The Highland distillery of Fettercairn has refreshed its core domestic and travel retail ranges to coincide with its 200th anniversary celebrations this year. Part of this has been to announce the permanent addition of this Fettercairn 16 years old expression to its revamped domestic range. It joins the flagship 12 years old, with a 24 years old expression completing the set. The new travel retail range offers 14-, 17- and 25 years old whiskies.
The 16 years old was previously an annual limited edition, which saw the whisky released in small batches and feature differing cask maturations. We reviewed the inaugural bottling from 2020 here - this featured rare chocolate malt with initial maturation in ex-bourbon casks before finishing in ex-Port and ex-sherry barrels. This permanent addition for the new 2024 range is purely matured in ex-bourbon barrels and is described by the brand as being 'the epitomy of Fettercairn'.
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 to four times UK Prime Minister William Gladstone and it 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 16 years old is bottled at 46.4% ABV and is available now via specialist whisky retailers worldwide. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. For further information, please visit www.fettercairnwhisky.com. A bottle will cost US$110/ £87.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is vibrant gold and the nose is sweet, fresh and expressive. Uplifting aromas of fresh coconut, vanilla pod and white peach mingle with white chocolate, cocoa powder and white pepper. The vanilla aroma evolves towards crème anglaise and vanilla patisserie with time in the glass.
On the palate this whisky feels buttery and creamy - it is a superb sensation in the mouth. The vanilla notes are again to the fore and is reminiscent of good vanilla ice cream. This sits alongside plenty of creamed coconut and juicy over ripe tropical fruit - think of mango and pineapple especially. The pineapple note becomes more like caramelised or grilled pineapple with time. Other fruity notes come through well also. These included notes of peach compote and apricot tart.
While the palate is tropical and luscious, everything is underpinned by a distinct malty cereal note. This adds an earthy depth to the palate and accentuates the sweeter elements. This is also backed up by some delicious warming spice - imagine a combination of cinnamon stick, clove and star anise, with a pinch of white pepper. The white chocolate and cocoa powder from the nose appear towards the end, as does a hint of drying oak.
The finish is soft and long. The creaminess of the palate seems to drag this out, as does the depth of flavour. The tropical fruit notes fade first and this allows the warming spices and oaky characteristics to pull the finish out further. A hot, peppery kick rounds things off nicely and leaves the mouth watering and wanting more.
What's The Verdict?
This is a fine whisky from Fettercairn and a great permanent addition to their core domestic range. While we have enjoyed previous incarnations of the 16 year old, this one really hits the spot and feels very traditional. It is refreshing to see full maturation in ex-bourbon barrels - this is a style of Scotch whisky that we absolutely adore - and this allows the fruity Fettercairn spirit to shine superbly. Ex-bourbon barrels offer no hiding place and this has resulted in a sublime whisky.
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