Aberlour Distillery
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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.
) 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.
competitions, including the following awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions.
Single malt Scotch
Single Malt Scotch is whisky made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery, with malted barley as the only grain ingredient...
whisky, located on Aberlour town
Aberlour
Aberlour , is the name of a place in Moray, Scotland, 12 miles south of Elgin on the road to Grantown. A burn , a tributary of the River Spey, and surrounding parish, are both named Aberlour, but the name is most commonly used in reference to the village which straddles the stream and flanks the...
, Speyside
Strathspey, Scotland
Strathspey is the area around the strath of the River Spey, Scotland, in both the Moray council area and the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area of Highland....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
-honeyish" character, which is a product of the unique malting processes, local climate, and water sources.
Character
Aberlour is particularly influenced by its water source, flowing from Ben RinnesBen Rinnes
Ben Rinnes is a mountain in Moray, in northern Scotland. The mountain is popular with hikers with the sight from the summit that is described as truly amazing....
, through the local peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
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.
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'bunadhA'bunadh
A'bunadh is a cask-strength single malt whisky from the Aberlour Distillery in Scotland. Though it has no age statement, it is released in limited run batches, each batch carrying a unique number on its label...
) 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
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
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
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
and bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
. They also produce a line of sherry finishes specifically for the French market.
Reviews
Aberlour whiskies have had some success at spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
competitions, including the following awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions.
- 10-year: Double gold medal, prior to 2004.
- 12-year: Gold medal, 2007; Silver medal, 2011.
- 15-year: Double gold medal, prior to 2004.
- 16-year: Double gold medal, 2007; Silver medal, 2009; Double gold medal, 2011.
- 18-year: Double gold medal, 2011.
- A'Bunadh: Silver medals, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011.