Aberlour 10 years old

Aberlour distillery is located in the heart of Aberlour village, on the banks of the Lour burn where it meets the river Spey.  The name Aberlour is Gaelic for the "mouth of the chattering burn". 

It was founded in 1879 by the philanthropist James Fleming whose motto "Let The Deed Show" appears on every bottle.  It was largely rebuilt following a fire that started in the malt mill and destroyed most of the distillery in 1898.  Further improvements were made in the 1920s, after the second world war, in the 1960s, and in the 1970s.

Flavour Profile Body 3 Sweetness 3 Smoky 1 Medicinal 0 Tobacco 0 Honey 4 Spicy 3 Winey 2 Nutty 2 Malty 3 Fruity 3 Floral 2

Exceptionally soft water is drawn from several springs in the Lour glen, having flowed through peat over the hard granite hills surrounding Ben Rinnes.  The distillery is oil-fired, and uses a stainless steel mash tun, washback, and four wide-topped copper pot stills.  The malt is supplied to order, and is lightly peated.  Aberlour malt whiskies have benefited from greater use of oloroso sherry casks in recent years which, combined with bourbon casks, add to the whisky's complexity.

Aberlour malt whiskies have been awarded the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Gold Medal on 15 occasions, including two in the 2001 competition.  In addition to the 10 years old (profiled), Aberlour also produce a 15 years old Sherry Wood finish, a 30 years old version, and special bottlings such as Aberlour Antique, a non-chilfiltered cask-strength bottling, and Aberlour a'bunadh Silver Label.

Aberlour Distillery's visitor centre is unfortunately not open to the public.  It does have an informative website with an on-line shop, and a newsletter is delivered by email.  Further details here