All about Aberlour

Aberlour is every inch a classic Speyside Whisky. This means that there is a fruit-foreward character with a strong Sherry cask influence. In fact, all of their single malts are either aged exclusively in those amazing Oloroso Sherry casks or a combination of Sherry and ex-Bourbon casks.

They have six Whiskies in their core single malt range and then a series of special releases from time to time. Each aging level has distinct characteristics, but they all have full-bodied richness and toffee-raisin and spicecake notes that tie all the siblings together on the palate.

All about Aberlour distillery

Aberlour Distillery is located in Speyside, in a small town of the same name. This spot is where the River Lour empties into the River Spey, at the foot of Ben Rinnes -- a local mountain.

One of the most interesting things about the history of Aberlour, is the confusion around the date of their founding. Some sources claim 1826, others say 1879.

So which is it? Well, both, actually. In the same town where the production distillery now sits, there was a small distillery of the exact same name: Aberlour.

The location was then purchased and demolished. So... the "current" Aberlour was established there in 1879 by James Fleming, who worked at the Dailuiane Distillery for ten years to learn the business. Note that the official bottle labels confirm the 1879 date as well.

That being said, the first production run didn't drip off the new stills until 1880. The distillery has changed hands a few times since then, most notably when the Cambell & Sons bought them in 1945. The current owner -- Pernod Ricard -- received it as a part of their purchase of Campbell in 2001.

In terms of production, most of Aberlour's single malt releases are aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. The 10YO is the youngest, but they release across a wide range of ages up to 30YO.

Distillery info

  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Region: Speyside
  • Established: 1879
  • Address: Aberlour, Banffshire, Aberlour AB38 9PJ, United Kingdom
  • Phone: +44 1340 881249
  • Website: www.aberlour.com/