Aberfeldy Distillery Bottlings Tasting Notes

Aberfeldy 12 year old 40%

Tasted: Dec 2012

Pleasantly rich aromas opening with some herbal sherry notes followed by a touch of orange sherbet and granulated sugar. Late hints of citrus and spice.

The palate is soft and slightly honeyed with a touch of burnt caramel, some barley fruit and a touch of sherry. Quite a bitter finish but some light sugars counteract it to a certain extent. A little hot, which is surprising for the abv and it’s a bit short as the oak clamps down.

Aberfeldy 12 year old 40%

Tasted: Jan 2014

A very youthful nose, with boiled sweet marc-like notes and nascent toffee’d oak. A little high toned and fairly simple.

The palate is soft and a little watery. Again fairly simple with some barley and toffee. Good length with finally some spices emerging but the youthful marc notes linger. In conclusion: You can’t hurry maturation!

Aberfeldy 12 year old 40%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2014

The nose is a little shy and hard to begin with. Hints of crisp barley, orange, lemon and dusty spice follow. With time hints of perfumed white fruit, pepper and creamy oak emerge.

Soft and lightly oaked on the palate with plenty of moist honey and barley. Fuller than the nose suggests, delicately mineral with a touch of white fruit. Long and very spicy with the honey and white fruit lingering. Conclusion: Very pleasant with a lovely spicy finish.

Aberfeldy 12 year old 40%

Re-Tasted: Sept 2015

The nose is subdued and caramel dampened. There’s some sweet dried fruit, some luscious honey and a touch of dusty oak and violets, but it smells quite old and it’s a little rough at the edges, hence the use of caramel.!

The palate is all soft toffee and caramel with hints of barley, honey and violets. Flattened and subdued and again a little rough at the edges. The finish is short and a little on the bitter side. In conclusion it’s been made up with some ropey old casks and they’ve tried to cover it up with E150!

Aberfeldy 12 year old (New Packaging) 40%

Limited Edition. Btl No2905/ Tasted: Sept 2015

A fresher and cleaner nose. More herbal and honeyed (than the old label bottling) with peach, raisins and hints of coffee and spice. This is more like it! It does seem younger than 12 years of age but the aromas are pleasant and with time some soft vanilla, barley and toasty oak appears.

The palate is also fresher, with a little more sherried dried fruit showing. Very soft and lightly violety with coffee/ cocoa, raisin, prune and a touch of barley. Not hugely complex but very appealing and enjoyable with some lovely spicy moments and a youthful, invigorating almost menthol fresh finish. No caramel here thankfully!

Aberfeldy 16 year old 40%

Tasted: June 2016

A nose of fragrant barley and honey, peanuts and hints of lime, gooseberry and greengage. Showing some age with a delightful, subtle, dusty oak character. With time, hints of minerals, toffee and cream.

Soft and gentle on the palate with moist apricot, honey and barley. Good depth with lightly dusty American oak and hints of clotted cream, toffee and balancing citrus. Long and very citric with an almost grainy/ mineral bite in the finish. In conclusion: A pleasant, mellow, mature whisky.

 Aberfeldy 21 year old 40%

Tasted: Dec 2013

A truly majestic nose of mature and dusty oak with buckets of floral honey and beeswax. The dusty, sweet spices are divine and effortlessly mingle with the mature, tropical white fruits. A little citrus note adds freshness along with a light granity note.

Soft and mature on the palate with oodles of orange blossom honey and floral, lightly tropical and creamy fruit. The sawdusty oak lazily appears bringing some beautiful sweet spices. Wow! What a palate! Effortlessly long with the lovely granity notes and oak drying a little. Conclusion: The dog’s nad’s as they say!

Aberfeldy 21 year old 40%

Re-Tasted: Jan 2014

A luscious nose of herbal honey and wonderfully soft, fleshy fruit. Hints of banana, apricot liberally sprinkled with dusty spice and shot through with a seam of tangerine. Mellow with a touch of mature, sawdusty oak.

The palate is soft and malty with a generous degree of orange and tangerine. Beguiling sawdusty oak adds weight and depth as the citrus notes develop along with hints of honeyed barley and sweet spice. Good length with a little bittering from the oak at the finish. Conclusion: Showing some lovely maturity.

Aberfeldy 21 year old 40%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2014

Intense and dusty aromas of incense, oak and violets. Hints of tropical melon, apricot, sugar coated orange and drying spices appear. Beautifully juicy and honeyed, showing some maturity.

The palate is unfortunately a little watery with moist honey an dusty oak. Less complex than the nose with a few cardboard notes. Beautiful finish, however with marzipan, crisp spices and lingering violets. In conclusion: A lovely, mature malt with maybe a few too many wrinkles on the palate.

Douglas Laing Aberfeldy Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Aberfeldy 1994 (18 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2172/ DL8264

Dist: Jun 1994 Btl: Jun 2012/ Tasted: Aug 2012

Quite mature aromas of orange fruit with hints of white fruit, straw, gentle honey and mature American oak that has a slight buttery character. Quite leafy and herbal with a touch of white liquorice and fennel.

The palate is soft and opens with some straw like fruits, gentle tangerine, apricot and slightly sweetened barley. Pleasantly mature and full with the oak coming through on the middle with a butterscotch character. Good length with a touch of crumbly spice and herbs on the finish.

James MacArthur Aberfeldy Tasting Notes

James MacArthur ‘Old Masters Cask Strength Selection’ Aberfeldy 2000 (11 year old) 55.8%

Bourbon Cask 83/ Dist: Apr 2000 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Nov 2011

A slightly high toned and very gristy nose with plenty of tequila-esque peppery notes. Slightly raw at the edges with white liquorice and herbaceous notes.

