Aberfeldy 1975 SMWS L60.4

Distilled at Aberfeldy in 1975 and matured 18 years in a single ex Bourbon cask, bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in 1994 at cask strength 56.7% under the early L60.4 code. SMWS was founded in 1983 in Edinburgh by Pip Hills around the Vaults at Leith premises, with a numeric code assigned to each distillery and a character title given to each individual cask by the tasting panel. Aberfeldy carries the society code 60.

Long fermentation Aberfeldy spirit from the post 1972 four still expansion configuration, distilled in 1975 in the earliest part of the modernised production era. Filled into a single ex Bourbon cask and aged 18 years at the society's bonded warehouses. Bottled at full cask strength 56.7% with no chill filtering and no caramel adjustment, the SMWS house specification across all releases since the society's foundation.

Eighteen years in a refill or first fill ex Bourbon cask at cask strength gives a fully developed American oak profile: vanillin from lignin breakdown, cis whisky lactones with clearly framed coconut and dill, and furfural plus 5 hydroxymethylfurfural from hemicellulose contributing soft caramel and toasted cereal. Aberfeldy's house ester profile (ethyl laurate, ethyl myristate, heavier fusel alcohols) drives the heather honey and beeswax core, with the cask strength bottling holding the full ester load and oak extraction at undiluted concentration.