Aberfeldy
The Highland malt that revolves around honey and forms the heart of the Dewar's blend. Everything about the 12, 16, and 18 Years, the flavor, and the right glass to serve it in.
The heart of the Dewar's blend
Aberfeldy was built in 1896 by John Dewar's sons, beside the Pitilie Burn in Perthshire. The distillery wasn't built to become famous in its own right, but to supply the blend: to this day, Aberfeldy is the most important malt in Dewar's, one of the world's best-selling blended whiskies. Only in recent decades has it also been marketed seriously as a single malt.
The style is unmistakable: honey. Aberfeldy uses long fermentation and slow distillation, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied malt dominated by heather honey, baked apple, and vanilla. It's no coincidence that the brand calls itself 'The Golden Dram'. There's no smoke here; this is the opposite of an Islay.
In brief
What types of Aberfeldy are there?
The range is small and all about age: the older it gets, the deeper the honey flavor.
Aberfeldy 12 Years
The classic bottle: heather honey, baked apple, and vanilla, with a soft, slightly spicy finish. The best introduction to the style.
Aberfeldy 16 Years Distillers Edition
Four years older and noticeably fuller: more sherry, dried fruit, and oak over the honey.
Aberfeldy 18 Years Napa Valley
Aged for eighteen years and finished in red wine casks from Napa Valley, at 43%. Red fruit and spice alongside the honey; a bottle for enthusiasts.
The 12 Years is the obvious choice; the 16 if you want something fuller.
Heather honey, apple, and vanilla
Honey & apple
Heather honey up front, with baked apple, vanilla, and a light woody note. Sweet and inviting, without a trace of smoke.
Full and sweet
Fuller-bodied than you’d expect at 40%, with honey, applesauce, vanilla, and a touch of oak spice.
Warm and lightly spicy
A medium-length, warm finish with honey and ginger. Smooth from start to finish.
Aberfeldy 12 Years tasting profile. The 16 Years is fuller and richer in sherry; the 18 Napa Valley adds red fruit and has a higher ABV.
Three ways to drink Aberfeldy
A honey-sweet malt without smoke works well in a cocktail where you’d normally use bourbon.
Neat at room temperature
Pour 4 cl into a tulip-shaped tasting glass, without ice. Let it sit for a minute: the honey and baked apple come through most clearly, with vanilla underneath.
Glass: tasting glass →On the rocks
Pour 5 cl over one large ice cube in a heavy tumbler. The melting ice makes it fresher and brings out the apple notes; the honey holds up well.
Glass: tumbler →As a Whisky Sour
Shake 50 ml Aberfeldy 12, 25 ml lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup, and one egg white first without ice, then with ice. The honey in the whisky makes the sour rounder than with bourbon.
Whisky Sour recipe →The best cocktails with Aberfeldy
Whisky Sour
Whisky, lemon, sugar, and egg white. The honey makes it rounder than with bourbon.
Old Fashioned
Whisky, sugar, bitters, and a large ice cube. With honey in the base, you need less sugar.
Penicillin
Whisky, lemon, honey, and ginger, with a smoky float on top.
Hot Toddy
Whisky with hot water, honey, lemon, and cloves. The honey is right at home here.The right glass for Aberfeldy
A tulip-shaped tasting glass concentrates the honey and apple notes; a heavy tumbler is for drinking on the rocks. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything else you wanted to know about Aberfeldy
Can't find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What is the alcohol content of Aberfeldy?
Is Aberfeldy smoky?
What does Aberfeldy have to do with Dewar's?
Why is Aberfeldy called 'The Golden Dram'?
Is Aberfeldy a good first single malt?
Can you use Aberfeldy in cocktails?
Buy Aberfeldy
Want the bottle at home right away? Order Aberfeldy online at Gall & Gall.
Prices as of November 3, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can see the current price and availability at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it costs you nothing extra. No 18, no alcohol.
