Aberlour whisky distillery
Aberlour derives its name from the pretty Speyside village of Aberlour, or Charlestown of Aberlour, as it is more formally but far less commonly known.
The current Aberlour distillery was originally founded in 1879, and was the second distillery of this name. An earlier distillery was founded approximately a mile away in the grounds of Aberlour House in 1825. The earlier distillery founded by the Laird James Gordon, who is perhaps more famous for gifting two pistols to George Smith of Glenlivet, and a man named Peter Weir who withdrew within a year. By 1833 they had gone Bankrupt and the distillery was taken over by James and John Grant who in partnership with two brothers named Walker. By the end of their lease in 1840 the Grants had founded Glen Grant distillery, shortly after the walker brothers took over operations of Linkwood distillery. The original distillery was destroyed by fire in 1879 and never rebuilt.
The new distillery was founded between 1879 and 1880 by the local businessman and philanthropist James Fleming and was one of the stopping points on Alfred Barnard’s distilleries tour. Already a thoroughly modern site the distillery was subsequently sold to Robert Thorne and Sons Limited in 1892, and expanded. Alas this expanded distillery was gutted by fire a short seven years later. The current site was build by Charles Doig, who among other improvements fitted the iconic Doig ventilator ‘pagoda’. The distillery was acquired by W.H. Holt and Sons Ltd in 1921 and ran for some 20 years. In 1945 it was bought by S. Campbell and Son. In 1962 Aberlour Distillery ceased to operate its own floor maltings, and in 1973 the number of stills was increased from two to four. A year Later it was sold to Pernod Recard in 1974. The distillery is now managed via Chivas Brothers Ltd.
Aberlour factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberlour | ah*bur*lower | Speyside | |
| Country of Origin | Status | Active | Whisky Type |
| Scotland | Active | 1879 - Present | Malt |
| Website | Tours Available | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Aberlour | Tour Link | Pernod Ricard |
What Aberlour makes
Whisky
- Aberlour 12
- Aberlour 16 Double Cask
- Aberlour A'bunadh
- Aberlour 18
Shop: online and at the distillery.
Aberlour Timeline:
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- 1825The original Aberlour distillery was founded by the Laird James Gordon and Peter Weir
- 1826Peter Weir withdraws
- 1833Following barnkruptcy James and John Grant lease the distillery with two brothers named Walker
- 1840The lease expires and the Grants brothers left to found Glen Grant distillery
- 1879The original Aberlour distillery is destroyed by fire
- 1880The new distillery is founded a mile away by James Fleming
- 1887The distillery is one of the stops on Alfred Barnard's distilleries tour
- 1892The distillery was sold to Robert Thorne and Sons Limited and expanded
- 1898The distillery is again destroyed by fire. Charles Doig is brought in to design the new site
- 1921Aberlour distillery was acquired by W.H. Holt and Sons Ltd
- 1945The distillery is sold to S. Campbell & Sons Ltd. and extended
- 1962The onsite floor maltings are closed
- 1973Two stills are added bringing the total to four
- 1975S. Campbell & Sons Ltd. are acquired by Société Pernod Ricard
- 2001Pernod Ricard acquire Chivas Brothers Ltd. from Seagram and Campbell Distillers is subsumed
- 2002A visitor centre is added to the distillery
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Useful Aberlour links:
Interesting Aberlour links:
Can I tour Aberlour?
Yes Aberlour distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 391 of 540 tours to date. This gives Aberlour an overall rating of 4.5
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