Aberfeldy distillery
The original John Dewer was born on a croft near Aberfeldy in 1806 and started work in the wine trade by 22. Thereafter the family began blending whisky and eventually founded their own distillery at Aberfeldy in 1896. Then as now the distilleries main purpose was to supply malt for the Dewar’s blend, even today the distillery visitor centre is geared around the blend rather than the distilleries own single malt.
Aberfledy like so many other distilleries passed through the hands of Scottish Malt Distillers a DCL subsidiary before being sold to Bicardi where it remains today.
Aberfeldy factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberfeldy | ah*bur*fell*dee | Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery | Highlands | Scotland |
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Active | 1896 - Present | Malt | Aberfeldy | Tour Link |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Stephanie Macleod | John Dewar & Sons |
Aberfeldy Timeline:
1896: The Distillery was built on a piece of land bought by Dewar’s from the Marquis of Breadalbane
1898: The distillery comes online in November
1899: Dewar’s White Label unveiled
1917: Distillery closes as grain is redirected towards food for the rest of the war
1919: Aberfeldy resumes production
1925: Dewar’s, Buchanan’s and Johnnie Walker’s amalgamate with Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL)
1927: Dewar’s produces the worlds first documentary on the production and blending of Scotch whisky.
1930: Transferred to DCL subsidiary Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD)
1942: The distillery closes due to wartime shortages of barley
1944: Aberfeldy resumes production
1972: The distillery is largely rebuilt increasing from four to eight wash backs, two to four stills. Floor maltings are stopped and a dark grains plant is established
1973: Stills are converted to steamheating
1998: Sold to John Dewar & Sons, a subsidiary of the Bacardi Corporation
2000: Opening of Visitor Centre "Dewar’s World of Whisky" in the old maltings
Useful Aberfeldy links:
Can I tour Aberfeldy?
Yes Aberfeldy distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 102 of 134 tours to date. This gives Aberfeldy an overall rating of 4.5
Latest reviews
One of the Best in That Area for the Money
by Bev B
Really enjoyed this tour value for money,the guide was excellent she was informed and also passionate about the whiskey the tasting was a really enjoyable experience and you got money off in the shop with your ticket so I had to take advantage of that
A Great Value Tour.
by Nikki27102016
We arrived a bit late for the 3.30pm tour due to heavy traffic but the lady very kindly delayed the tour by 10 mins so we could join. The tour was very well organised and the guy who showed us round was passionate and knowledgeable. It was a shame that (due to Covid) we couldn't visit the brewing area but we were shown a video which was an adequate alternative in the circumstances. Dewar's is owned by Bacardi and due to the size of the operation many of the processes (malting, storage etc) are carried out elsewhere. For this reason Dewar's lacked the authenticity of some of the smaller distilleries, however we enjoyed the tour and the Whiskey tasting and felt that the price was very reasonable for the experience we had.
Fun and Informative Tour.
by Jane B
Great tour. The film history was interesting. Due to covid restrictions you can't go into the brewing area but the film and talk were really informative and fun. Of course the testing was the best bit and don't forget to try a cocktail from the bar. Great staff friendly and helpful.
| Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 102 |
| Very good | 29 |
| Average | 3 |
| Poor | 0 |
| Terrible | 0 |
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