Absolutely Aberlour: The Iconic Brands from the Immortal Village

We care a lot about our heritage, history and origins here at Walkers Shortbread. The story of Walkers started in the Scottish Highlands in 1898, and we wanted to tell you about the village where we have been based for over 100 years. Find out more about our home town, Aberlour, and the iconic brands that are based here!

Aberlour in the Scottish Highlands

Aberlour is situated in the Speyside region in the Scottish Highlands. We have stunning scenery, great local people and a wonderful community of staff, suppliers and businesses surrounding our local headquarters. The village is surrounded by dramatic Highland scenery, and is situated 12 miles south of Elgin. Aberlour straddles the Lour burn, a stream which is a tributary of the majestic River Spey. Aberlour means ‘the mouth of the chattering burn’ in Gaelic, and the fresh spring water has been key to the growth and expansion of the village throughout time. The region is called Speyside due to the influence of the river Spey, which has meant that the area has thrived, amongst other things as the commercial centre of the Scottish whisky trade, and the home of The World’s Finest Shortbread. 

Aberlour has a long history, with early mentions from the 1650s. The current village, which is known by the name of Charlestown of Aberlour was officially founded in 1812 – a short century before Joseph Walkers opened the doors of his bakery. Because Aberlour is situated in such a scenic landscape, it is important for us to care for the environment, and we have been recognised for our environmental efforts in our family run business.

Walkers Shortbread

Walkers Shortbread has been based in Aberlour since the early 20th century. Joseph Walker had seen great success within the first years of his independent bakery, and moved to Aberlour to facilitate growth and expansion. He succeeded, and today Walkers is the largest independent biscuit maker in the UK. We are the largest exporter of biscuits and shortbread, selling our products to over 90 countries. Today most of our products are shipped on lorries, trains, planes and ferries to destinations across the globe, but our original delivery trucks from the 1930s still have a nostalgic place in Aberlour identity. (You can buy the collector’s Walkers Vintage Truck on our website!) 

Aberlour Whisky

At the other end of Aberlour from the home of Walkers Shortbread, you find Aberlour Distillery. This is one of the many successful Speyside distilleries, with a long history back to 1879. The distillery is open to visitors, and has a proud history as one of Scotland’s premier distilleries.

Charlestown of Aberlour

A fun fact about Aberlour village is that its full name is in fact Charlestown of Aberlour, although most people just use the shorter name. It was given the name in 1812, when Charles Grant of Wester Elchies promoted a new town to the east of the existing Aberlour village. He called it Charlestown, and designed a beautiful village along the burn. His town planning has stood the test of time, even if the name he promoted has fallen somewhat out of use.