Edradour 12 Years Old 1999 Natural Cask Strength [Cask #290] – Ibisco Decanter (Distillery Only)

• 58.7% ABV,
• £60 for 70cl
• Score: 88/100

What they say:

Distilled on the 22nd June 1999 at Edradour Distillery and bottled on 4th February 2013, this 12 year old has been bottled at natural cask strength of 58.7% ABV into Ibisco Decanter bottles, of which this is number 400 of 671 total produced.

What I say:

Purchased at Edradour Distillery, following the tour we had a wander round the shop and marvelled at the variety of Signatory bottlings, looking for unusual (closed) distilleries or birth years of distillation. We already owned some of the Straight from the cask series of interesting wine-finishes so I was looking for something more stereotypical of Edradour. Having spoken to our tour guide for their favoured option we plumped for this 12 year old, matured in sherry cask #290.

Colour:

Deep ruby red

Nose:

Raisins, leather, cocoa, sherry, prunes, figs, peach, orange, plum, very fruity with aromas of oaky wood

Taste:

Hint of rubbery, sugary sweet spices before deep prune and raisin, black cherries and ginger, chocolate coated cinder toffee and toasted marshmallows

Finish:

Medium fruity and tannic leather

Would I buy it again:

At first this was a little too powerful, both in ABV and heavy sherry influence. Having been opened and aired/bottle aged for around 6 months a lot of the powerfully rough edges have smoothed out into a pretty fantastic sherry bomb of a dram. A little water brought out the rubbery element and intense sherry fruits and spice, whereas a little breath of air had mellowed this into something I can really enjoy. Always partial to a good sherry-finished whisky, this one delivers complexity and depth and evolves into a little candy shop of flavours.