‘Obar Lobhair’ or ‘Aberlour’ means ‘the mouth of the chattering burn’.

A group of people that once lived in the area believed that they could speak to their ancestors through the waters of the burn. Though the river babbles as it passes alongside the distillery the name likely came from the murmurs of these ethereal conversations.

Address: Aberlour Distillery, Aberlour, Banffshire, AB38 9PJ

Contact: +44 (0) 1340 881249

Website:  http://www.aberlour.com/distillery/

Dates that tours are available (as seen on the Distillery webpage – 03/08/15)

From January 5 to March 13, 2015 (Monday to Friday)

March 16 to November 13, 2015 (daily)

November 16 to December 18, 2015 (Monday to Friday)

TOUR OPTIONS:

THE ABERLOUR EXPERIENCE – Tour and Tasting – approx. 2 hours, running at 10am, (12 noon during peak season) and 2pm.

‘A special treat for the connoisseur, with privileged behind-the-scenes access to how our whisky is made and a tutored sampling of the best of the best.

Following a tutored nosing and tasting of six of the most acclaimed Aberlour expressions, you can experience something only a few people can boast of: a unique opportunity to hand fill and register your very own personalised bottle of cask strength Aberlour whisky (extra charge applies.)’

The tour lasts 1.5 hours, Limit 16 guests

Cost: £14 per person (pre-booking is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment)

CASKS FROM THE PAST – Tasting only

‘For serious whisky aficionados, this is a unique opportunity to sample some very special drams indeed – some vintages that aren’t commercially available at any price. The tutored tasting takes place in the luxurious Fleming Rooms, but does not include a distillery tour’

The tasting lasts 1 hour for up to 8 guests on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Cost: £35 per person (pre-payment required)

BOTTLE YOUR OWN:

~65 GBP, 70cl, including an amazing wooden display case.

During our visit, they had 2 options for the bottle your own, a bourbon and a sherry. These were from a small batch rather than single cask but nonetheless both were delicious.

The hand-filling apparatus was not functional at our visit so we had to surrender to just the labeling and sealing of our bottles. But nonetheless we were happy to do so for such nice whisky.

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Aberlour was the first distillery on our Speyside trip. We chose to do ‘the Aberlour experience’, a opportunity to see the distillery as well as a good few drams.

OUR THOUGHTS: 

The distillery itself is set on a beautiful site just at the edge of the Aberlour town center. Our guide was informed and able to answer some of our geekier questions around the distillery. The tour was a welcome mix of history as well as production. Though the tour group was large, we had no problem talking to the guide and getting the most out of the tour.

The tasting comprised of new make spirit, Bourbon Cask Sample, Sherry Cask Sample, Aberlour 10, Aberlour 15, and Aberlour A’bunadh (Batch 51). (Tasting notes to follow)

The Bourbon cask (available for bottle-your-own) was a standout dram for me.

Roundup: Would happily come back to Aberlour Distillery. Great chat, a beautiful site and a multitude of delectable drams makes for a great value visit.

– AliceinWhiskyland

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TIPS:

– Book ahead to make sure you get a spot in the tour of your choice.

– After your tour drop by the local whisky bar, The Mash Tun, in Aberlour town center for a meal and some tipples. (http://www.mashtun-aberlour.com)

– Camping is also nearby at Aberlour Gardens, (http://www.aberlourgardens.co.uk), where we called home the duration of our speyside adventure.