Fettercairn 22 Years Old 1997 Cask #HL 17200 (Old Malt Cask)

A Fettercairn of a 22 year old chosen by the Glasgow bottler Hunter Laing, distilled in 1997, from cask HL 17200, bottled at 50%, one of 247 bottles. Fettercairn is a Highland single malt from Whyte and Mackay, known for pineapple and tropical fruit. It was the second distillery licensed in Scotland after the Excise Act of 1823.

Distilled from unpeated malt in stills cooled by their copper rings, for a clean make of pineapple and citrus. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a light vanilla to the fruit. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a drying structure while oxidation builds a richer, coffee tinged fruit. The cool Highland air of the Mearns gives a slow, even maturation in the dunnage warehouses. A gentle maturation suits the light make, the tropical fruit growing richer with time. Its water comes from springs in the Grampian and Cairngorm mountains above the distillery.

At cask strength 50% it is full bodied. Tropical fruit, vanilla and a soft spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A dried fruit and a soft oak give it depth. It finishes long, fruity and clean. This is Fettercairn, one of Scotland's oldest licensed distilleries.