Aberfeldy 12 Years Old 2013 Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland Commemorative (James Eadie)

Distilled at Aberfeldy in 2013 and matured 12 years in ex Bourbon American oak, bottled by James Eadie in 2025 at cask strength 52.5% as part of the Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland Commemorative series for the European specialist trade. 644 bottles produced from the vatting. James Eadie was founded in the 1850s as a Burton on Trent brewer and Edinburgh whisky blender, then revived in 2014 by Rupert Patrick (a great great grandson of the founder) as a small batch indie bottler operating under the original Trade Mark X identity.

Long fermentation Aberfeldy wash from the four still configuration, distilled in 2013 under John Dewar & Sons (Bacardi) ownership. Aged 12 years in ex Bourbon American oak, vatted for the Commemorative release. Bottled at full cask strength 52.5% with no chill filtering and no caramel adjustment under the James Eadie house specification.

Twelve years in ex Bourbon American oak at cask strength gives a focused oak signature: vanillin from lignin breakdown at moderate to upper levels, cis whisky lactones contributing coconut and dill, and hemicellulose breakdown supplying furanic compounds for caramel and toasted cereal. Aberfeldy's house ester profile (ethyl laurate, ethyl myristate, heavier alcohols) drives the heather honey base at the cask's full strength, with 52.5% holding the ester volatility on the nose.