Fettercairn 14 Years Old 2007 (Phil & Simon Thompson)

This Fettercairn was bottled by the Thompson Brothers, a 14 year old, distilled in 2007, bottled at 55.1%, one of 508 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 distilled from unpeated malt in stills cooled by their copper rings, for a light, fruit driven spirit. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the tropical, fruity spirit growing rounder. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Years in oak round the spirit, the pineapple and citrus deepening to a mango. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Highland spirit. The clean, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore.

At its natural 55.1% it is concentrated. Pineapple, mango and a gentle honey, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked pineapple and a gentle spice lift it. A clean finish ends on pineapple and a soft oak. This is a Highland single malt of real character.