THEDAILYWHISKY

Aberargie Golden Promise Laureate is the pairing that opens the distillery’s new Expressions series, and it’s built to be tasted side by side. Both are Lowland single malts from the Morrison family’s farm distillery near Perth, bottled at 48.2% ABV, non-chill-filtered and natural colour. Golden Promise is 100% Golden Promise barley matured in 68% first-fill bourbon and 32% first-fill sherry. Laureate flips that to 32% bourbon and 68% sherry, using 100% Laureate barley. Each costs £62.50 at The Whisky Exchange (£65 direct from the distillery), 70cl, with international shipping.

What Aberargie is doing here: barley as the variable

Most distilleries change the cask and keep the spirit constant. Aberargie has done something closer to a controlled experiment. Two barley varieties, grown on the family’s own farms, distilled separately, then matured to let each grain’s character lead. Golden Promise and Laureate are the first two of what Aberargie calls its four defining pillars: the two barley varieties, plus first-fill bourbon and first-fill sherry maturation. These opening releases are about the barley.

That framing is the whole point. If you buy both and pour them next to each other, you get an unusually clean read on what the grain contributes, because so much else is held steady: same distillery, same 48.2% ABV, same first-fill cask types, just weighted differently.

Who is Aberargie?

Aberargie is a farm distillery near Perth, built by the Morrison family and producing spirit since November 2017. The Morrison name runs deep in Scotch: Stanley P. Morrison owned Bowmore in the 1960s, and the business that grew from it eventually became Morrison Bowmore, now part of Beam Suntory. Aberargie marks the family’s return to distilling under their own roof.

It sits just south of the Highland line, which makes it technically a Lowland distillery, though the house style pushes against the light, grassy Lowland cliché. Aberargie aims for a rich, fruity and slightly waxy spirit. The operation is barley to bottle: grain grown on the 300-acre farm, water from a private well, and everything bar the malting handled on site, with a blending and bottling hall next to the stillhouse.

The distillery took its time. Spirit had been filling casks quietly for the better part of a decade before the first official Aberargie single malt arrived earlier in 2026. The Expressions series is the next step in laying out what the distillery is actually about.

Golden Promise: the heritage grain

Golden Promise is the storied one. It was the barley behind Macallan’s celebrated era and was later adopted by Karuizawa in Japan. It gives lower yields than modern varieties, which is part of why most distilleries left it behind, but it carries a reputation for richness and texture. At Aberargie it is grown on the Aberargie farm itself.

The Golden Promise bottling leans on bourbon, at 68% first-fill bourbon against 32% first-fill sherry, letting the grain sit in the foreground rather than under a blanket of sherry. The distillery describes it as rich and full-bodied.

Laureate: the modern counterpoint

Laureate is a current-generation barley variety, grown on the family’s other Scottish farms. Aberargie has matured it the other way round, at 68% first-fill sherry and 32% first-fill bourbon, so the sherry does more of the talking here. The distillery calls it bright and expressive, which makes for a deliberate contrast with the bourbon-led Golden Promise.

Golden Promise and Laureate: the specs side by side

	Golden Promise	Laureate
Barley	100% Golden Promise	100% Laureate
Maturation	68% first-fill bourbon, 32% first-fill sherry	32% first-fill bourbon, 68% first-fill sherry
ABV	48.2%	48.2%
Size	70cl	70cl
Presentation	Non-chill-filtered, natural colour	Non-chill-filtered, natural colour
Region	Lowland	Lowland
Price	£65	£65

Tasting notes

We haven’t sat down with these two at the tasting table yet, so what follows is the distillery’s own account rather than a TDW verdict. We’ll update with our own scored notes once we’ve poured them side by side.

Aberargie Golden Promise (distillery notes)
Palate: warm buttery pastry, stewed apples, brown sugar, gentle baking spices
Finish: long and satisfying
ABV: 48.2% | Casks: 68% first-fill bourbon, 32% first-fill sherry | Price: £62.50

Aberargie Laureate (distillery notes)
Palate: candied orange peel, dried fruits, crisp orchard fruits
Finish: lingering and honeyed
ABV: 48.2% | Casks: 32% first-fill bourbon, 68% first-fill sherry | Price: £62.50

Price and availability

Both are 70cl at 48.2% ABV. The Whisky Exchange lists each at £62.50 (£52.08 ex VAT), while Aberargie’s own shop has them at £65. The Whisky Exchange ships internationally, with Germany, Norway and many other countries on its delivery list, so readers outside the UK can order the pair directly. Note that stock on both the distillery site and TWE has been moving fast since launch, so if you want the matched set, don’t sit on it.

Is it worth it?

At £62.50 for a non-chill-filtered, natural-colour first-fill malt at 48.2%, the individual pricing is fair for a young distillery putting its cards on the table. But the real value here is buying both. On their own, each is a solid barley-forward Lowland malt. Together, at around £125 for the pair, they’re one of the more genuinely educational side-by-side experiments on the shelf right now, and that’s who they’re for: the drinker who wants to taste what barley variety actually does when everything else is held close to constant. If you only want one bottle and no comparison, the choice comes down to preference: bourbon-led richness in the Golden Promise, sherry-led brightness in the Laureate.

Frequently asked questions

What are Aberargie Golden Promise and Laureate?
They are the first two bottlings in Aberargie’s Expressions series, a pair of Lowland single malts designed to be tasted side by side. Each uses a single barley variety, Golden Promise or Laureate, grown on the Morrison family’s own farms and distilled separately at their farm distillery near Perth.

What is the difference between Aberargie Golden Promise and Laureate?
Both are 48.2% ABV, but they differ in grain and cask weighting. Golden Promise uses heritage Golden Promise barley matured in 68% first-fill bourbon and 32% first-fill sherry. Laureate uses modern Laureate barley with the ratio reversed: 32% bourbon and 68% sherry, giving it a more sherry-led character.

How much do Aberargie Golden Promise and Laureate cost?
Each 70cl bottle is £62.50 at The Whisky Exchange (£52.08 ex VAT) or £65 directly from Aberargie. Buying the pair costs roughly £125, which is the intended way to experience the barley comparison the series is built around.

Where can I buy Aberargie Golden Promise and Laureate?
Both are available from The Whisky Exchange and Aberargie’s own online shop. The Whisky Exchange ships internationally, including to Denmark, Germany, Norway and many other countries, so buyers outside the UK can order the pair. Stock has been limited since launch, so availability may vary.

What barley is Golden Promise, and why does it matter?
Golden Promise is a heritage barley variety once used by Macallan in its most celebrated era and later adopted by Karuizawa in Japan. It yields less than modern varieties but is prized for richness and texture, which is why a distillery growing and bottling it single-variety is notable.

Is Aberargie a Highland or Lowland distillery?
Aberargie is classified as a Lowland distillery, sitting just south of the Highland line near Perth. Despite the region, the house style aims for a rich, fruity and slightly waxy spirit rather than the lighter, grassier profile often associated with Lowland malts.