Fettercairn 28 Year Old - 42%

 

From the distillery

Aged in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels for 28 years, this Fettercairn expression is deep gold in colour. With initial bursts of pineapple and melon on the nose before giving way to treacle, banana, hints of warm ginger and liquorice. This whisky opens up to citrus peel and black pepper on first taste, followed by tempered walnuts, coffee, apricot and a touch of sweet balsamic for a rewarding drinking experience.

Nose: Pineapple and melon to start, followed by notes of treacle, banana and hints of warm ginger and liquorice.
Taste: Citrus peel and black pepper, followed by walnuts, coffee, apricot and a touch of balsamic.

Tasting Notes:

Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thick line which falls as slow, thick legs.

Nose: Tropical fruit notes particularly cooked pineapple and banana, vanilla, caramel and a musty, dunnage note.

Palate: Baked pineapple, tropical fruits, tobacco leaf, worn leather, damp earth and a mild note of mocha.

Finish: More coffee, old nutty oak and damp earth, accompanied with a slight gingery prickle.

Summary: It's a nice whisky, the tropical fruit notes in particular working well with the savoury tobacco and leather notes. The addition of that damp, musty note in the background adds depth and complexity. However, you can't help but wonder what this whisky could have been with a higher abv. 

I can't say it was my favourite of the session but it was still an enjoyable malt. When we get to the thorny subject of price, this will set you back over £400. Whilst this isn’t uncommon for a 28 year old whisky these days, in this instance I think I'd want a lot more bang for my buck.

This sample was part of a 5 dram tasting pack, purchased from The Spirits Embassy and used for a tasting session with Andrew Lennie, Brand Ambassador at Fettercairn Distillery.

If you would like more information on this whisky, or the Fettercairn distillery, follow the link to the company website.