Review #68 - Aberfeldy 12 Year

Today, we're looking at a highland stalwart, the 12 year single malt from Aberfeldy. Founded in 1896 and now owned by Bacardi via John Dewar & Sons, this distillery produces a sizeable amount of spirit, with a capacity of 3.4 million liters of pure alcohol per annum. This bottle is one of three basic core expressions, which also includes a 16 year old and a 21 year old.

For years, Aberfeldy has been one of the core components of the Dewar's blends - likely the largest malt component, at least. Typical characteristics are supposedly flavors like honey, mild spicy oak, and sweeter fruits, so we'll be on the lookout for some more casual, typical highland flavors, but we'll also see if it might have something more, or something unusual, to offer.

Aberfeldy 12 Year

Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 39 (2023)

Age Statement: 12 Years

Strength: 40% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 12 months; bottles at 60% and 40% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Light and smooth, with some fresh oak and quite a lot of apple. It's generally crisp and somewhat sweet; that apple transitions toward a mellow pear, and even some white grape later. We have vanilla and light caramel sugars, a touch of lemongrass, and with more time, the oaky flavors grow stronger.

Palate: Lighter bodied, a medium-thin mouthfeel; we start with some baking spices of vanilla and sugar, with a hint of dry perfumed oak adding a darker tone. The complexion is generally light, though, with some mixed tartness and sweetness from candied lemons, a grassy note, white grape, even a touch of white wine. Later, there's just a whiff of a savory red fruit.

Finish: A short finish, with some green grass, as well as dried grass or hay. There is a bit of lemon zest and just a tickle of astringency from the oak, but it's balanced by sweeter notes from apple and pear.

Final Note: Not bad, pretty inoffensive, but lacking more serious or heavy flavors that will lead to better complexity; nothing too unusual here. This would be great as a casual sipper, but with its mellow taste and lack of strength, it isn't likely to lead to a particularly interesting deep-dive session. Still, with a very reasonable price (especially in the current market state of hugely inflated costs), value here is pretty good.

Our Average Rating: 6.4 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 7.46