Wartime has always spelled trouble for Aberfeldy.
The distillery was closed in 1917 because the government
decided the stocks of grain should be saved to provide food
some time before the end of WWI. Whisky production at the
Aberfeldy distillery resumed in 1919, but it had to close its
doors once again during the second World War.

It all started for me in May 2001 with a very young expression of Aberfeldy.
That was the Aberfeldy 9yo 1991/2000 (43%, Ultimate, 11/4/1991, 8/5/2000, Cask #2713).
This one didn't make an overwhelming first impression, as you can see from these tasting notes.
Nose: Very soft start - quite 'subtle'. Becomes bigger and more spicy after a minute.
Incense? Coffee? A little oily. Some citrus. Nevertheless, it remains relatively restrained.
Taste: Soft, smooth and warm at first. Rather sweet. Pink bubblegum? Extremely dry finish.
Score: 70 points - not a very impressive score, but it's nothing to be ashamed of either.

Nevertheless, it took me more than a year to come back to this Perthshire distillery.
In August 2002 I tried the Aberfeldy 12yo (40%, OB, Dewar's, bottled +/- 2001, 70cl).
Nose: Ah, that's interesting? Very spicy, very herbal. Playful prickle.
Then it moves into a sweet & sour direction, becoming fruitier. Japanese crackers?
Then more organic notes appear - leather? Some smoke after 10 minutes, but it drops off.
Some water revives it again, releasing much more smoke. Only for half a minute, though.
After that it seems dead for good. No, wait - it picks up again. A strange 'up & down' effect.
Taste: Harsh and rough at the start. Hint of salt liquorice. Orange lemonade in the finish?
Not as endearing as the nose. Although it has its moments, it's slightly disappointing.
Score: 78 points - this is a real nasal roller coaster! Unfortunately, the taste is just so-so.

The Aberfeldy 1978/1996 (59.3%, Scott's Selection, French market, 70cl) was next.
I sampled it in a H2H session in August 2002 against the Aberfeldy 12yo I just described.
Nose: Wow! Powerful. Lots of fruit, lots of perspective. Fruit cake?
Slightly dusty. Complex with more sour/vegetable notes after time.
Great development over time, with organic notes growing stronger and stronger.
A little overwhelming at cask strength. Seems sweeter with five drops of water.
Strangely enough, some water seemed to dim the nose a little.
Taste: Soft start, followed by a big, fruity burn. Chewy. Groovy, baby!
Sweet when sampled by the drop. Overwhelming with bigger sips. Intriguing development
Fresher with water, but the sweetness remains dominant in the very long finish.
Score: 83 points - bloody decent stuff! It has some very entertaining sherry accents.
These sherry overtones complement the other elements rather than overwhelm them.

Well, that Scott's Selection bottling was obviously the winner of this H2H duel...
And it remainded my #1 Aberfeldy until January 2004 when I found one to match it.
The Aberfeldy 17yo 1978/1995 (57.9%, Cadenhead's, D08/78, B10/95, 5cl) that Serge sent from France was similar to the Scott's Selection, and in the end it ended up with the same recommendable score.
Nose: Smooth and sherried. Hint of peat after a while? Opens up very nicely indeed.
Cookies and toffee. It's like a cakewalk in a cookie bakery. Something faintly medicinal.
Taste: Smooth, sweet and easily drinkable at cask strength. Woody, fruity burn in the centre.
A playful hint of fruits hangs around for a long time. Coffee bitterness in the long, long finish.
Score: 83 points - It loses a few points in the woody finish, but it's still a recommendable malt.

Finally, I dicovered my favourite Aberfeldy so far in October 2004 when Davin dropped by.
Dave Russo from Boston passed a bunch of samples on to Davin and one was this Aberfeldy.
The Aberfeldy 25yo 1975 (57%, Cadenhead's) performed quite brilliantly; we both loved it.
The nose was very polished, although it started a tad restrained. Seems like a straight shooter.
However, it opens up with pipe tobacco and much more complex aroma's over time. Fabulous!
The taste was big and fruity and quickly loads of liquorice emerged. Very, very nice.
Score: I went with 90 points and Davin even loved it 93 points worth.
 

By now I've tried quite a few recommendable and highly recommendable Aberfeldies.
However, most of these were IB's - the 12yo and 25yo OB's didn't impress me much.
I've tried disappointing bottlings by 'Master of Malts' and 'Connoisseurs Choice' as well.
Check out my Track Record for a complete and up-to-date overview of all 'siplings'.
 
 
 

Fortunately, Aberfeldy prospered after that - surely helped by the fact that it was conveniently located
near the Aberfeldy-Perth railway. The distillery was rebuilt and refitted with four new stills in 1972/'73.
In 1998 John Dewar & Sons (a subsidiary of Bacardi) bought Aberfeldy from United Distillers (Diageo).
At the same time Aultmore, Brackla and Craigellachie switched owners, expanding Bacardi's portfolio.
Nevertheless, Aberfeldy still plays an important part in today's 'Dewar's' and 'White Label' blends.
Too bad, because most Aberfeldies I've tried so far actually performed quite well on their own.

Tommy Dewar, one of the founders and an enthusiastic
promoter of the blend by the same name, was the third
person in Britain ever to buy a car. He did so shortly after
Thomas Lipton (the guy who invented tea) and the Prince
of Wales (who didn't invent anything at all, apparantly).

Most sources put Aberfeldy in the Midlands but according
to some people it's actually an Eastern Highlands distillery.
The water source of Aberfeldy, the Pitilie Burn, was also
used by the appropriately named 'Pitilie' distillery that used
to operate somewhere nearby between 1825 and 1867.

Trivia about Aberfeldy: The name 'Aberfeldy' suggests that there used to be a Pictish settlement in this area. The picts were the people that inhabited Scotland (then known as 'Pictavia of 'Pictland') before a tribe from Ireland known as the 'Scotti' invaded the area. Names with the prefixes 'Aber' (Aberlour, Aberfeldy), 'Lhan' (Lhanbryde), 'Pit' (Pitlochry) or 'Fin' (Finlaggan) indicate the existence of Pictish settlements in the area.

The Aberfeldy distillery that still stands today wasn't the
first distillery by that name. One Peter McIntosh and John
McDonald were involved with another 'Aberfeldy' distillery
that operated in Perthshire in the early 19th century.

The Aberfeldy distillery lies in the North of the Midlands
in the very heart of Scotland. Well, the 'geographical'
heart anyway; the Speyside area a little further north
is considered to be the real heartland of whisky country.
Aberfeldy was built on the south bank of the Tay river in
1896 by John Dewar & Sons and started operating in 1898.