After almost overwhelming experiences with both Gordon & Macphail and That Boutique-y Whisky Co, my tasting companion and I were on our way out for a break at the London Whisky Show. However, en route were distracted by the Fettercairn stand…. what did we try?

Fettercairn 16 year (2021) Batch 003, 46.4% 

• Nose – Shy but present, sweet, almond paste and maybe a bit of ginger?
• Palate – Clear sherry influence, woody, quite balanced at first, then the spice became more prominent than the wood, as it evolved, became warmer
• Finish – Sweet smoked paprika, then a bit nutty
• Water – It is worth adding – becomes smoother, much sweeter with marzipan

Our tasting guide shared that the expression was matured in Oloroso & Palo Cortado Sherry Butts. To be honest, we didn’t spend much time with this one.

Fettercairn Warehouse No. 2 (2022) Batch 004, 48.8%

• Nose – What you would expect from the casks – some honey, orchard fruits and something a bit different
• Palate – Spicy and sweet, quite active – flavours bouncing around

The idea behind this series is to showcase the distillery ‘spirit & character’ through different batches that will differ each time. In this case, we sampled the 4th batch which had first-fill ex-bourbon casks (approx 74%) as its ‘base’, and some second-fill ex-bourbon casks (20%), with the balance from Hungarian oak wine casks that were re-charred.

When you wander through the booths at a Whisky Festival, there comes a point where impressions start to blur, tasting notes get shorter and it is clearly time for a change in pace. This is why after the Fettercairn, we decided to step out of the main area, took a break, and rather re-enter, next went to a masterclass!

As for other Fettercairn tasting experiences? Read on…

• Fettercairn 12 year 40%
• Fettercairn 12 year (Oct 2006 / Feb 2019) Refill Barrel 57.4% (North Star 007)
• Fettercairn 21 Year (May 2018) 48.6% Batch 3  (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

• WordPress https://whiskylady.co/
• FaceBook Whisky Lady India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN 
• Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN