Aberfeldy Hand Bottled at the Distillery 15 Years Old 2001

Distilled at Aberfeldy in 2001 and matured 15 years in a single ex Bourbon cask numbered 21424, bottled at the distillery in 2016 at cask strength 56.5% under the Hand Bottled at the Distillery programme. The 2001 vintage represents the early years of the Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery visitor centre that opened in 2000 under Bacardi ownership. Hand Bottled releases of the 2001 cohort began to appear in the mid 2010s once the spirit reached the 15 year mark suitable for the programme's release format.

Long fermentation Aberfeldy wash from the four still configuration, distilled in 2001 under John Dewar & Sons (Bacardi) ownership. Filled into a single ex Bourbon cask and aged 15 years at the distillery's bonded warehouses. Bottled on site at full cask strength 56.5% with no chill filtering and no caramel adjustment under the Hand Bottled house specification.

Fifteen years in ex Bourbon American oak at cask strength gives a working but well developed oak profile: vanillin from lignin breakdown sits at moderate to upper levels, cis whisky lactones contribute clear coconut and dill, and furfural plus 5 hydroxymethylfurfural from hemicellulose deliver soft caramel and toasted cereal. Aberfeldy's house ester profile (ethyl laurate, ethyl myristate, heavier alcohols) drives the heather honey and beeswax base, with 56.5% holding ester volatility on the nose and the oily mouthfeel intact on the palate.