Yes, Fettercairn OBs from various times, and one that's actually an IB series by Whyte & MacKay, the Stillman's Dram, but since Whyte & MacKay owns Fettercairn Distillery I see it as an OB this time... Kind of like the S/V bottlings of Edradour. I've said a lot of things about Fettercairn before in this blog, so no need to do that again. A common nominator for all of these whiskies are that none are bottled at cask strength. I'll be tasting from right to left as you see them, ending with the Fior.
Old Fettercairn 8yo 40% OB for Importato Da Pilla S.P.A. Castelmaggiore
A bottling from the 70's. Rare stuff, but rare doesn't always mean good, although the prices these days might suggest so. Amber hue. It smells honey, peppery, quite intense perfume, butter, malty. The taste is peppery, honey, floral, creamy, gouda, wax, very rich for its young age and low strength. The finish is oaky, malty, peppery with hints of chewing tobacco and lavender.
A very nice whisky, complex and rich: 7.5
Old Fettercairn 8yo 43% OB for Liquorama S.A.S. Di R. Orlandi & Co. S. Donato Milanese
Another young oldie, probably from around the same time as the prior one. I do not know how the connection with Italian became, but I think the Italians discovered the pleasures of single malt a bit before the rest of europe. This whisky is just a tiny bit lighter in color, golden. It smells white wine, grapes, roasted nuts, chilies, feta, white paprika. The taste is sweet, light, creamy, milk chocolate, pistachio. Once again great stuff, great Old Fettercairn from times gone by. peppery and short finish.
The finish holds this one back just a bit: 7
Fettercairn 1824 12yo 40% OB
This was a short-lived whisky they made in the last half of last decade. I remember it was kind of ill received, and it wasn't my favourite, but the first batches were alright I think, 6-ish in my book. This is one of the last batches before most shops stopped selling it, but I fear not! The color is deep golden and adjusted to such. It smells malty and sort of spirity, perhaps some leeks and burnt oak. The taste is
sweet and bitter, beetroots, sweet potatoes, stewed onions, creamy. Nice. The aftertaste on the other hand is bitter and burnt.
Not bad, but it lacks much of the richness of the other two: 5.5
Old Fettercairn 10yo 40% OB
I think this is the 80's or early 90's Old Fettercairn, before they upped to 43%abv. I have not tried this one before against the 10yo 43% that became its successor. I'll have that one next. Light golden color. It smells sweet, maize, pesto, caramel, cinnamon, red bell peppers, green tea. The taste is light and peppery, soft whisky with a tiny peppery edge. Really light and a bit too mundane. The finish is drying and bitter.
This is one to start with, if not it will disintegrate, too weak: 3.5
Old Fettercairn 10yo 43% OB
The successor of the last on and the predecessor of the 12yo 1824. Let's see, but I think they had legitimate reasons when they launched the 1824 although it didn't fulfill their expectations, I believe. Enough politics, let's taste. It has a light golden color, also tampered by E's. It smells spirity and peppery, dry white wine, tonic. The taste is burnt and spicy, mostly burnt. This a one-dimensional whisky! The finish is just drying and spirity.
This is the worst Fettercairn I've ever had: 2
Fettercairn 1824 30yo 45% The Stillman's Dram Whyte & Mackay btl.001102
I don't think W&M bottles this series anymore, but when they did it was a nice alternative to their standard bottlings. Same color as the last two ones. It smells herbal, nettles, oregano, basil, thyme, orange zest, turmeric. The taste is very sour, grainy, oaky, a bit too much oak in this one for my palate. I think it needs some water. With 1 1/2 teaspoon added, to be precise, it gets more rounded, apple juice and cointreau are coming my way. Sweet as it gets, but a bit light for my liking. The finish is peppery and oaky without water, with water its minty and fresh, how is that possible?
It seems a bit tamed by the years in wood, I wish they bottled it at CS: 4.5
Fettercairn NAS 43% OB Fior
One of the things I find impressive about Fettercairn is that in the midst of the Cairdeas'es, Legends, A'bunadhs, Moch's, Traditional Cask's, and so on, all with No Age Statement, Fettercairn launches a series of 24yo, 30yo and 40yo. And this one. But remember, no stock in this whisky is younger than 12yo except the small share, about 5% I think, of peated whisky. But once again, its all in the tasting. This one has the color of red. They say there's a lot of sherried casks going into this whisky. It smells peppery, old books, orange juice, licorice, jägermeister, bitter and herbal. This one has a bit more going for it then the last ones. The taste is peaty, minty, oranges, coriander, a very sweet and light whisky. I have to say this is perhaps the perfect starter to a sushi, but for a whisky it lacks a bit.
The ultimate middle of the road, which isn't bad considering the price: 5
Next tasting: Cragganmore Distillery
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar