The latest Perthshire farm-to-bottle distillery is Aberargie. It is owned by the Morrison family, who had five generations of whisky production and previously owned Bowmore (and now Càrn Mòr and Old Perth among other brands). In 2017 they started filling casks so the first thing that stands out is that they’ve waited quite some time before coming to the market. “All in good time” as they say on the packaging.
In the whisky’s mash bill there was 52% of the heritage Golden Promise barley. This and the other (modern Laureate) barley are grown on the family’s 300-acre farm. There’s something romantic to this farm-to-bottle concept and we know it can lead to great whisky (think Thy or Daftmill). This inaugural single malt matured in a combination of 50% first-fill bourbon and 50% first-fill sherry casks. We’re not sure about the age but there are indications it could be around 6 years.
Aberargie Inaugural (48,2%, OB 2026, first-fill bourbon + sherry)
Nose: there’s a lot of stewed apple, mixed with sweetened lemon juice, honeyed cereals and sherry-driven aromas like raisins, toasted nuts, hay and yellow plum. The American oak is a tad loud. It makes itself known in a slightly dusty but also nicely warming way, along with a buttery note and a sharper edge (nutmeg).
Mouth: quite thick and spicy. Red apples are back, some pears, raisins and figs, again followed by a sharper grassy and gingery side. Big barley notes, some porridge and hints of brown bread. Then peppe and cinnamon appear, along with vanilla and a slight plankish edge.
Finish: medium, on dark chocolate, more wood spice and cereal notes.
A promising start – this is well-made. It may be a little heavy on the oak, in my opinion, but I like the farm concept, the heritage grains and the slow approach. There’s a nice character to it, so it’s not a dime-in-a-dozen dram. Still available from Loch Fyne or Master of Malt for instance.