Aberlour 12 Year Old Non Chill-Filtered 70cl

More texture. More flavour. More “wait, what is that note?” This is Aberlour 12 Year Old from Speyside, bottled non-chill filtered, meaning they didn’t strip out the natural oils that give whisky its mouthfeel and depth.

If you’ve ever tried a 12-year single malt and thought, “Nice, but I want it to hit a little harder,” this is your move. That non-chill filtered choice is small on paper, huge in the glass. It pours with a richer feel, carries the sweet-spice flavours longer, and generally tastes like it has more to say.

• Nose: Stewed orchard fruit, honey, toffee, and a cozy hit of cinnamon and nutmeg
• Taste: Sherried dried fruit (think raisins and dates), caramel, orange peel, and gentle oak spice with a noticeably weighty texture
• Finish: Warming and lingering, with dried fruit, soft spice, and a little cocoa-like depth

Why non-chill filtered matters: some whiskies are chilled and filtered to look crystal-clear in the bottle. This one isn’t, so you keep more of the natural compounds that bring flavour and that slightly silky, clingy mouthfeel. Translation, it tastes fuller, especially neat or with a single cube.

What you do with it: pour it neat when you want a proper sit-down dram, add a drop of water to open up the fruit, or use it to upgrade cocktails that need a whisky with backbone. It makes a killer Whisky Sour, because the sherry-leaning fruit and baking spice don’t disappear once the lemon shows up.

Where it fits in your whisky journey: if Glenfiddich 12 is your comfort zone, this is one shelf over, still friendly, but with more dried-fruit depth and a thicker, more satisfying feel. It’s also a smart buy for Speyside fans who want something that tastes a bit more “grown up” without turning into a smoke bomb.

Expect a classic Speyside profile, fruit-forward and warmly spiced, but with extra heft thanks to that non-chill filtration. It’s the kind of bottle that makes you slow down mid-sip and go back for another small pour.

Fun Fact: “Aberlour” comes from the Gaelic for “mouth of the chattering burn”, a nod to the nearby stream that’s been part of the distillery’s story since the 1800s.