A few weeks ago, I began telling the story of my trip to Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. When we left off, I had just settled in for the night at the stunning Dun Aluinn following a day of whisky, history, a tour of the new Warehouse Experience, and more whisky.
Today I will be discussing the final part of my trip, and summarising my thoughts on Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery.
Breakfast by Ballintaggart
After a restful night’s sleep at Dun Aluinn, I made my way downstairs for breakfast. It was being curated by Ballintaggart, the same catering company that served us dinner at Aberfeldy Distillery the night before.
A beautiful array of fruits, toast, condiments, tea, and coffee was waiting, followed by a cooked breakfast. I have to say, it was not a bad way to start the day following an afternoon of whisky cocktails the day before.
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Next up on our itinerary was the Highland Safari.
The Highland Safari
After breakfast, and dressed for the ever-dampening weather, we made our way to the front of the house, where two 4×4 Land Rovers were waiting for us. The Land Rovers were crewed by two lovely men from Highland Safaris & Red Deer Centre. They were going to take us on a short trip to the charmingly-named village of Dull, which just so happens to be the birthplace of John Dewar (and is twinned with Boring, Oregon).
Split into two groups, we clambered into the Rovers and set off on our short journey, with our guide giving us a brief history of the area and an overview of its flora & fauna as we drove.
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Soon, we came to a gated area to which Highland Safaris has access. The gravel road leads you up a hill overlooking the village of Dull, the River Tay, and (on a clear day) Aberfeldy Distillery.
Once at the top of the hill, we were treated to a dram of Aberfeldy 9 Year Old Exceptional Cask, available exclusively at the distillery. This limited edition, small-batch whisky was finished for 17 months in ‘Scottish Oak’.
After enjoying a dram, admiring the view, and having a chat with the safari guides, we headed back down the hill and up to Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery.
The Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery Shop
Upon arriving at the distillery, we were given some free time to wander around the shop and chat with the distillery representatives who had been so accommodating during our stay.
As mentioned in my previous article, Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery Shop is full of everything a whisky lover could want. From distillery exclusives such as the 9 Year Old to whisky accessories like water pipettes, coasters crafted from cask staves, and embossed Glencairn glasses, there is something for everyone. I, for one, spent a good 30 minutes wandering around before my eye was caught by a t-shirt based on Dewar’s ‘Stay Curious’ campaign. A modern and tasteful ode to the marketing strategies that put Dewar’s on the map. I am a bit of a marketing fiend, so I had to have it.
The most exciting thing in the shop, however, was yet to come.
The Dewar’s Aberfeldy 1999 Single Cask Hand-Fill Experience
Cast your minds back to my first Aberfeldy article. I would like to recall two things.
- “On a large table sits a cask of whisky with the vintage 1999. More on that later.”
- “The hand-fill experience plus your very own Aberfeldy 40 Year Old (personalisation available) has a price tag of £3,000.”
Now, if you do not have £3,000 to spend on the Aberfeldy 40 Year Old Hand-Fill Experience, you are not in the minority. Nor are you out of options. This is because in the distillery shop sits a cask of 1999 vintage Aberfeldy. Along the wall behind are empty glass bottles waiting to be filled. One by one we are called forward to hand-fill our very own bottle of 1999 25 Year Old Aberfeldy whisky. I am particularly excited by this, as 1999 happens to be my birth year.
Following the hand-filling of the bottles, we are moved around to the other side of the table to personalise and apply our own labels. You can hand-write the vintage, the ABV, the cask number, and the bottle number. (The number of bottles filled from the cask is tracked using a book that lies nearby. You can sign this too.)
The Aberfeldy 1999 Single Cask Hand-Fill Experience costs just £220 which, in my opinion, is an extremely reasonable price for the experience and for a 25 year old single malt scotch whisky, which you can keep or drink to your heart’s desire. (Mine is sitting on my desk at work. A lovely reminder of my trip).
Hand-filling your very own bottle of whisky is a dream for many whisky fans and an experience that few distilleries offer, especially as the scotch whisky market has seen rapid premiumization in recent years. Offering the experience at two different price points also allows better accessibility for those of us without £3,000 to blow. Bravo, Aberfeldy.
The Pitilie Burn & The Golden Dram
After we had been rained off the day before, the weather gave us a small break to go and see Aberfeldy’s water source. Pitilie Burn is located around a 3-4 minute walk from the visitors centre, hidden away in some trees. Distillery Brand Home Ambassador Mike McGinty, who has been our constant guide throughout the stay, takes us down, along with Matthew Cordiner, Global Brand Ambassador, Single Malts at John Dewar & Sons Ltd.
As any whisky fan knows, the water that is used in making scotch whisky is very important. It is a vital ingredient, not only in preparing the grains and making the wort but also in bringing whisky down to strength. Even in a cask-strength whisky, if the label reads 63% ABV, that means that 37% of the whisky is water. As such, the quality of the water used in whisky-making is paramount to the eventual quality of the liquid.
Pitilie Burn (‘burn’ here meaning ‘large stream’ or ‘small river’) feeds the River Tay to the north, and is famed for its pure water. The burn is even said to contain traces of alluvial gold, giving rise to the nickname ‘The Golden Dram’ for Aberfeldy whisky.
Mike explains that the area around the Pitilie Burn, which houses walking trails and a wooden gazebo (the ceiling of which is handpainted with images evoking the distillery) is open to the public. This, he says, fosters a great sense of community around the distillery.
Heading Back Home
After saying our goodbyes, we leave the distillery and head back to the station at Pitlochry, a packed lunch from Ballintaggart in hand. I board the train and settle in for my 6.5-hour journey back to Manchester.
My Final Thoughts On Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery
My trip to Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery honestly exceeded expectations. As I said in the previous installment, many people fall victim to the ‘you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all’ mentality when it comes to visiting scotch whisky distilleries. However, Aberfeldy proves this to be untrue.
The way in which the legacy of John Dewar and his sons is honoured is staggering. As I was recently quoted as saying in Forbes, the museum was one of my personal highlights from the trip.
Maybe it is because I have a particular interest in history, but the storied past of Aberfeldy and Dewar’s stirs up a curiosity in me, and a feeling of pride that I get to work in an industry with such deep roots in the past. One thing that myself and my colleagues have always said about whisky, and when discussing particular scotch whisky distilleries, is that you cannot buy history. And, in such as rapidly growing and modernising industry, distilleries with such history could easily disregard it too, and focus steadfastly on exuding luxury and modernity. Dewar’s and Aberfeldy, however, strike a perfect balance. The Dewar’s employees of today have clung tightly to the foundations laid by John Dewar and his sons and, in my opinion, it has paid off.
Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery is warm, welcoming, beautifully curated, and full of history. I would recommend a visit to any scotch whisky fan.
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