Following on the heels of the inaugural Fettercairn 16 Years Old whisky, the distillery recently announced the release of its successor.
The annual series celebrates different whisky maturation stories, while continuing to showcase what’s described as the distillery’s tropical style achieved from its distinctive copper cooling ring distillation process.
This latest release unites both Sherry-matured and Sherry-finished casks that are hand-selected casks from a small, family run Bodega in Jerez, Spain, include first fill Oloroso, refill Oloroso and first fill aged Palo Cortado Sherry butts.
Fettercairn distillers say these rare casks were selected with a focus on retaining the Fettercairn tropical house style, while taking on the sweetness of the dark and nutty Oloroso. This is complemented by refined vanilla and citrus notes from the aged Palo Cortado butts, which add complexity and depth to the ripe exotic fruit characters typically found in the Fettercairn spirit when it reaches its mid-late teens.
The distiller’s notes show that bottled at 46.4%, natural in color and non-chill filtered, the 16 Years Old boasts honey and bronzed hues. On the nose it features sugared almonds, dried fruit and aged wood while on the palate is a blend of Alphonso mango, citrus zest and apricots balanced with walnut, coffee and licorice notes. They give way to salted caramel, sandalwood and iced ginger cake on the finish.
Gregg Glass, Fettercairn’s master whisky maker, said in a prepared statement, “For me, this was about retaining the natural beauty and balance of our Fettercairn tropical house style while elevating the pure beauty and refinement of select, aged Palo Cortado and Oloroso casks. Combining these elements allows us to share another aspect and dimension to our truly unique warehouse stocks at Fettercairn.”
Kirsteen Beeston, head of International Malts at Whyte and Mackay, said the enthusiasm and love they saw for the first 16 Years Old reinforced their desire to create whiskies inspired by their enlightened whisky-making philosophy.
“This 16 Years Old reveals finely balanced tropical and soft spice flavors and showcases the approach we take to making single malt,” she said. “This time around, we’ve called on rare Palo Cortado which is an elegantly dry Sherry alongside the dark richness of Oloroso, to add a special flair to this single malt and showcase the excellent maturation expertise coupled with the ripe tropical distillery character when the spirit reaches the late teen years.”
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Fettercairn 16 Years Old is available now across Europe including France, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, extending to Global Travel Retail and key Asia markets in 2022, at comes with a retail suggested price of £69. The GTR edition will be in 1L formats with an RSP of £79.
For more information, check out www.fettercairnwhisky.com.
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