Aberlour Distillery stands in the heart of Speyside, where the Lour Burn meets the River Spey. The present distillery was founded in 1879 by James Fleming, a local grain merchant, banker and benefactor. His motto, ‘Let the deed show’, remains an important part of Aberlour’s identity. Fleming sold the business to Robert Thorne & Sons in 1892. A major fire destroyed much of the distillery and its whisky stocks in 1898. Under the direction of architect Charles Doig, the complex was rebuilt later that same year.

Following further changes of ownership, S. Campbell & Son acquired Aberlour in 1945. The number of copper stills increased from two to four in 1973, and Pernod Ricard purchased the parent company one year later. Aberlour is now managed by Chivas Brothers. The distillery is distinguished by its long-established expertise in cask maturation. Alongside American oak, it uses specially made Spanish oak casks prepared to its own specifications with Oloroso sherry. This approach forms the foundation of both the Double Cask range and A’bunadh, the cask-strength expression launched in 2000 as a tribute to James Fleming.

Thosop was a Belgian independent bottler founded in 2007 by whisky enthusiast and collector Luc Timmermans. The name appeared both as Thosop and Thosop Import. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Scotch whisky and his particular passion for Glenfarclas, Timmermans selected casks that he believed had sufficient character and quality to be released in their own right.

Thosop became best known for its Handwritten Label series. The simple, individually written labels formed a striking contrast with the often rare and highly regarded whisky inside the bottle. The range included single casks from distilleries such as Port Ellen, Clynelish, Littlemill, Longmorn, Tomintoul and Glenfarclas. Many releases were bottled at cask strength, without added colouring and without chill filtration.

From 2011, the range was continued by Dominiek Bouckaert, known for The Whiskyman, while Luc Timmermans remained involved in selecting distinctive casks. Thosop ceased operating around 2014, but its small outturns and carefully chosen whiskies have given the bottler an almost cult-like reputation among collectors.