Aberfeldy 12 - Review
Age: 12 years
Barrel type: Ex-bourbon
Region: Highlands
ABV: 40%
Price: $38
Additional details: No indication of whether it’s non-chill filtered or natural color, so assume neither
For most people who have any experience with decent scotch, their journey probably began in one of two places: Dewar’s, or Johnnie Walker. Blended scotch whiskies still own the lion’s share of the market, which means that there are tremendous numbers of barrels -- and even some entire distilleries -- devoted to the production of Dewar’s, Johnnie Walker, Cutty Sark, and their like. Although I prefer single malts, I have nothing against blends, which tend to smooth out the rough edges of their component parts by mixing them together and with lighter, sweeter single grain whiskies to create easy-drinking and easy-mixing drams.
One critical fact that’s worth stressing is that blends are not composed solely of low quality scotch that couldn’t stand up as a solo act. Far from it! In fact, a list of the components of the top five best-selling blended whiskies would read like a who’s who of the best single malt distilleries in Scotland (Highland Park, Macallan, Talisker, and Caol Ila among them).
With the growing popularity of single malts, most companies have cottoned on to the wisdom of releasing the components of their blends as single malts, usually after a little bit of additional aging. Although many of Johnnie Walker’s components, particularly Talisker and Caol Ila, have well-established followings in the whiskey community, Dewar’s (until relatively recently) has kept its cards close to its vest. In the last few years, however, the primary components of their blends, including Royal Brackla, Craigellachie, and Aberfeldy, have started popping up on shelves all around the U.S. And we should be grateful for it!
The bottle I’m reviewing today is Aberfeldy’s basic expression, Aberfeldy 12. This is the backbone of Dewar’s, and plays a major role in their flavor profile. Indeed, the role of Aberfeldy is so strong that, as soon as one has a sip of this single malt, there’s a flash of recognition for anyone who’s also tried a Dewar’s whiskey.
Appearance: The bottle and canister are charming, with an old Victorian or fin de siecle style of decoration that features plenty of flowing text and depictions of the streams, barrels, and trains that played a role in this scotch’s creation. The bottle itself is a stout one, somewhat similar to a Kilchoman, and stands out as a nice contrast from some of the taller bottles that always populate bar shelves. The liquid itself is honey or caramel-colored, most likely from the addition of coloring (it’s hard to believe an ex-bourbon aged 12 years gets this dark without some help).
Nose: Aberfeldy’s nose gives an excellent example of the core, “malty” note that is at the heart of most scotches. It’s a rich, sweet, grain smell, accentuated here by some apple and caramel. It has more richness than the most popular Speysiders, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. There is a bit of alcohol on the nose, but not obtrusive and certainly reasonable for an entry-level scotch.
Palate: The nose carries through to the palate very well, with the same notes, and a decently strong flavor. The weakness of the palate is its light, watery texture, which is little surprise given that it’s been diluted all the way down to 40% ABV. Nonetheless, it’s an enjoyable experience, and worth drinking side by side with a Dewar’s blend to pick up on its similarities and its differences. I’ve seen some online reviews comment that Aberfeldy has a light sherry touch to it. There are hints of that in its flavor profile, but I don’t think this dram actually has been aged in ex-sherry casks, and the bottle -- which is replete with romantic marketing and isn't shy from throwing a lot of text at the customer -- doesn’t mention it.
Finish: The finish is brief and imbued with a sweet caramel flavor as well, although hints of smoke and herbal grassiness or bitterness appear at the end. The smoke is a surprising revelation, and subtle--probably just from the ex-bourbon barrels’ leftover char. The empty glass also has a bit of this charcoal smoke in it, which is quite interesting to find in a scotch distilled from unpeated barley.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: Aberfeldy’s well worth the purchase at the $35-45 range, where it competes with popular juggernauts like Glenmorangie Original, Glenlivet 12, and Glenfiddich 12. It’s of comparable quality and shares those brands' targeting of a classic single malt flavor profile, without any one standout element. At its price point, it is one of the few scotches one can find with a double-digit age statement, which warrants our appreciation.
Aberfeldy, like its closest competitors, is a good “home base” scotch. Once one appreciates its flavor, it becomes much more fun to wander farther afield and find single malts with a more distinctive character or bottled at a higher ABV, where the flavors become more intense. It’s not the end of a scotch lover’s journey, but there are certainly worse places to start.
Rating: B-