Aberlour Distillery

Aberlour’s story

Aberlour is one of most popular Scotch single malt brands in the world. The whisky, which is produced in the famous Speyside region of Scotland, consistently appears in the Top 10 list for worldwide sales. The biggest market for Aberlour is France, where it has held the number one single malt spot for years. The award-winning distillery is located in the picturesque village of the same name, which sits on the banks of the River Spey.

Aberlour distils a fruity and robust Speyside style of single malt. Speyside is a relatively small geographic area in the Scottish Highlands, but is home to over 50 of Scotland’s 145 distilleries. The robust style is particularly suited to maturation in ex-sherry casks and this is what Aberlour is best known for. Extensive expansion work is currently taking place that will see production capacity double to 7.5 million lites per year upon completion.

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Aberlour’s history

Aberlour was founded in 1879 by James Fleming, a local wealthy businessman and banker. He was a renowned figure in Aberlour and was highly influential in developing the village. His investment brought electricity to Aberlour in the late Victorian period and saw him finance the local hospital and town hall. Both still carry his name to this day.

Fleming also built the Penny Brig, a footbridge over the River Spey, and a school. He is buried in the graveyard opposite the distillery. A fire devastated the distillery in 1896. The prolific Scottish distillery architect Charles Doig was commissioned to design the replacement. Much of his work in the late Victorian period can still be seen across Speyside.

Aberlour has seen numerous changes of ownership during its history. Pernod Ricard purchased it in 1970s and they remain owners under their Scotch whisky subsidiary Chivas Brothers. It was they that began the concerted effort to grow Aberlour as a single malt brand, and maintain the level it has reached today.

Aberlour has an ever widening core range of single malts. Several age statements are joined by the non age statement Casg Annamh and cult classic A’bunadh. Casg Annamh translates as ‘rare cask’ from Gaelic. The A’bunadh, which translates as ‘origin’ from Gaelic was launched in 2001.

• How to pronounce Aberlour? abba-lohw-er
• Country: Scotland
• Region: Speyside
• Founded: 1879
• Current owners: Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard)
• Production capacity per year: 3.8 million litres
• Mash tun: 12 ton
• Washbacks: 6
• Stills: 4
• Visitor centre: Yes

Aberlour Distillery
Aberlour
Banffshire
AB38 9PJ
tel – +44(0)1340 881249
www.aberlour.com

Did you know?

The village of Aberlour is also home to the famous Walker’s Shortbread. The shortbread is baked on site in their factory and still follows Joseph Walker’s original recipe from 1898. The company remains owned by the Walker family, headed by Joseph’s great grandchildren.