FETTERCAIRN 12 YO Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70 cl

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The chocolate tones follow through to the taste but swiftly give way to a more pronounced hit of grapefruit. This is paired with a touch of lemon and the citrus flavors leave a sourness that sets your mouth watering. The finish is sharp but not at all unpleasant because it’s coupled with the sweetness of raisins. Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. I’m often asked by my non-whisky friends why I visit so many distilleries. Surely, they say “….they’re all exactly the same, haven’t you seen it all many times before?”. Well, in technical sense yes – water, barley and yeast = whisky – and the processes of mashing, fermentation and distillation are common across all distilleries in their essence. But, it’s the differences – some incredibly subtle – at each and every stage of the whisky making process which result in marked variances of the end liquid. The minutiae of the processes operated across different distilleries * are* different. And they’re important. A change here, or a change there will have a dramatic effect on the flavour and character of the eventual whisky. To the uninitiated it’s easy to understand why things might look the same, but under the hood, there’s a reason why whiskies are different.

Taste: The natural weight of the spirit isn’t allowed to shine at 40%. There’s some viscosity, but once it gets beyond the front of the mouth it feels underpowered and rather anaemic. The flavour delivery is better – orange sherbet, stone fruit preserves, dried mangos and a side bowl of stewed currants. Running throughout – characterful distillery notes of maltiness, porridge and yeasty bread - livened by white pepper and allspice. Resting is beneficial, offering an easier equilibrium between the spirit and the cask. It adds orange liqueurs and stem ginger whilst assimilating some of the sourer notes into the sweeter ones. Patience Padawan. It may not be a massive price jump but it is a jump nonetheless, and when you consider that Springbank and Ardbeg, the two nearest in price are bottled un-chill-filtered at 46%, while Fettercairn is diluted to 40%, the difference looks all the more dramatic. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819.No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. Distillation at Fettercairn is still a process of evaporation and condensation – so, as my friends would suggest – exactly the same as everywhere else. However, not only is the distillery’s cooling ring unique, it’s also an integral part of what makes Fettercairn unique – both in terms of industrial innovation and also as a key contributor to their spirit character and whisky style. It’s these differences which keep me visiting distilleries - time and time again. And if we want our whiskies to have marked differences in aromas and flavours, and not become a homogenised corpus of liquid, it’s these differences which should be celebrated. B and B-: Good and above average. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. A B- is three stars. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise.

This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. In 1830, Sir Alexander sold the distillery as well as Fasque Estate to Sir John Gladstone, father of William Ewart Gladstone who would be Prime Minister on four occasions over the course of the 19th century and, during which time, he would not only legalize the selling of bottled whisky to the public, but also scrap the Malt Tax. Mouth: rather weak (unsurprisingly) but pleasantly rounded. Oranges, Panettone cake, candied ginger and vanilla custard again. Soft clove and herbs, now also a slightly rough oaky touch. Metallic hints. A bit of creamy mocha too. Nose: Fettercairn yeastiness meets sweet sherry. Orange peels, juice and marmalade (there’s a lot of orange here) sit with golden syrup and dehydrated mango slices. Malty loaves and oven-baked buns are joined by dusty spices – cinnamon and allspice - whilst ripe berries (cranberry and strawberry), Eton Mess, stem ginger and crushed hazelnuts emphasise the influence of the PX finish. It’s sweet. Super sweet.

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Fettercairn distillery was founded in 1824 by Alexander Ramsay, owner of the Fasque Estate beneath the foothills of the Grampian Mountains. Following the Excise act of 1823, Ramsay converted an old Corn Mill on his land into a distillery but was sadly unable to make a success of it. By 1829 he had lost his fortune and his estate, distillery included, was sold to the Gladstone Family. As opposed to being an entirely different beast, this PX finished Fettercairn clearly presents similarities to its standard 12 year old cousin. The underlying character of malty, yeasty, fruitiness is present and correct – and it’s still interesting – offering more stimulation than many run-of-the mill 12 year old bottlings. But, whether the Pedro Ximenez finish has actually elevated the experience is, to my palate, open to question. The following indicators should be taken as only a guide and not a set of hard and fast rules. Some "premium" whiskeys really are quite terrible, while some mass market products are good enough to pour into a decanter and serve to the Duke of Edinburgh. A+: A masterpiece and one of the ten best whiskeys of its type. Above five stars. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”).

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Fettercairn is a distillery who’s differences are more visually apparent than most. An open-topped mash tun (always fun to see in operation) produces a cloudy wort – this results in a more malty, nutty and spicy spirit style as opposed to a clear wort which centres on sweetness rather than cereal character. But, perhaps the biggest alteration from the norm comes with Fettercairn’s stills. Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. The finish is on the short side, especially once the sweet and fruity elements fade. A slight bitter and metallic edge appears and this lingers on alongside some delicate baking spices and a faint vegetal note. The 12 year old Scotch from Fettercairn has been matured in American white oak, ex-bourbon casks before being bottled at 40% ABV.