Aberfeldy Distillery
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| Aberfeldy Distillery | ||
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| Region: Highland | ||
| Owner: | Bacardi | |
| Founded: | 1896 | |
| Status: | Operational | |
| Water Source: | Pitilie Burn | |
| No. of Stills: | 2 wash stills 2 spirit stills |
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| Aberfeldy | ||
| Type: | Single malt | |
| Age(s): | 12 Years | |
| Cask Type(s): | American White Oak, Ex-Bourbon Casks (Main) | |
| ABV: | 40% - 43% | |
| Age(s): | 18 Years | |
| Cask Type(s): | American White Oak, Ex-Bourbon Casks (Main) | |
| ABV: | 43% | |
Aberfeldy Distillery is the home of the highly-acclaimed Aberfeldy 12 and Aberfeldy 21 single malt Scotch Whisky. The distillery is located where Perthshire's highest mountain, deepest loch, and longest glen meet, and is historically and geographically the 'Heart of Scotland'.[1]
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[edit] History
Aberfeldy Distillery, founded by the John Dewar & Sons, Ltd., was built in 1896 and opened in 1898. Aberfeldy was constructed at the beginning of the Dewar's expansion just as their brand was becoming reputable worldwide. John A. Dewar, the son of founder John Dewar Sr., realized that to meet the high demands placed on them to supply premium Scotch whisky, they needed to be able to guarantee a single malt whisky of superior quality, and a lot of it. The only option for the two brothers was to erect a new distillery that could produce the amount of product that they needed. Aberfeldy proved to be a great success for the company and the brand.
However, the onslaught of World War I on the supply of barley crippled the distillery, and the company was forced to shut down Aberfeldy from 1917 until 1919.[2] Upon re-opening, business picked up and the Dewar's brand flourished. But the Second World War proved to be just as detrimental as World War I on the available supply of barley. The Aberfeldy Distillery was forced to once again shut down during the war. It was not until 1962 that the company was able to meet the demand for their whisky.[3]
In spite of these tribulations, Aberfeldy picked their business back up and by 1972 expanded Aberfeldy in order to produce more whisky to satisfy the ever-growing demand for their product. in 1999 Aberfeldy launched their Aberfeldy 12 Year Old Single Malt, which proved to be a huge success for the company. In 2000, the Earl of Elgin opened "Dewar's World of Whisky" at the Aberfeldy Distillery which is a centre educating the public on the process of distillation and history of the Dewar's brand.[3]
[edit] The Distillery
Aberfeldy is situated in the center of Scotland, approximately 5 miles east of Loch Tay and the town of Kenmore and approximately 8 miles south of Loch Tummel. Aberfeldy relys on the fresh water stream Pitilie Burn, which runs alongside the distillery and has been used for centuries to make whisky. Aberfeldy is the only distillery in Scotland to use these waters.[4] Aberfeldy uses only Scottish barley, yeast, and water to make their single malt Scotch whisky. Along with being a premium setting for producing pristine single malt Scotch whisky, it is speckled with historical landmarks, such as Kenmore Bridge. The bridge was built by the 3rd Earl in 1774 and it was the view from this bridge that was the inspiration behind Robert Burn's poem he wrote on the chimney piece of the Kenmore Inn.[4]
