Fettercairn 12 Years

Fettercairn

Origin

Highland (Scotland)

Type

Single Malt Whisky

Barrel

Sherry

Age

12 years

Alcohol

40°

Value

50 points

About the product

Fettercairn's 12yo is not only the cornerstone and flagship of the standard range, it is also one of the distillery's best expressions if you want to get to know their signature flavour profile. This whisky matured for at least 12 years in oak casks (American oak) that previously contained bourbon whiskey. These are the most widely used casks worldwide for maturing whisky, and are known for both keeping the character of the basic spirit very well (refill casks) and adding additional flavours such as vanilla, honey, coconut,... (first-fill casks). So by using a sophisticated combination of these casks, you can do a great job of highlighting the identity of what your distillery produces. That is exactly what they have done at Fettercairn with this 12yo.

It starts with the colour: a beautiful golden colour that makes you think of sunshine and honey and a sign that the casks have done their job just enough. The nose and mouth amply confirm that hunch: vanilla and orchard fruit (pear, apple,...) engage in a beautiful duet with soft spices from the oak. This is a whisky made for drinking and it makes no effort to dissuade you from doing so. The finish really reveals the quality of the Fettercairn 12yo: refreshing nectarine, tropical fruit, subtle roasted coffee, clove and ginger. A memorable final note of soft sultanas and black toffee. Delicious from start to finish, you will feel tempted to pour some more.

About the brand

Fettercairn is an unusual distillery, which is really known to too few people. It was founded in 1824 in the village of Laurencekirk, in the east of Scotland near Aberdeen. For a long time, they made almost only single malts for parent company Whyte & Mackay's blends, but that changed in 2018, when it was decided to invest in official single malt bottlings again. The 12yo was the first of these, and a particularly fine example of a whisky that balances flavour, individual character and budget.

Fettercairn is unique in terms of its production process. It is the only distillery in the world to have installed a ‘cooling ring’ on the outside of its stills. This allows the boilers to cool along the outside during firing by running cold water over them. The purpose of this, despite the fact that their shape and size would basically allow them to produce mainly robust spirit, is to achieve a lighter and fruitier element.They are so proud of their cooling rings at Fettercairn that they even chose to incorporate them into the design of their bottles - you can see an embossed ring at the top of the bottle, and the water also appears to run down the bottle in relief.

At Fettercairn, they also dare to choose to experiment - especially in terms of wood maturation, they are ahead of their time and are working with special types of wood, spearheading, for example, a major project to plant Scottish oak and use it for casks. This is already producing exciting one-off and limited expressions, including in the Warehouse range and for the annual 16yo bottlings.