Aberlour Distillery
Coordinates: 57°28′2″N 3°13′48″W / 57.46722°N 3.23°W
 Aberlour Distillery |
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| Region: Speyside | |
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| Location | Aberlour town |
| Owner | Pernod Ricard |
| Founded | 1826 |
| Founder | James Gordon and Peter Weir |
| Status | active |
| Number of stills |
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| Website | www.aberlour.com |
Aberlour is a distillery of single malt Scotch whisky, located on Aberlour town, Speyside, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Lour and Spey near Ben Rinnes. The Speyside region is the most prolific whisky producing region in Scotland, accounting for over half of all of Scotland's distilleries. Speyside whiskies are recognized for their "heather-honeyish" character, which is a product of the unique malting processes, local climate, and water sources.
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[edit] Character
Aberlour is particularly influenced by its water source, flowing from Ben Rinnes, through the local peat and granite of the Lour valley and on to the distillery. It picks up scarce mineral deposits along its journey resulting in a naturally soft water. This water is used in all stages of production, and lends Aberlour its smooth, delicate character.
[edit] Bottlings
The whisky comes in a variety of ages including a 10, 12, 15, 16, 18 and a rare 30 year old 1970 vintage malt, as well as a cask strength release (A'bunadh) with no age statement. Several vintages and independent bottlings are also available. Most of the variants are aged for a time in American ex-bourbon casks (a standard for most single malt Scotches). Aberlour also releases a range of malts that, after ageing in bourbon casks, are transferred to casks that have been used previously to mature varieties of fortified wines. This process is known as finishing, and Aberlour offers whisky finished in sherry and bourbon. They also produce a line of sherry finishes specifically for the French market.
[edit] Reviews
Aberlour whiskies have had some success at spirit ratings competitions, including the following awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions.
- 10-year: Double gold medal, prior to 2004.[1]
- 12-year: Gold medal, 2007; Silver medal, 2011.[2]
- 15-year: Double gold medal, prior to 2004.[3]
- 16-year: Double gold medal, 2007; Silver medal, 2009; Double gold medal, 2011.[4]
- 18-year: Double gold medal, 2011.[5]
- A'Bunadh: Silver medals, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011.[6]
[edit] History
Although its labels read 1879, the Aberlour distillery was first founded in 1826 [7] by James Gordon and Peter Weir. The original distillery, which was destroyed in a fire, was rebuilt in 1879 by James Fleming (1830–1895), and this is the date marked on the bottles. In 1892, the distillery was bought by Robert Thorne & Sons, who rebuilt and expanded the distillery in 1898 after a second fire, with the architect Charles Doig being called in to design the new facilities. In 1921, Robert Thorne & Sons Ltd sold the distillery to W. H. Holt & Sons, a brewery near Manchester. In 1945 S. Campbell & Sons Ltd bought the distillery. In 1975 Pernod Ricard acquired Campbell Distilleries. In 2002, a new, modernized visitor centre was opened.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Aberlour 10yr Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky at Proof66.com
- ^ Aberlour 12yr Double Cask Matured Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky at Proof66.com
- ^ Aberlour 15yr Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky at Proof66.com
- ^ Aberlour 16yr Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky at Proof66.com
- ^ Aberlour 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch at Proof66.com
- ^ Aberlour A'bunadh Non Chill-Filtered Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky, Batch No. 21 at Proof66.com
- ^ Lerner, Daniel. Single Malt and Scotch Whisky, Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, New York, 1997, p. 57. ISBN 1-884822-76-2
- ^ Aberlour at Master of Malt web site
[edit] External links
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