Aberfeldy Exceptional Cask Series 17 Years Old 2004

Distilled at Aberfeldy in 2004 and matured 17 years in a single ex Bourbon cask numbered 100002, bottled by John Dewar & Sons in 2022 at cask strength 53.2% under the Exceptional Cask Series for the European specialist trade. 246 bottles in total. The 6 digit cask format 100002 reflects the distillery's modern Bacardi era cask numbering register, opened up in the 2000s as the single malt programme expanded under John Dewar & Sons' post 2000 ownership push and the distillery moved from purely blend feed production toward a structured single malt output.

Long fermentation Aberfeldy wash from the four still configuration, distilled in 2004 in the established Bacardi era of the distillery. Filled into a single ex Bourbon cask and aged 17 years at the distillery's warehouses. Bottled at cask strength 53.2% with no chill filtering and no caramel adjustment under the Exceptional Cask Series house specification.

Seventeen years in refill American oak at cask strength gives a fully developed working oak profile: vanillin from lignin breakdown at upper levels, cis whisky lactones contributing clearly framed coconut and dill, and furfural plus 5 hydroxymethylfurfural from hemicellulose providing caramel and toasted cereal. Aberfeldy's house ester profile (ethyl laurate, ethyl myristate, heavier alcohols) drives the heather honey base, with 53.2% sitting at a balanced cask strength that holds the ester volatility on the nose without overwhelming the wood signature.