Fettercairn 12 Years Old (Premier Barrel)

A Fettercairn of a 12 year old chosen by the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, bottled at 46%, one of 336 bottles. Fettercairn, founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsay, is one of Scotland's oldest licensed distilleries. After Ramsay lost his fortune, the Fasque estate passed to the Gladstone family in 1829.

Worked through the cooling ring stills for a clean, fruity make, for a light, fruit driven spirit. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper pineapple and pear. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Highland spirit. The cooling rings raise reflux and copper contact, so only the lightest vapours rise, for a tropical spirit. Its water comes from springs in the Grampian and Cairngorm mountains above the distillery.

At 46% it is smooth and fruity. Pineapple, citrus and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is clean, the fruit carried on a light body. It finishes long, fruity and clean. This is the light, fruit driven malt of Fettercairn.