Aberfeldy. Twelve whiskies.

Aberfeldy is in Highland Perthshire, on the south bank of the Tay just outside the village of Aberfeldy. Tommy and John Alexander Dewar had the distillery built in 1896 by Charles Doig, the architect behind dozens of Scottish distilleries. In 1898 the first spirit ran from the still. It is the only distillery the Dewar family built themselves.

The reason was practical: Dewar’s sold so well as a blend that more of its own malt was needed. The largest part of what is distilled here has therefore gone into the blends for well over a century, with Aberfeldy forming the largest malt share in White Label. Only in recent decades has Aberfeldy been available as a single malt under its own name. Since 1998 John Dewar & Sons has belonged to Bacardi; the Dewar’s World of Whisky visitor centre is also on the site. The buildings have been on the Scottish list of monuments since 2002.

The water comes from the Pitilie Burn, a stream known for traces of alluvial gold in its bed. Hence the nickname you see on every label: the golden dram.