Expertly hand crafted by Aberfeldy’s malt master, Stephanie Macleod, the distillery known for its Golden Dram has launched a 16 Years Old and 21 Years Old, finished in the finest Madeira casks. Spending up to 12 months in the ex-wine casks before bottling, the extra maturation period in this combination of casks creates the perfect balance of flavour between the distillery’s honeyed richness with the sweet notes of Madeira wine.
The brand is the fastest growing single malt in the top 15 for the last five years and is now the ninth-highest selling single malt in Asia Pacific.
Aberfeldy has moved from 20th largest single malt in 2012 to being the 12th largest in 2017 (IWSR 2017). In a world where aged stock is increasingly rare and many age statements are disappearing from labels, Aberfeldy remains committed to proudly displaying age statements as a sign of craftsmanship and quality.
Two types of Madeira casks were sourced to finish both the 16 and 21-year-old expressions: ex-Malvasia Malmsey - the most famous and also the richest, sweetest style – and ex-Bual – dark in colour, with medium-rich texture. These flavourful casks impart classic Madeira notes of caramel, peaches, orange peel and burnt sugar. Maturing Aberfeldy in this combination of Madeira wine casks elevates the maturing malt, heightening the level of complexity and adding the typical honeyed richness of the distillery’s house style.
Stephanie comments: “Aberfeldy is both an approachable yet complex dram, it has those similar sweet rich notes that Madeira wine is famously known for. By using Madeira casks, I’m able to further develop the layers of flavour present in Aberfeldy’s honeyed-rich characters, resulting in a whisky with extra spiciness – the perfect complement to the Golden Dram.”