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Gordon & MacPhail Aberfeldy Connoisseurs Choice

malty woody
4.3
(1)€70Scotland, Highland, Single Malt

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Tommy and Alexander Dewar built Aberfeldy in 1898 for one reason. Their father's blend needed a dependable malt at its heart. Over a century later, most of the distillery's output still goes that way. Gordon & MacPhail took a different view. George Urquhart launched Connoisseurs Choice in the 1960s, when few people sold single malts at all. This is Aberfeldy on its own. Orange and fresh fruit come first, then cedar and dry spice. Old leather runs underneath. The spirit itself is waxy and rich, a Highland house style. The finish turns woody and faintly medicinal. Pour it neat and give it a minute.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Aberfeldy

The Aberfeldy Distillery is located in the small town of Aberfeldy, in the Scottish Highlands. Established in 1898, it has been producing single malt whisky for over a century. The distillery is situated near the River Tay, which is renowned for its excellent water quality, making it ideal for producing whisky. The whisky produced at Aberfeldy is known for its honeyed notes and subtle hints of peat smoke, which come from the use of traditional worm tubs in the distillation process. These worm tubs are long copper coils that are immersed in cold water, which cools the vapor and condenses it into liquid whisky. One interesting fact about Aberfeldy is that it is the only distillery authorized to use water from the Pitilie Burn, a small stream that flows through the nearby Pitilie Forest. This water is prized for its purity and is a key component in the unique flavor profile of Aberfeldy whisky. Lastly an interesting tidbit is that Aberfeldy was featured in the 2012 film, Skyfall, as the location of James Bond's ancestral home.

4.2Average rating

42Whiskies on Distilld

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Most popular whiskies from Aberfeldy

About the Gordon & MacPhail Aberfeldy Connoisseurs Choice

Gordon & MacPhail Aberfeldy Connoisseurs Choice is a single malt Scotch whisky from the Highland region of Scotland. The spirit was made at Aberfeldy distillery, then selected and bottled by the independent firm Gordon & MacPhail. The strength is 46% ABV. Connoisseurs Choice is their long-running series of single distillery bottlings. Each release shows one distillery on its own terms. Tommy and Alexander Dewar built the distillery in 1898. Their father John Dewar had made his name selling blended whisky. The sons needed a reliable malt at its heart, so they built their own. The site sits southwest of Pitlochry, near the River Tay. Aberfeldy still makes a rich, waxy, oily spirit that suits both sherry and bourbon casks. Gordon & MacPhail started Connoisseurs Choice in the 1960s, under George Urquhart. Orange peel opens things, with fresh fruit and a hint of raspberry behind it. Wood follows quickly, closer to cedar than plain oak. A dry spice sits alongside, and there is leather too, old and worn. Sipping brings the same orange and fruit, then the cedar and spice grow firmer. Leather runs underneath the whole way. What lingers is woody and faintly medicinal, dry rather than sweet. Most Aberfeldy spirit disappears into Dewar's blends rather than reaching a bottle alone. Gordon & MacPhail Aberfeldy Connoisseurs Choice does the opposite and puts the distillery front and centre. The range stretches across Scotland, from Caol Ila on Islay to Strathmill in Speyside. Each entry is one distillery, chosen by an outside eye rather than the owner. For anyone curious about the malt inside a famous blend, this is the straightest look at it.