Aberdeenshire Batch 1 Glen Garioch 12 year old Little Brown Dog Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky 46%

Behind the gates of Little Brown Dog's distillery in Fetternear, Bennachie rises above the barley fields — the hill that watched over Aberdeenshire long before anyone thought to make whisky here. That landscape is stamped on the label, and it's the character this bottle carries through.

Expert's Description

Little Brown Dog Aberdeenshire Single Malt 12 Years is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon and sherry casks and bottled at 46%.

Little Brown Dog is an independent bottler and micro distillery, founded in 2018 by vet Andrew Smith and farmer Chris Reid on a farm in Fetternear, Aberdeenshire. After eight years focused on single casks and small experimental releases, Aberdeenshire Single Malt is their first permanent core expression — a whisky designed to be bought again and again, not just tasted once.

The spirit is distilled at Glen Garioch, just ten minutes from Little Brown Dog's own bond. The Oldmeldrum distillery has been making whisky since 1797 and is known for its unpeated, malt-forward Highland style. Little Brown Dog has deliberately chosen not to put the Glen Garioch name on the label — they call themselves whisky makers in their own right, not just bottlers, though they're open about it if you ask.

Batch One is a vatting of 60% first-fill bourbon barrels and 40% oloroso and PX sherry casks, a mix of refill and first-fill wood — the same recipe used for the distillery's PPP release. The result is natural colour and never chill filtered, a balanced, old-fashioned style of unpeated Highland malt. Each batch runs to around 2,000 bottles, hand-numbered, and while the core recipe stays the same, the small batch-to-batch variation is something Little Brown Dog celebrates rather than smooths away.

The label is drawn from the silhouette of Bennachie, as seen from the gates of the distillery and bond, with forest and fields in the foreground. Look closely and you'll spot Peedie — one of the team's actual little brown dogs — hidden in the barley field, alongside a farm gate and an LBD cask. A QR code on the bottle, "Scan Yer Dram," links to a page with the full cask breakdown and the story behind this particular batch.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Stewed peaches meet apricot Danish pastry and preserved brambles — sweet and lightly baked, like a barley field on an autumn morning.

Palate

Toffee apple and a custardy texture with juicy pears, seasoned with fresh figs and a touch of sherried sweetness.

Finish

Orange marmalade and warm spiced cake fade into a last note of freshly roasted coffee, long and rounded.

Specifications

Name: Little Brown Dog Aberdeenshire Single Malt 12 Years
Distillery: Glen Garioch
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: 60% 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels, 40% Oloroso and PX Sherry Casks (Refill and First Fill)
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Number of Bottles: Approx. 2,000 (Batch One)
Barcode: 5065015785279

Flavour Profile

Sherry-Matured · Rounded · Fruity · Toffee-Like

Did You Know?

There's no actual tomato in this bottle, but Glen Garioch has a surprisingly green-fingered history: from 1977, the distillery piped waste heat from its stills into on-site greenhouses, growing up to 200 tonnes of tomatoes a year for sale locally.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Little Brown Dog Aberdeenshire Single Malt

What does Little Brown Dog Aberdeenshire Single Malt taste like?

It offers ripe stone fruit, sherried sweetness and a lightly toasted finish. The nose brings baked apricot and preserved brambles, the palate settles into toffee apple and juicy pears, and the finish closes on marmalade with a hint of coffee. It's a rounded, approachable style that never tips into overly sweet, thanks to the sherry casks' spiced counterbalance.

Why isn't Glen Garioch named on the label?

Because Little Brown Dog has deliberately chosen to foreground their own name over the distillery's. They're open about using Glen Garioch as their spirit source if you ask, but they see themselves as whisky makers in their own right, not just a bottler of someone else's cask.

What sets this apart from Little Brown Dog's single casks?

It's the first whisky from Little Brown Dog designed as a permanent part of the range rather than a one-off release. Where the single casks sell out and never return, Aberdeenshire Single Malt is built to be bought again — the same core recipe, batch after batch.

Which glass suits this whisky best?

A Glencairn glass is the obvious choice, as its tapered shape gathers the stone fruit and sherry aromas without letting the alcohol dominate. A regular tumbler works fine too, for a more relaxed dram.

Should it be drunk with ice or water?

A few drops of water can open up the sweeter notes and soften the texture, while ice mutes both aroma and flavour considerably and is best avoided if you want the full experience. Neat, at room temperature, is still the best place to start.

Why can the flavour vary slightly from batch to batch?

Because Little Brown Dog works in relatively small batches of around 2,000 bottles and doesn't fine-tune every release to be identical. They treat the natural variation between casks as part of the charm of a handmade whisky, not a flaw to correct.