Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 46.4%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Emperador Inc. (Whyte & Mackay Ltd.)
Average price: € 85.00
Official website: fettercairnwhisky.com
Vote: 84/100
After trying the single cask of the same age from the independent bottler Morisco Spirits, it was inevitable to pour into the glass the 16-year-old made by the distillery itself, an annual limited release in addition to the core bottlings of 12, 18, 22 and 28 years old.
Each of the three editions produced so far differs in the casks used for maturation: the first (2020) came from ex-Bourbon first fill casks with finishing in ex-Oloroso and Palo Cortado Sherry, the second (the subject of this article, 2021) all from ex-Sherry Oloroso first fill and refill and Paolo Cortado first fill, and finally the third (2022) from ex-Bourbon and a triptych of ex-Sherry, Oloroso first and second fill and PX.
This series is part of a larger project to relaunch the brand with an eye on sustainability and localisation: in addition to having planted 13,000 Scotch oak trees near the distillery, already some stocks of the distillate are resting in casks made from the same type of wood. Arrangements have also been made with farmers within a seventy kilometre radius for the supply of barley, with a view to creating a single farm whisky (ring any bells?) matured in local wood: it will take years (many!) to get there, but the vision is very clear.
Tasting notes
It’s fruit that sets the pace on the nose, a mixture of peach, apricot and banana jellies with candied orange and a handful of sultanas, on a cushion of cereal and honey with waxy veins. Vanilla cream, baked apple and a touch of almonds emerge from the background, completing a sweet but not cloying picture, thanks also to hints of lemon and a faint hint of ginger. Captivating.
If on the nose it was just a hint, on the palate the spicy part raises the volume considerably, with pepper, nutmeg and ginger driving the flavours more towards cereal and nuts components, with a slight astringency. Ginger biscuits, almonds, rhubarb and liquorice root in the foreground while peach, mango, pineapple and apple are in the background. Slight coffee note in the background, with a saline and mineral vein that grows in length along with vegetal impressions.
The finish is not very long and dry, with saline and mineral tips on nuts, apple, pineapple, mango and a drop of coffee.
The influence of the sherry did not overwhelm the essence of the distillate, which is able to emerge above all on the palate, contrasting with the nose in the balance of sensations. Not multifaceted enough to overwhelm but interesting enough to be drunk with pleasure, showing the care taken in the non-trivial use of the casks.