Edradour Sauternes Cask Matured – Small Batch 13 Years Old 2012

A 13 year old Edradour, a distillery bottling, from 2012, at 48.2%, 1983 bottles in all. Edradour is a full bodied, oily Highland malt made on Ben Vrackie water at Pitlochry. It keeps the old ways, with an open cast iron mash tun, Oregon pine washbacks and worm tub condensers.

The spirit was made in the smallest of stills and condensed in worm tubs, giving the full bodied, creamy Highland spirit. It was matured in a Sauternes cask, the wood working slowly into the rich malt. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the rich, oily spirit growing creamier. Active wood frames the rich fruit without overwhelming the oily Highland spirit. It was founded in 1825, growing out of an old farmers' cooperative in the glen above Pitlochry. Ben Vrackie water and a long ferment give the rich Edradour make.

At 48.2%, undiluted, it is deep and concentrated. A full, fruity sweetness, with honeyed apricot and a candied citrus from the cask. Soft chocolate and a nutty oil sit behind the cask. Dried fruit, chocolate and a soft oak see out a long finish. This is a rich Highland malt from the pocket glen at Pitlochry.