Fettercairn 11 Years Old 2009 Cask #800297 (Valinch & Mallet)

This Fettercairn was bottled by Valinch and Mallet, an 11 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask 800297, bottled at 53.4%, one of 337 bottles. Fettercairn is a Highland single malt from the foot of the Cairngorms in Aberdeenshire, known for its tropical fruit style. It uses unpeated malt and matures mostly in American oak ex-Bourbon casks.

The spirit was run through the water cooled stills for a light, tropical make, the cooling rings lifting a clean, tropical character. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the fruity spirit. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the tropical, fruity spirit growing rounder. The cool Highland air of the Mearns gives a slow, even maturation in the dunnage warehouses. Long ageing turns the fresh tropical fruit towards dried mango, coffee and a soft spice.

At cask strength 53.4% it is full bodied. Pineapple, citrus and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is fruity and tropical, the light spirit shining through. The close is light and warming, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a tropical Highland malt from the foot of the mountains.