Second edition of Fettercairn 18yo
Fettercairn Distillery announces the release of a new edition of its 18-year-old whisky, part of the producer's core portfolio.
Fettercairn 18yo is a beverage with a strength of 46.8% vol., matured as standard in American oak barrels and then subjected to additional maturation (wood finishing) in unique barrels prepared from oak grown in the Scottish Highlands.
The official 18-year Fettercairn edition was first prepared in 2022 and was the first such whisky from the distillery to be finished in local oak casks. The new edition is to be an improved version of it. The manufacturer promises notes of sugared almonds, spices, passion fruit and guava in its aroma. On the taste we can expect accents of tropical fruits in syrup, cookies, brioche, spices, berries, cocoa and vanilla.
Similar to last year's edition, Fettercairn 18yo has been prepared in limited quantities and will be available at selected specialty stores starting next month. Retail price is set at round £200.
The Fettercairn distillery is located at the foot of the Cairngorms mountains, slightly to the west, and was founded in 1825, shortly after changes in Scottish legislation made whisky production profitable. Today, the distillery is owned by Whyte & Mackay, which in turn is part of Emperador Distillers, based in the Philippines. In addition to Fettercairn doi Whyte & Mackay also owns Jura, Dalmore and Tamnavulin. The whisky production process at Fettercairn is carried out in a rather unique way. Namely, the necks of the alembics of the second distillation at the appropriate stage of the process are poured with cold water to increase reflux and produce a lighter distillate than the layout of the rest of the distillery equipment would suggest.
With two pairs of alembics, the distillery has a production potential of just over 2 million liters of pure alcohol per year. It was one of the first Scotch whisky factories to open its doors to the public, and this took place in 1989. The whisky produced here is primarily part of the Whyte & Mackay blends, but the Fettercairn single malt whisky has also been promoted for a little over a decade. Once called Old Fettercairn, it lost the "old" nickname in 2002. The distillery's core range includes 12yo, 16yo, 22yo and 28yo editions, but it has editions that are both distinctly older, such as 50yo, but also some noteworthy whiskies with no age declaration. One of them was Fettercairn Fior, a young whisky made with a base of heavily smoked barley malt.
In the offer of the House of Whisky Online you can find not only fettercairn distillery's full range of basics, but also a handful of editions bottled by independent distributors. We invite you to visit.
[20230614 / photo: Fettercairn]