Aberfeldy 18 Sangiovese Cask Finish Debuts on Whiskey Lens Episode 4

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – [Release date] – The new Aberfeldy 18 Sangiovese Cask Finish gets its first tasting on the Whiskey Lens podcast from Bourbon Lens. Host Jake Lewellen sits down with Gareth Howells, North American brand ambassador for Aberfeldy Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, to taste the 12, the 16 and the new limited 18 Year Old.

The 18 Year Old at a glance

Finished up to one year in first-fill Tuscan Sangiovese red wine casks
Bottled at 46% ABV, natural color, non-chill filtered
Limited to roughly 1,000 cases in the US
Part of Aberfeldy’s annual wine cask finish series, which began in 2019

Lewellen, a Kentucky bourbon voice, tastes Aberfeldy for the first time. He compares the 12 to an apple pie still in the oven and finds dark chocolate and dried fruit in the sherry-finished 16. He calls the 18’s nose “the closest thing I’ve smelled to bourbon on a scotch ever.” He also picks out the French oak influence in the Sangiovese casks, which Howells confirms.

“It’s a whiskey drinker’s whiskey,” said Howells. “You could hand a glass of Aberfeldy to anyone… and they’re gonna understand the quality in the glass.”

“Whiskey is about conversation, it’s about fellowship,” said Lewellen. “It’s not a stuffy experience.”

Also in the episode:

Aberfeldy’s 127-year history, founded in 1898 in the geographic center of Scotland
Why a 70+ hour fermentation creates its honeyed house style
How finishing casks add nuance without overpowering the whisky
Why Aberfeldy is unpeated, and why not all Scotch is smoky
A follow-up episode on blending at Dewar’s and Aberfeldy

About Whiskey Lens

Whiskey Lens, from Bourbon Lens, brings a bourbon-first perspective to the wider world of whisky, with approachable tastings and conversations with the people behind the brands.