Last year, the Highland distillery of Fettercairn refreshed its core domestic and travel retail ranges. This coincided with its 200th anniversary celebrations. This Fettercairn 22 years old expression forms part of the revamped domestic range. It joins the flagship 12 Years Old, 16 Years Old with a 24 years old expression completing the set. The travel retail range offers 14-, 17- and 25 Year Old expressions.
The Fettercairn distillery is located near in the village of Fettercairn, near Laurencekirk in the east Highlands. This sits between the towns of Montrose and Stonehaven. It was founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsay but he sold it to Sir John Gladstone in 1830. He was the father of four times UK Prime Minister William Gladstone and the distillery remained in the Gladstone family for nearly a century. It is currently owned by Whyte & Mackay and is considered a prized malt within blending circles. The current annual capacity is 3.2 million litres.
The Fettercairn 22 Years Old has been matured exclusively in first-fill American ex-bourbon casks. It is bottled at 47% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The whisky is available in specialist whisky retailers worldwide. For further information, please visit www.fettercairnwhisky.com. A bottle will cost around £250.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is bright gold and the nose is sweet and laced with fruity aromas. Up first are juicy, ripe peach and apricot. These are borderline tropical with a suggestion of fresh pineapple and mango. There is also tonnes of vanilla, which is most reminiscent of good patisserie custard. Underneath sit further aromas of blanched almond, plus floral honeysuckle. Some damp oak, especially young sapling, plus a pinch of baking spice round things off.
On the palate this whisky is big, fruity and malty, The malty notes lead the way and create a base for everything else. The bittersweet malt allows the luscious, fruity characteristics from nose to become more amplified and exaggerated. Imagine super ripe, juicy pineapple and peach in particular. Then comes a lovely creamy note. This combines blanched almond again alongside the patisserie custard. A hint of white chocolate serves to accentuate this. There is plenty of vanilla also, while a warming and underlying spiciness stops the sweetness dominating too heavily.
The finish is of decent length and much more drying and oaky than before. The malt again underpins everything and there is an evolving and distinct sourdough-like yeasty vibe. There are warming baking spice aplenty. An underlying fresh gingerbread combines nicely with pinch of cinnamon and white pepper.
What’s The Verdict?
This Fettercairn 22 Years Old is really very good. It is a smart, clean and vibrant whisky for its age. It shows how careful maturation in high quality ex-bourbon barrels can create a stunning whisky over a prolonged period of ageing. This whisky also shows off the distillery’s fruity and tropical character perfectly. It is a perfect whisky for sipping and savouring, and has a decadence feel. You are getting exceptional quality for your money. Superb.
