Aberfeldy Single Malt Scotch Whisky has announced the release of a new expression from its Exceptional Cask Series – Aberfeldy 20 Years Old Small-Batch finished in Sauternes Wine Casks.
The Exceptional Cask Series consists of rare single cask expressions, double-casks bottlings and small-batch releases, and is a passion project of Malt Master Stephanie Macleod. The program gives Macleod the chance to observe the nuances of maturation and flavor development, using her skills in the sensory analyses of whisky through the exploration of different cask types.
Aberfeldy 20 Years Old Small-Batch initially spent 20 years in hand-selected refill casks before being transferred to mature for a further year in Sauternes wine casks. Sauternes is a sweet wine from France.
“When finishing whiskies, I want to complement the distillery character,” says Malt Master Stephanie Macleod. “Aberfeldy has a glorious honeyed richness, and with this expression, I wanted to add a further layer of flavor complexity and enhance the maturing malt but not mask it. The Sauternes wine cask helps highlight Aberfeldy’s sweet notes of honey and brings golden syrup balanced with citrus peel, peaches and almonds.”
Additionally, Aberfeldy has also released Aberfeldy 18 Years Old finished in French Red Wine Casks from Pauillac, Bordeaux. Initially spending 18 years in a combination of refill casks, the whisky has undergone a finishing period of around 4-5 months in Pauilliac wine casks, a rich and complex red wine from Bordeaux.
Pauillac is one of the most sought-after wine regions in Bordeaux. Home to world famous wineries, the appellation produces a collection of fine red wines that are unrivaled in terms of quality. Having the deepest gravel in the Médoc*, with some chalk and clay, soils and microclimates play a vital role in Pauillac. In Bordeaux, proximity to the river is also all-important. Vineyards located at the river’s
edge bask in a microclimate, and this is where the highest quality wines in Bordeaux are found.
MacLeod carefully monitored maturation and flavor development in the casks until the desired flavor profile had been achieved. Pauillac is a robust wine, so the goal was to use this cask type to complement and elevate the signature character of Aberfeldy, not mask it. “Pauillac casks are the aristocrats of the Médoc, they provide notes of black cherries, blackberries and a cedar wood spice,” MacLeod says. “Aberfeldy’s wonderfully soft signature honey and creamy vanilla notes are invigorated with swathes of plush ripe fruits and lovely nutty aromas to create an incredibly elegant and fruitful whisky.”
Aberfeldy 20 Years Old Small-Batch is priced at $200 and will be available exclusively in the US. Aberfeldy 18 Years Old French Red Wine Cask expression is Priced at $120.
