Aberlour 2012

The first Aberlour distillery was established in 1826 but was destroyed by fire in 1879. Local banker James Fleming decided to build a new Aberlour distillery a few kilometers upstream on the Spey River. James Fleming was a highly respected figure and philanthropist in the community where the distillery is located. He funded the construction of a town hall and installed street lighting for the streets around the distillery. Upon his death in 1895, he also established a foundation that funded the construction of a school and a hospital. Three years later, the Aberlour distillery was again destroyed by fire, and the renowned distillery architect Charles Doig was commissioned to build a new distillery. The distillery is equipped with a 12-ton semi-lauter mash tun, six stainless steel fermentation tanks, and two pairs of large stills housed in a spacious still room. To achieve the ideal fruity flavor quality in the new make spirit, the distiller employs a slow distillation method. One distillation run takes 7.5 hours, while collecting the heart of the run (73-63% ABV) takes 2 hours. Aberlour's core range includes 12-year, 16-year, and 18-year expressions, all blended from bourbon and sherry cask whiskies. Another core expression is Aberlour a'bunadh, a cask strength whisky matured in Oloroso sherry casks. As of spring 2019, 63 different batches have been produced. In May 2018, another core expression was added—Aberlour Casg Annamh. This whisky is matured in Oloroso sherry casks (both European and American oak) and bourbon casks, and is the first in a new series. There are also four regionally limited editions (mainly for France): 10-year, 12-year un chill-filtered, 15-year Select Cask Reserve, and White Oak Millennium 2004. Two duty-free limited editions are currently available: 12-year Sherry Cask and 15-year Double Cask. The Distillery Reserve Collection from Chivas Brothers also includes five Aberlour cask strength whiskies, sold at all distillery visitor centers under the Chivas Brothers banner, with ages ranging from 13 to 20 years.