Edradour 9 Years Old 2011 Cask #4 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Edradour, a 9 year old, distilled in 2011, from cask 4, bottled at 56.7%, one of 582 bottles. Edradour is a full bodied, oily Highland malt made on Ben Vrackie water at Pitlochry. A 2018 expansion added a second still house, the production still small and traditional.

It was drawn off the tiny stills and cooled in worm tubs for an oily make, the worm tubs lending a weighty, oily character. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the rich Edradour make. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted sugars (light caramel) over the creamy make. The cool Highland air of the glen gives a slow, even maturation in the small Edradour warehouses. It keeps the old ways, with an open cast iron mash tun, Oregon pine washbacks and worm tub condensers. It was founded in 1825, growing out of an old farmers' cooperative in the glen above Pitlochry.

At 56.7%, undiluted, it is deep and concentrated. A full, fruity sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, nut and a creamy malt fill the middle. The finish is rounded, fruity and gently spiced. This is the little gem of the Highlands at Pitlochry.