lovers.
3 reasons to love Aberlour
1) Because the distillery won't be defeated.
2) Because the single malt is a timeless classic.
3) Because 3 birthdays are always a reason to celebrate.
How does Aberlour whisky taste?
Elegant, round, balanced - these terms come up when it comes to describing the Aberlour house style. Aberlour is a non-smoky and very sweet and fruity single malt. Aromas of red apples, honey and soft nutty notes can be found in Aberlour whiskys. Depending on the bottling and cask composition, the caramel and vanilla tones or the berry sherry notes are more emphasized. With this smooth and tasteful whisky you'll easily convince your friends to drink single malt.
How Aberlour Single Malt is made
Most of today's beautiful stone buildings, where Aberlour whisky is made, were built in 1892. The distillery is just a stone's throw from the River Spey, which owes its name to the legendary Speyside whisky region. However, the name Aberlour comes from the small river of the Lour. Literally translated, Aberlour means "mouth of the Lour", where the distillery is located. The source of Aberlour's clear water, St. Drozdan's Well, is said to have healing magic powers. Once you've visited the nearby Linn Falls, you too will believe it. Because this magically beautiful little waterfall once served as a place of worship for Celts and Druids. The Lour flows past the Standing Stones of Fairy Hill. Who wouldn't want this magical water in their whisky?
The water of the Lour River is used for the cooling systems of the stills. However, this returns untouched back into the river, because only pure spring water goes into the whisky itself. Fermentation takes place in six large stainless steel washbacks. Today, Aberlour distills the new make for the single malt whisky on four onion-shaped pot stills. The copper stills have no bulges. Aberlour Single Malt matures in both ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks. The malty, fruity spirit works well with both American and European oak. In France, Aberlour is one of the best-selling malt whiskys. Aberlour Single Malt is also used in some blends, as in the Scotch Clan Campbell.
The history of Aberlour - three birthdays!
Aberlour can basically celebrate three birthdays. The distillery was first built in 1826. However, it fell victim to a major fire in 1878. In 1879 James Fleming, also owner of the nearby Dailuaine Distillery, rebuilt Aberlour. The current location was chosen partly because of St Drozdan's spring, which was said to have healing powers. Then in 1898 came another low blow. Another fire destroyed the distillery buildings and stock. A bitter setback for every whisky distillery. Several changes of ownership followed until Aberlour was taken over by the French beverage company Pernod Ricard in 1975. Since then, Aberlour has obviously been in good hands with the Scottish subsidiary Chivas Brother. In 2002 a small visitor center was opened. Let's keep our fingers crossed that a fourth birthday won't be necessary.
The Aberlour range & recommendations
The nice thing about Aberlour is that the range offers suitable bottlings for every whisky lover. The bottlings with low ABV are ideal for introducing newcomers to the topic of single malt whisky. An example is the mild, drinkable Aberlour 10 year old Forest Reserve and the Aberlour 12 year old Double Cask. For a velvety soft and more profound taste experience, reach out for the older variants such as the Aberlour 16 Years Double Cask Matured or the Aberlour 18 Years.
For experienced whisky lovers, Aberlour has specially created a version of the 12-year-old single malt without chill filtration and with a higher drinking strength. The Aberlour 12 Years Non Chill-Filtered comes with 48% vol. Therefore the aromas are more intense. The Aberlour Casg Annamh is also served with an increased drinking strength of 48% vol. The popular Aberlour A'bunadh bottlings go one step further. These come in bold cask strength and are also non-chill filtered. These Cask Strength bottlings are bottled batches, so they vary slightly in character, but are always worth buying. Aberlour A'bunadh was originally created to be fully matured in casks that previously held sherry. So you can enjoy the full impact of the sherry cask maturation. There is now also a variant made from ex-bourbon casks with the Aberlour A'bunadh Alba. Here you can explore the light fruity side of this excellent Scotch whisky.
Facts & Figures about Aberlour
Address: Charlestown of Aberlour, Banffshire, AB3 9PJ, Scotland
Founded: originally in 1826 by James Gordon and Peter Weir, now in 1879 by James Fleming
Region: Speyside Whisky
Owner: Pernod Ricard, Chivas Brothers Ltd
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Smoke: Unpeated/ Non-smoky
Status: active
Capacity: approx. 3,800,00 lpa (litres per year)
Stills: 2 wash stills (21,120 l), 2 spirit stills (total 35,456 l)
Washbacks: 6, stainless steel
Mashtun: Semi Lauter, 12 tons
Water: Springs at Ben Rinnes, St Drozdan's Spring
Visitor Center: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0)1340 / 881249
Website: www.aberlour.com
Directions to the Aberlour Distillery
picture credits/ source of photos: Leon Schuster, Malt Mariners
