Fettercairn 12 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask Edition (40%, OB, 2019)

• ABV: 40%
• Age: 12 Years Old
• Bottling: OB, Global Travel retail
• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £60.69 (per litre)
• Origin: Fettercairn distillery
• Vintage: undeclared

What they say

Fettercairn’s history offers a deep and rich backdrop to the brand, helping build credibility for our premium claims, and providing ammunition for our target consumer. The unicorn, Alexander Ramsay, Fasque Estate, 1824 founding, Gladstone, Victoria & Albert, the village arch, dunnage warehouses, the cooling ring, the hidden bottle in the warehouse walls – all details in a rich historical tapestry.

Since Sir Alexander Ramsay established the distillery in 1824 we’ve been going to extraordinary lengths to capture the purest expression of our whisky’s character. Located in the foothills of Scotland’s Cairngorms, we don’t just use crystal clear mountain water as an ingredient, we drench our stills with it, cooling the copper so only the finest vapours rise.

Official tasting notes:

• Colour: Sunlight and amber honey.
• Nose: Vanilla and pear, with soft spices.
• Taste: Pedro Ximinez sherry casks enhance Fettercairn’s signature tropical fruit notes and add a layer of sweet complexity. Peach, guava, and blood orange, with subtle liquorice. Hints of maple syrup and crème brûlée.
• Maturation: Aged in American White Oak Ex-Bourbon Barrels and finished in a Pedro Ximinez Sherry Cask.

What I say

Previously sampled during our recent visit to Fettercairn Distillery where we had a dram of this in the washback room with brand ambassador Andrew Lennie and distillery manager Stewart Walker – unfortunately I managed to get a reasonable impression of this whisky but didn’t take detailed notes on that occasion. This was dram #2 of 2019 #WhyteChristmas twitter tasting from Whyte & Mackay and hosted by Steve @thewhiskywire

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Full amber gold (10/20), medium-fine tears and thin legs
• Nose: Fruity, apricot, peach, plum, raspberry, floral, rose, turkish delight dusted with icing sugar, yeasty, ginger and orange marmalade on toasted malt loaf/soreen.
• Taste: Light on the palate, apricot jam, cherry and orange dib-dab/sherbet, dried mango pieces, cereal, malted barley flour, honey and oat flapjack, a little effervescent spice and yeast and some dry oak wood coated in thin caramel/syrup
• Finish: Medium-long, dry root ginger maintains a gentle spice

Overall

I preferred the standard 12 year old, the nose has some extra fruit and florality but the PX flavours don’t really shine through here just add a little extra to an already sweet and fruity malt.

Score 73/100

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