Fettercairn 12 Years Old 2008 Cask #DL 14164 (Old Particular)

The Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing bottled this Fettercairn, a 12 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask DL 14164, bottled at 48.4%, one of 354 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.

It was made on mountain water with the stills drenched in cold water, for a clean make of pineapple and citrus. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the tropical, fruity spirit growing rounder. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Highland spirit. American oak suits the tropical make, lending vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Long ageing turns the fresh tropical fruit towards dried mango, coffee and a soft spice.

At a hearty 48.4% it carries real weight. A clean, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run pineapple, citrus and a soft vanilla. A long, fruity finish carries a tropical fruit and a soft spice. This is Fettercairn, one of Scotland's oldest licensed distilleries.