Aberlour is a

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heat ...

of Speyside

single malt Scotch Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a s ...

whisky, in

Aberlour Aberlour ( gd, Obar Lobhair) is a village in Moray, Scotland, south of Elgin on the road to Grantown. The Lour burn is a tributary of the River Spey, and it and the surrounding parish are both named Aberlour, but the name is more commonly us ...

, Strathspey, Scotland, at the confluence of the Lour Burn and

River Spey The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...

near Ben Rinnes.

History

James Fleming (1830-1895) was born and baptised on the first day of June at

Inveravon Inveravon is sited on the east side of the River Avon in Scotland. It was long considered to be the likely site for a Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall in Scotland. The fort is one of the most dubious on the wall although some excavation and ge ...

, the only son of a tenant farmer at Tomfarclas on the

Ballindalloch Ballindalloch ( gd, Baile na Dalach) is a small village on the River Spey in Scotland. It is known for its whisky distilleries and for Ballindalloch Castle. In Ballindalloch itself, there are two distilleries, Cragganmore distillery and Ballind ...

estate. James helped his father on the farm until manhood and then sought a wider and more financially rewarding direction for his future, firstly as a commission agent and dealer in the

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike othe ...

. In the mid-1860s he acquired a lease of the Dailuaine distillery at nearby Carron and held it for ten years, making connections in the spirit markets. By the 1871 Census, James had moved to Aberlour, and in 1874 established and developed a new branch agency for the North of Scotland Bank. He became a prominent and respected member of the local community; as an elder of the parish church and in several public positions: chairman of the School Board, county councillor, and town Provost. In 1879 Fleming secured a feu from the Earl of Fife on the land where he would build his new Aberlour distillery and on its completion produced whisky there from December 1880. He sold the business to his acting agents, Robert Thorne & Sons in 1892. James Fleming died aged 65, leaving a significant and tangible legacy. He built Aberlour's first public meeting place, The Fleming Hall in 1889. This was followed in 1900 by the Fleming Cottage Hospital providing isolation accommodation to limit the spread of infectious diseases. In James Thomson's 1902 book ''Recollections of a Speyside Parish'' the author wrote: "The hospital that has been built and endowed by his leming'sliberality will always remain a memorial to his Christian philanthropy. I can well remember more than one epidemic that devastated many a home in the village. Had there been at the time such an institution in the place, many lives might have been saved." FLEMING MEMORIAL STONE

Fleming's commitment to improving the welfare of local people is evidenced by another bequest made on 11 June 1895, two weeks before his death:1895 Fleming, James eference SC2/40/55 Banff Sheriff Courtretrieved 27 July 2016 "I leave a sum of five hundred pounds for the purpose of erecting a steel wire footbridge over the river Spey at Aberlour at a place as near as possible to the mouth of the burn of Ruthrie he Lour Burnso as to connect the village of Charlestown with the parish of Knockando." Safety, as well as convenience, being his concern following a number of reported drowning tragedies in the fast-flowing waters during his lifetime. After delays in its approval by an obstinate landowner, the

Victoria Bridge, Aberlour The Victoria Bridge is a suspension footbridge near the village of Aberlour in Moray, Scotland. It was built in 1902, replacing a ferry that had previously been in service there, and is now a Category A listed building. Description The Victor ...

- often referred to as the Penny Bridge locally - was completed and opened without ceremony in 1902. James Fleming is buried in the town's cemetery almost opposite the distillery site. Robert Thorne & Sons Ltd. sold the Aberlour distillery in 1920 to a brewing family, W.H. Holt & Sons, based near Manchester, England. In 1945 ownership passed to S. Campbell & Sons Ltd and the distillery was later re-equppied with four stills in 1973. In 1975 Pernod Ricard acquired Campbell Distilleries, and they joined with Chivas Brothers in 2001 forming a portfolio of 14 single malt distilleries and 1 grain distillery in Scotland, and 2 gin distilleries in England. In 2002 a new modernised visitor centre was opened for public visits and tours. In 2014, over 3.5 million bottles of Aberlour were sold.

Bottlings

The whisky comes in a variety of ages, including a 10, 12, 15, 16, 18 and a rare 30-year-old 1970 vintage malt, as well as a cask strength release, A'bunadh, with no age statement. Most of the variants are aged in American ex-

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by ...

casks, a standard for many single malts. Aberlour also releases a range of malts that, after aging in bourbon casks, are finished in casks previously used to mature varieties of fortified wines or sherries, a method applied to appeal particularly to the French market.

Reviews

Since 1986, Aberlour Single Malt Scotch Whisky has won 58 Gold awards and 8 Trophies in the Tasting categories of two leading industry competitions, the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and International Spirits Challenge (ISC).

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

*
Details on how to visit Aberlour distillery
{{Pernod Ricard Distilleries in Scotland Pernod Ricard brands Scottish malt whisky