The palate opens with some pleasantly sweet barley and again the grist. It’s not as voluptuously fruity as I’d usually expect it to be, but it displays more of a granity, brittle honeyed character. Like the nose it has a definite tequila like character and finishes with no shortage of peppery notes.

With water the nose becomes somewhat muted as the natural oils dampen it down. Likewise the palate which has become a tad on the bland side but it is still pleasantly mouth filling in a soft, gristy, sugary manner. Although in saying that the finish is a bit too sugary though.

Dewar Rattray Aberfeldy Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Aberfeldy 1994 (15 year old) 57.3%

Bourbon Cask 4007/ Dist: 1994 Btl: 2009/ Tasted: Dec 2009

An earthy/ dunnagey nose. A stunning depth of molten chocolate laced orange fruit, maturing honey and Christmas cake dried fruit. Wow! The orange fruit really develops – floral and liquidy! Topped off with a liberal sprinkling of brown sugar. This is a superb nose. The palate is exceedingly chewy. Full of maturing honey, rounded, complex and mouth filling orange fruit, barley and chocolate malt. The piquant alcohol cleans the palate to leave a mineraly, grainy finish along with a slight floral note.

Water brings out a touch of lanolin and some gorgeous spices. It has become very floral although it’s not as intense as it is without water. But……….. the palate is exceedingly luscious! The soft, liquid fruit glides sensuously over the tongue. Slightly sweeter and mellower now, which allows the lovely spices to come through on the finish. Personally I would opt to have it nest, but either way it’s a lovely dram.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Aberfeldy 1998 (15 year old) 60.3%

Bourbon Cask 2405/ Dist: 1998 Btl: Apr 2013/ Tasted: Apr 2013

The nose is quite fresh and grassy with sugar coated orange and a touch of barley. Rich and deep with hints of lemon and light smoke. Very juicy with an almost refill sherry-esque richness. Late notes of liquor like orange and a touch of fruit.

The palate is not quite as alcoholic as you would expect. Quite earthy and natural with barley and light citrus. It starts to become a little woody before the alcohol comes through to mask the finish although a light grassiness can be detected. I have the feeling that this is going to be luscious and juicy when it’s diluted.

With water I’m right. Luscious and lightly perfumed. Moist, succulent orange fruit notes abound! It has an almost gristy note as well. The palate is very juicy and luscious. Liquid orange with hints of barley and straw. A little less complex now but wonderfully soft and mouth-filling. The spices build pleasantly towards the finish where a touch of light vanilla join. Finally the oak adds something! Beautiful crumbly spice finish.

MacPhail’s Aberfeldy Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Aberfeldy 2003 (14 year old) 46%

First Fill Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 2003 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Feb 2018

Edgy, coffee’d sherry aromas which, to be honest, is a little rough at the edges. Hints of dried fruit, vanilla and honey.

Full and rich with caramel and spicy dried fruit. Again it’s a little rough and lacking the usual charm and polished character. Herbal Oloroso notes on the middle and the finish is a little raw, bitter and astringent.

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Aberfeldy 1989 (18 year old) 43%

Refill Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: Sept 1989 Btl: Oct 2007 /Tasted: Nov 2007

Wow! Loads of delicate clean sherry fruit, candied orange, herbs, spice and pepper. Very, very creamy and malty. Incredibly fruity with a touch of tropical – banana, nectarine, tangerine all sprinkled with delightfully soft demarara sugar. Superb! A lovely clean, vivid, cream soda entry on the palate, followed by delicate sherried, juicy fruit, sweet orange and nectarine. It has a wonderful purity with loads of mouth watering barley sugar. Lovely length with a sweet spice flourish.

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Aberfeldy 1990 (20 year old) 43%

Refill Sherry / Dist: June 1990 Btl: Oct 2010/ Tasted: Apr 2011

A supremely honeyed nose with some sawdusty oak, musky orange and hints of lavender oil. Seriously appealing and integratedaromas that with time show a touch of citrus conserve and honeyed almond.

The palate opens with some oily citrus fruit swirling amidst a sea of mature wood extracted notes – toffee, honey and liquorice followed by plenty of rich malt and a touch of sawdust. Very unctuous, yet the nip from the alcohol balances and allows the fresh citrus and floral spirit to show towards a violety-perfumed, rose water ‘tart’s boudoir’ (technical term!) finish.

Gordon & MacPhails ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Aberfeldy 1991 (20 year old) 43% %

First and Refill Sherry/ Dist: June 1991 Btl: Oct 2011/ Tasted: April 2012

Slightly high toned and gently sherried (Amontillado?) aromas. Slightly nutty and relatively herbal with an abundance of crisp, yet juicy citrus. With time there is a hint of butter and oily, toasted caramel. The nose, although extremely pleasant feels a bit compacted and not quite as abundantly fruity as the 1990.

The palate is soft and gently sherried with hints of heather and herbs. Slightly creamy with some toffee’d subtle orange. The oak starts to bitter towards the middle and some cocoa arrives but almost out of nowhere some sweet, rich fruit counters. Good length with the fruit continuing to hold the wood in check. Definitely mature with a granity, highland finish. Still a real bargain!

Gordon & MacPhail’ Connoisseurs Choice’ Aberfeldy 1996 (17 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry Hogsheads/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2013/ Tasted: Jan 2014

A lovely nose of fragrant barley, honey, toffee, orange and refill sherry spices. Slightly floral with some herbal nuances also appearing.

The palate is quite full, opening with a touch of fruitcake, barley, honey and malt. The honey builds towards the middle and along with a light minerality and a herbal note also comes through. Lightly creamy and nutty. Very long and balanced with a toffee’d, lightly bitter dark chocolate and sweet spice finish.