I feel Fettercairn did a great job upgrading itself in August 2018, producing new curiosity amongst whisky fans. The core vary Fettercairn 12 Yr previous and among the Warehouse 2 batches are properly balanced drams.
Then again I’m nonetheless just a little cautious when impartial bottlings. They usually have a unusual facet, similar to the previous core vary bottlings the truth is. As we speak we’re investigating a 2009 from Liquid Treasures and a 2011 by Greatest Dram.
Fettercairn 12 yo 2009 (53,7%, Liquid Treasures ‘Winter Version’ 2021, refill sherry, 132 btl.)
Nostril: just a few pencil shavings up entrance, in addition to freshly opened packs of matchsticks. Nonetheless fairly brilliant and clear. Candy mustard, inexperienced leaves and hints of espresso beans. Birchwood. Funnily there are hardly any basic sherry notes like dried fruits. It stays pretty brilliant, with hints of candy lemon and honeydew within the background.
Mouth: a number of white pepper now, with fruit eau-de-vie, apple seeds and a vegetal facet. Some grassy notes, with leathery dryness and a few pungent mustard notes once more. Inexperienced and leafy, with echoes of cardboard and hardly any fruits. A faint salty edge as effectively, perhaps Fino or Manzanilla?
End: medium, some zesty citrus now. Nonetheless apple piths. A late trace of caramel sweetness seems.
A quite unconventional Fettercairn, with a barely austere facet and an unusual mixture of flavours. Not a crowd-pleaser – it will have been instructional to get some details about the sherry cask. Bought out at eSpirits however nonetheless obtainable from just a few companions.
Fettercairn 10 yo 2011 (54,6%, Greatest Dram 2022, first fill bourbon barrel #800355, 220 btl.)
Nostril: a lot cleaner, with a extra basic mixture of fruits (lemons, oranges, unripe bananas), mild vanilla and an honest oaky kick. Then just a little white pepper, in addition to some inexperienced twigs and hints of ferns. Barley water and freshly crushed mint leaves too.
Mouth: a pleasant oily texture with candy maltiness, lemon sweet, grapefruit peels, vanilla custard and icing sugar. Orchard fruits. Then white pepper units in. Additionally cookie dough, nougat and blended nuts in the direction of the top.
End: lengthy, with candy barley, stronger wooden spice and creamy vanilla.
Whereas the Liquid Treasures releases was a bolder and extra attention-grabbing selection, this affords extra easy pleasures. It’s a great instance of recent, brilliant, fashionable whisky. Nonetheless available within the German market. Rating: 85/100
