Aberfeldy 15 Year
Aberfeldy was founded in 1896 by John Dewar & Sons and has long been a major staple of Dewar’s Blended Whiskies. Along with occasional releases of casks to the independent bottling market, the distillery offers a range of aged statement single malts. The Aberfeldy 15 is a series of limited edition releases, each featuring a different cask finish. The Aberfeldy 15 featured in this review was released in late 2023 and features finishing in Sémillon wine casks, a sweet white wine from the Cadillac region of France, where a lot of Bordeauxs are found. Other editions have showcased finishing in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Bolgheri Red Wine Casks.
Aberfeldy 12 Year
Aberfeldy was founded in 1896 by the famed John Dewar & Sons on the eastern edge of the town bearing the name, almost directly in the center of Scotland. The distillery currently has two wash stills and two spirit stills. Apart from the distillery shutting down during both world wars due to grain shortages, it has otherwise operated nearly continously. Though ownership eventually passed to the spirits conglomerate now known as Diageo in 1997, Aberfeldy remains the largest malt whisky component of Dewar’s Blended whiskies. The Aberfeldy 12 Year debuted in 1999, not long after the Diageo acquisition, and remains the foundational age statement of the core portfolio, along with a 15 Year and 18 Year. Along with the blended and age statement offerings, Aberfeldy malts are also featured in independent bottler releases.
Glenmorangie 18 Year
Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 after William Matheson purchased the Morangie farm at the site, which had been brewing beer and spirits there for over a century, according to legend. Boasting the tallest stills in Scotland, it is often named one of the best selling whiskies in Scotland. While the distillery produced whiskies for use in blends, they ceased in 2009 to focus on single malts. Their offerings feature an array of age and no-age statements, often finished in a variety of ex-wine casks. The distillery and its current Director of Distilling, Dr Bill Lumsden, have helped pioneer cask finishing in the modern era. The Glenmorangie 18 is aged for 15 years and then 30% of the cut is finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks for three years before being blended back in.