SMWS 94.14 (Fettercairn 32yo 1988/2021)

SMWS 94.14 (Fettercairn 32yo 1988/2021)

2021, SMWS
Single malt - East Highlands
Sunshine yellow
52.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, malted grains, sourdough bread, white grapes, nutmeg. With water, sourdough bread, candle wax, lemon zest, hoppy beer. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, hot, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, sourdough bread, malted grains, hoppy beer, white grapes, hints of cinnamon. With water, malted grains, candle wax, lemon zest. 
Finish: Medium. Hoppy beer, white grapes, malted grains, magic marker. 

Comments: 

Zesty and estery, lots of cereal notes too. Water opens it up, becomes more malty and waxy. There’s still plenty of lemon and white grapes though, very complex dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Fettercairn 40yo 1969/2009 Rare Vintage

Fettercairn 40yo 1969/2009 Rare Vintage

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Dark amber 
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Walnuts, walnut skins, sourdough bread, lemon zest, white grapes, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Sourdough bread, nutmeg, cloves, raisins, lemon zest, walnut skins, malted grains, candle wax, lychees. 
Finish: Long. Blackcurrant cordial, raisins, damson jam, cough syrup. 

Comments: 

Intense and layered, a great example of how aged whisky can taste. Lots of great cereal notes? Overload with a nutty bitterness, with plenty of blackcurrant. Utterly delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Fettercairn 30yo 1988/2019 (bottled for C Dully Selection)

Fettercairn 30yo 1988/2019 (bottled for C Dully Selection)

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden
56.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chicken stock, marrowfat peas, vitamin C tablets, malted grains, honey, white pepper. With water, ink, marrowfat peas, honey, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, cool, mouth coating, expands. 
Tasting:  Salty. Chicken stock, marrowfat peas, malted grains, white pepper, chalk, honey. With water, honey, white grapes, chalk, ink. 
Finish: Medium. Malted grains, fresh baked bread, honey, hints of fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Cask 2007. Quite a savoury whisky, lots of chicken and sweet peas, with a peppery, chalky undertone, especially on the tongue. Very complex, unusual, and quite delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Fettercairn 24yo 1997/2022

Fettercairn 24yo 1997/2022

Fynest Series, Loch Fyne Whiskies
Single malt - East Highlands
Bright yellow
53.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fennel, camphor, sandalwood, lemon zest, white pepper, malted grains, hay. With water, sandalwood, malted grains, white pepper, hints of roast chicken. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, expands, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Lemon zest, fennel, mint, malted grains, camphor, fresh cut grass, white grapes, white pepper. With water, camphor, molasses, toast, honey. 

Finish: Long. Mint, molasses, honey, fresh cut grass, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Cask 1903355. Quite herbal but water brings out some savoury hints of roast chicken. Water also cuts the maltiness on the tongue, leaving a lingering fragrance of sweetness.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Fettercairn 22yo 1998/2020

Fettercairn 22yo 1998/2020

Celebration of the Cask, Carn Mor
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale gold
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Gooseberries, lemon zest, magic marker, malted grains, white pepper, hints of camphor, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, gooseberries, cream, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Malted grains, lemon zest, gooseberries, camphor, grapefruit, white pepper, hints of gentian. With water, vanilla, cream, malted grains, honey. 
Finish: Short. White pepper, malted grains, lemon zest, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Cask 3222. Fruity but with a bitter edge, lots of citrus and camphor. The finish doesn’t match the rest of the dram, a little short, although it’s peppery and citrusy.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fettercairn 22yo

Fettercairn 22yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Dark gold
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, honey, malted grains, vanilla, caramel, rubber bands, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Pencil lead, white pepper, honey, rubber bands, leather, pears, gooseberries. 
Finish: Long. Malted grains, pears, pencil lead, gooseberries, honey. 

Comments: 

Feinty and fragrant, lots of leather and rubber bands notes, but it’s well integrated with the fruity notes in the background. It all makes for a very complex, layered dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Fettercairn 29yo 1988/2017

Fettercairn 29yo 1988/2017

75, Maltbarn
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale green gold
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, gooseberries, lemon zest, yoghurt, ink, iron filings, strawberry laces. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Peat, iron filings, gooseberries, wet stones, ink, lemon zest, pears, hints of roast beef. 
Finish: Medium. Pears, gooseberries, ink, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Fruity, astringent, but retains a bitter, slightly metallic note. There’s a meatiness to this whisky, but it’s delicate and probably present only as a faint note on the back palate.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fettercairn 34yo 1975/2009

Fettercairn 34yo 1975/2009

Old Train Line, Jack Wieber’s Whisky World
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber bronze
48.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, yoghurt, ink, iron filings, fresh cut grass, dried pears, hints of oak. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, raspberries, dried pears, iron filings, fresh cut grass, sarsaparilla, hints of oak. 
Finish: Long. Black pepper, raisins, raspberries, cream, ink, iron filings. 

