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.
Talisker 18 Year
Talisker was founded in 1830 by the MacAskill and, after almost two centuries a more than one change of hands, is now owned by spirit conglomorate Diageo. The five stills at the distillery – two wash and three spirit – have a unique feature called swan neck lye pipes. A loop in the pipe moves some vapor into the worm tubs, which condenses some of the alochol therein before it is distilled again. Along with having travel retain bottles and a few No Age Statement expressions, the core of the lineup features five aged offerings, beginning with the Talisker 10. The Talisker 18 Year has long been part of the distillery’s output, along with the 10.
Teeling Bordeaux Red Wine Cask
Teeling Distillery was founded in 2015 and was the first new distillery to open in Dublin in 125 years. It was founded by Stephen and Jack Teeling, sons of the legendary John Teeling, all ancestors of the Walter Teeling who operated a distillery in Dublin in the late 18th Century. This Teeling Bordeaux Red Wine Cask is one such pick, a single malt entirely matured in the ex-wine casks rather than the more traditional finish, and bottled at cask strength.