Aberlour A'Bunadh Malt

Aberlour A' Bunadh, Cask Strength Single Malt, Speyside, Scotland

Aged in Spanish Oloroso casks, on the nose aromas of clove, white pepper, malt loaf and chocolate raisin, on the palate more malt loaf paired with stewed plums and raw cinnamon. A luxurious, full bodied finish with christmas spices and hints of tobacco.

The Aberlour distillery lies in the heart of the Spey valley. Officially founded in 1879 by James Fleming, the long history of distillation at the site goes back further, to at least 1826. The name Aberlour is Gaelic for 'the mouth of the babbling brook'. This probably refers to St. Drostan's Well, the local spring depicted on the labels of all official bottlings. It's a relatively easy walk from the distillery on a nice summer day in Speyside. 

That's a nice bit of folklore, but it has little to do with the real water source of the current distillery; several springs on the nearby mountain of Ben Rinnes. (The Benrinnes distillery itself is located in the town of Aberlour too, a few miles to the south.) 

The heavily sherried character of many official bottlings of Aberlour is the result of an unusually high proportion of sherry matured malts in the vattings. The 'traditional' Aberlour recipe is said to contain 25-50% sherry casked whisky, which is much more than usual. Of course, it remains to be seen if Aberlour will be able to keep producing malts according to this recipe. 

Aberlour is an ancient place as well as a beautiful one. For more than 1,400 years there has been a community there and signs of its long heritage are all around, from the age-old oak trees above Linn Falls to the mysterious standing stones on Fairy Hill.

At the distillery, nature, tradition and local craftsmanship combine to create a great malt whisky - the spirit of Aberlour.