Comments: 

Cask 0297. Quite feinty and minerally, almost metallic. There’s also a herbal edge, grassy sarsaparilla, that fades to raspberries and cream on the finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fettercairn 10yo 2012/2022

Fettercairn 10yo 2012/2022

Provenance, Douglas Laing
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale cream
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, yoghurt, malted grains, dunnage, vanilla, peanuts, caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, turns watery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, walnuts, yoghurt, malted grains, lemon zest. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, dunnage, walnuts, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Cask DL16916. Tart, lots of green apples and butterscotch, with a pleasing complexity. There’s plenty of bitter notes, especially on the finish, that make this dram interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fettercairn 11yo 2008/2019

Fettercairn 11yo 2008/2019

Old Malt Cask, Hunter Laing
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, barley sugar, lemon sweets, maple syrup, butterscotch. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, oily, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh cut grass, dried thyme, barley sugar, lemon juice, hints of wet stones. 
Finish: Long. Maple syrup, fresh cut grass, sea salt, wet stones. 

Comments: 

Cask HL 16646. This is the first of the new Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask expressions that I've tried. It's sweet and herbal, quite light considering the level of sugar. Something salty in the finish, something dusty too. Nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fettercairn 8yo 2009/2017

Fettercairn 8yo 2009/2017

Cask Collection, AD Rattray
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden
60.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Caramel, malt vinegar, malted grains, lemon zest, leather, hints of damsons. With water, damsons, more malt vinegar, gooseberries, lemon juice. 
Mouthfeel: Light bod, astringent, tingly, sharp. 
Tasting: Sour. Malt vinegar, caramel, orange juice, leather, hints of smoke. With water, lemon zest, toast, sour cream. 
Finish: Short. Malt vinegar, orange juice, caramel, hints of cream. 

Comments: 

A very strange whisky. There's heaps of sour, slightly chemical notes, like malt vinegar, but this is made more gentle by some citrus and some smoke. Water does not ameliorate the vinegar, instead it oddly intensifies the acidity. For all that, it's not unpleasant. Instead, it's very interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 94.4 (Fettercairn 24 yo 1989/2013)

SMWS 94.4 (Fettercairn 24 yo 1989/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - East Highlands
Light gold
52.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, freshly cut grass, hazelnuts, brass polish, apricots. With water, red peppers, hay. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, turns syrupy. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Milk, hazelnuts, orange zest, apricots, brass polish. With water, salty, hints of olive oil, grass. 
Finish: Medium. Apricots, orange zest, hints of chillies. 

Comments: 

Complex and confusing, a bit of a mess if I'm honest. My own tastebuds and nose aren't in the greatest tasting shape, but I suspect this whisky really has a lot going on.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Fettercairn Fasque

Fettercairn Fasque

Official bottling (Tesco exclusive)
Single malt - East Highlands
Amber Copper
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red fruits, bananas, chocolate, vanilla, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, loosens on the tongue. 
Tasting: Sweet. Bananas, red fruits, vanilla, chocolate, toffee, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Sweet, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon. 

Comments:

This is a Tesco exclusive bottling. Fettercairn was a favourite of an old gentleman who was a kind and gentle chap. This is the first Christmas without him. Great tasting, decent value on Christmas offer at Tesco. I especially like the spicy notes that seem to spark in the mouth and in the finish.


Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Fettercairn 13 yo 1993/2007

Fettercairn 13 yo 1993/2007

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - East Highlands
Straw
59% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Mint, raisins, prunes, leather, toffee, chocolate, hints of brown sugar. With water, sweeter, strawberries, lemon sweets.
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, tingly, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Mint, raisins, prunes, leather, brown sugar, vanilla, strawberries, hints of leather. With water, sweeter, lemon sweets, orange peel.
Finish: Medium. Prunes, toffee, leather, walnuts.

Comments:

Light, yet complex. Sweet, strong and redolent of dried fruit neat, then opens up, turning more delicate and fruitier with a touch of water. Very tasty, needs just a little bit of water. Adding too much destroys the balance.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Old Fettercairn 10 yo

Old Fettercairn 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Highlands
Golden
43% ABV
Dram (a very, very small one)

Nose: Raisins, mint, vanilla, toast, sponge cake, glace cherries, lemons.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, thickens, slightly tingly.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, photocopy paper, mint, vanilla, sponge cake, oak, hints of sawdust.
Finish: Short. Raisins, sponge cake, oak, mint, toast.

Comments:

A small drop from "the smallest bottle of whisky in the world". As such, it is about half a mouthful, but enough, I think, to write a useful tasting note. It's remarkably like Christmas fruitcake, lots of dried fruit, vanilla, and an eggy French toast sort of flavour. It doesn't hang around in the mouth long - drinking this took about two seconds! And I miss it already...

Verdict:

I like this.