Aberfeldy Distillery — Highland Single Malt Whisky

Aberfeldy Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located on the eastern outskirts of Aberfeldy, Perthshire, in the Highland region of Scotland. It was founded in 1896 and is currently owned by John Dewar & Sons, part of the Bacardi group. Aberfeldy is best known as the historic "heart malt" of the Dewar's blended whisky range and is the only Scottish distillery permitted to draw water from the Pitilie Burn.

History

Aberfeldy Distillery was built by brothers John Alexander and Tommy Dewar, sons of whisky pioneer John Dewar, to supply the core malt component for the family's Dewar's blends. Construction began in 1896 on land acquired from the Marquis of Breadalbane, on the southern bank of the upper River Tay near the Dewar family's birthplace. The distillery was designed by the noted architect Charles Cree Doig and opened in November 1898, initially producing around 2,200 gallons of spirit a week. Like many distilleries, Aberfeldy was forced to close between 1917 and 1919 during the First World War due to wartime restrictions on barley use. In 1925, John Dewar & Sons merged with the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), bringing Aberfeldy into a much larger corporate group. The distillery was substantially expanded in 1972, doubling in capacity, with four new steam-heated stills replacing the originals. Ownership passed to Bacardi-Martini in 1998 when the company acquired the Dewar's estate from Diageo's predecessor. In 2000, Aberfeldy opened "Dewar's World of Whisky," a £3 million visitor centre built to showcase the distillery and tell the story of the Dewar's brand, and that same year the distillery released its first officially bottled single malt, Aberfeldy 12 Year Old.

Quick Facts

• Region: Highland, Scotland
• Founded: 1896 (opened 1898)
• Owner: John Dewar & Sons (Bacardi)
• Status: Active
• Stills: 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills

Core Range

Aberfeldy's core range centres on its long-standing role as the malt heart of Dewar's blends, alongside a permanent range of aged single malt expressions: Aberfeldy 12 Year Old (40% ABV), matured in a mix of sherry, bourbon, refill and re-charred casks; Aberfeldy 16 Year Old; Aberfeldy 18 Year Old (43% ABV); and Aberfeldy 21 Year Old, a richer, sherry-influenced older expression.