THEDAILYWHISKY

A 27-year-old Aberfeldy is news on its own. A 27-year-old Aberfeldy that has spent six of those years in Madeira casks is something else entirely.

The Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira Double Cask was released on 20 October 2026 as the newest bottling in the distillery’s Exceptional Cask Series. The spirit spent almost 21 years in ex-bourbon casks before Malt Master Stephanie Macleod moved it into Madeira casks for a further six years. It comes at full cask strength, 55.4% ABV, and only 276 bottles were filled.

The key facts

Name: Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira Double Cask (Exceptional Cask Series)

Distillery: Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, Highland Perthshire, Scotland

Age: 27 years

Maturation: Close to 21 years in ex-bourbon refill casks, then 6 years in Madeira casks ABV: 55.4% (cask strength) Colour: Natural Bottles: 276 × 70cl Price: £600 RRP Released: 20 October 2026

Where: Exclusively at the distillery and the Dewar’s Aberfeldy online shop

Why a six-year Madeira finish matters

Most cask finishes are measured in months, sometimes a couple of years. Six years is a different proposition. At that length, the Madeira cask stops being a top coat and becomes a genuine second maturation, which is why Aberfeldy calls this a Double Cask rather than a simple finish.

It is also a lot of time to hand to an active wine cask. After more than two decades on bourbon wood, the spirit arrived with a solid honeyed base, and six years is ample for Madeira to build body and depth on top of it. Get the balance right and the extra time delivers weight and layering that a short finish simply cannot reach. Macleod’s own description of the goal is that a great cask finish should feel like a natural extension of the whisky, and the distillery says she monitored each cask throughout the finishing period until the balance was where she wanted it.

What is Madeira, and why put Aberfeldy in it?

Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name in the Atlantic. What sets it apart from almost every other wine is how it is aged: deliberately exposed to heat and oxygen, either in heated tanks or slowly in warm lofts over many years. Most winemakers spend their careers protecting wine from exactly those two things.

The result is a wine with a rare combination of bright acidity and soft sweetness, alongside roasted nuts, stewed fruit, caramel and toffee. Those are natural partners for Aberfeldy’s honeyed house style, and the acidity is the part that matters most in a whisky this old. It keeps a long-aged malt lively rather than heavy.

Madeira is not new territory for Aberfeldy. The distillery’s core range includes a 12 Year Old Madeira Cask Finish, and the Exceptional Cask Series has previously featured a 21 Year Old Madeira finish at 43% and a 1999 vintage 24 Year Old Madeira finish at 53.4%. The 27 Year Old is the oldest and longest-finished of the Madeira releases so far.

The Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira tasting notes

We have not tasted this bottling yet, so the notes below are the distillery’s own.

Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira Double Cask: distillery tasting notes

Nose: Rich and inviting, deep aged character, layered Madeira richness over honey Palate: Crisp red apple drizzled with honey, candied orange peel, warming cinnamon Finish: Long and refined, sweet cinnamon spice

ABV: 55.4% | Cask type: Ex-bourbon, then Madeira (6 years) | Price: £600

At 55.4%, expect to want a few drops of water to let the fruit and the Madeira nuttiness open up. Try it neat first, then add water gradually.

Who makes Aberfeldy?

Aberfeldy was founded in 1898 by the Dewar family, the same family behind Dewar’s blended Scotch, and it remains the spiritual home of the brand. The distillery sits in the village of Aberfeldy in Highland Perthshire, roughly in the geographic middle of Scotland, and was designed by Charles Doig, the architect whose pagoda roofs became the visual shorthand for a Scottish distillery.

Its water comes from the Pitilie Burn, a stream known for deposits of alluvial gold, which is where the nickname “the Golden Dram” comes from. The house style is rich, honeyed and gently fruity, and it ages beautifully. That makes it well suited to long maturation and wine cask experiments. Aberfeldy is today part of the Bacardi portfolio.

Our experience with Aberfeldy

We have followed Aberfeldy for years, mostly through the brand’s Global Whisky Ambassador, Matthew, whom we have met many times at Whisky Live and The Whisky Show in London. Some of the most memorable Aberfeldy drams we have had came from those sessions.

The most recent was the Aberfeldy 24 Year Old White Port Double Cask, the summer 2026 Exceptional Cask release, which shares the same double cask idea and the same habit of letting a Portuguese fortified wine sit on top of the honey rather than smother it. We also think the standard Aberfeldy 21 Year Old is a seriously good whisky. On that track record, we are confident the 27 Year Old Madeira will stand very tall.

What is the Aberfeldy Exceptional Cask Series?

The Exceptional Cask Series is Aberfeldy’s home for small, limited bottlings chosen by Stephanie Macleod: single casks, double casks and small batches. Each one explores how a specific cask type can add to the Aberfeldy character. Previous releases have included Argentinian Malbec, ruby Port and Pauillac red wine finishes, a 22 Year Old Oloroso sherry cask bottled in 2025 for the 25th anniversary of the distillery’s visitor centre, and this summer’s 24 Year Old White Port Double Cask (50.7% ABV, 252 bottles, £350).

Price and availability: is the Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira worth £600?

The Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira Double Cask costs £600 and is a true distillery exclusive. It is sold only at Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery and through the official online shop, from 20 October 2026.

£600 is at the high end, and we will not pretend otherwise. But it buys a 27-year-old single malt at cask strength, with six years of Madeira and a bottle count in the low hundreds. This is for the Aberfeldy fans, for anyone who loves what Madeira does to a whisky, and for those who want a properly aged cask strength dram for slow sipping on a long winter evening. With only 276 bottles, it will not last long.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira Double Cask? It is a limited single malt Scotch whisky from Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery in Highland Perthshire, released on 20 October 2026 as part of the Exceptional Cask Series. It spent close to 21 years in ex-bourbon casks and six years in Madeira wine casks, selected by Malt Master Stephanie Macleod. Only 276 bottles exist.

What does Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira taste like? According to the distillery, it is rich and inviting on the nose, with crisp red apple drizzled with honey, candied orange peel and warming cinnamon on the palate. The finish is long and refined with sweet cinnamon spice. The Madeira casks add nutty depth and freshness to Aberfeldy’s signature honeyed character.

How much does the Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira cost? The recommended retail price is £600 for a 70cl bottle. It is a limited release of 276 bottles. Until 15 November 2026, the Dewar’s Aberfeldy online shop includes a free 30ml sample of Aberfeldy 40 Year Old with each purchase of the 27 Year Old Madeira.

Where can I buy Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira Double Cask? It is a distillery exclusive, sold only at Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, and on the official Dewar’s Aberfeldy online shop. The shop delivers to a limited number of international countries, so buyers outside the UK should contact the distillery before ordering.

Is Aberfeldy 27 Year Old Madeira cask strength? Yes. It is bottled at natural cask strength, 55.4% ABV, with natural colour. At that strength, a few drops of water can help open up the fruit and the nutty Madeira character. Taste it neat first, then add water gradually to find the point where it opens up for you.

Why is Aberfeldy called the Golden Dram? Aberfeldy draws its water from the Pitilie Burn, a Perthshire stream known for deposits of alluvial gold. The distillery was founded by the Dewar family in 1898 and is known for a rich, honeyed, gently fruity single malt, a style that suits long maturation and wine cask finishes.