{"product_id":"aberfeldy-16-year-old-1969-gordon-macphail-connoisseurs-choice-highland-single-malt-scotch-whisky-1985-5cl-miniature","title":"Aberfeldy 16 Year Old 1969 Gordon \u0026 Macphail Connoisseurs Choice Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (1985) 5cl Miniature","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAberfeldy 16 Year Old 1969 Gordon \u0026amp; Macphail Connoisseurs Choice Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (1985) 5cl Miniature\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Aberfeldy was distilled in 1969 and, after maturing for 16 years in oak casks, was bottled in 1985 and miniatures created although for some odd reason omitting the bottling date or age statement. The strength also was a little higher than the claimed 40% often in these releases. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArguably the most famous independent bottler of Scotch whisky there is. Gordon \u0026amp; MacPhail was founded in Elgin in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. It is now owned by the Urquhart Family who have bow bottled over 350 different expressions from around 69 different distilleries. Gordon \u0026amp; MacPhail is the Trading name of Speymalt Whiskies while also owning the Benromach distillery, which they purchased in 1993. Some of the brands include Connoisseurs Choice, Cask Strength, Rare Old and Speymalt.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"productView-descriptionWrap\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Aberfeldy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productView-descriptionWrap\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"banner wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"banner-container\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"banner-content\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"banner-content-inner\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"introduction\"\u003eOne of the sweetest single malts, Aberfeldy’s characteristic honeyed note is the result of very long fermentation, coupled with slow distillation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"pagenav js-fixed\"\u003eA thick, almost waxy texture (though not as overt as in DCL days) adds some weight toWhisky Situation the mid-palate, allowing long-term maturation. The bulk of the new make is aged in ex-Bourbon casks, but the occasional Sherried release shows that this is a malt which has guts.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"pagenav js-fixed\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"pagenav js-fixed\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Dewar \u0026amp; Sons was typical of many of the blending firms which were founded in the 19th century. Dewar himself, though born in humble surroundings in a croft at Shenvail, became a wine merchant in Perth and by the middle of the century had started to blend whisky. It was however his sons, John Jr and Thomas (always known as\u003cspan\u003e Tommy), \u003c\/span\u003ewho made the family firm a globally recognised name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 1890s, they decided to go into whisky production and built a distillery at Aberfeldy, only two miles from where their father had been born. The site had originally been a brewery and some distillation had taken place in the early part of the century. Fed by the Pitilie Burn [where gold is still panned] Aberfeldy became the malt at the heart of the firm’s blends. A private railway line linked the plant with the firm’s operational hub in Perth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDewar’s joined DCL in 1925 and in 1973 the Aberfeldy site doubled in capacity to its present size. It changed ownership in 1998, when the UK Monopolies Board forced the newly formed Diageo to offload one of its brands and attendant capacity. The\u003cspan\u003e  Dewar's Estate \u003c\/span\u003e[the blends, plus Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Royal Brackla] were bought for £1.1bn by Bacardi-Martini.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe new owners invested heavily in a highly impressive educational facility - Dewar’s World of Whisky - which tells the story of the house of Dewar - and blending.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn more recent times, Aberfeldy has been sold in small quantities as single malt and in 2014 was repackaged. A new, permanent, five-strong range is to be created.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e40% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5cl \/ 50ml\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Aberfeldy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53298091458898,"sku":"ABF16GMCC1969MINI","price":55.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Aberfeldy16YearOld1969Gordon_MacphailConnoisseursChoiceHighlandSingleMaltScotchWhisky_1985_5clMiniature.jpg?v=1777301544","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/aberfeldy-16-year-old-1969-gordon-macphail-connoisseurs-choice-highland-single-malt-scotch-whisky-1985-5cl-miniature","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}