Fettercairn
Founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsey who was one of the people who had campaigned for the licensing of whisky making..
As with a few other distilleries Sir Alexander Ramsey employed staff who had previously been involved with making illegal whisky.
The distillery was sold along with the land to the Gladstone family who’s most famous member might be William Gladstone who became the British prime minister.. Gladstone was responsible for the abolishment of taxes on the Angels share and instead allowed it to be sold by glass bottles..
The distillery is forced to close due to fire in 1887 but re opens a few years later only to close its doors again in 1912 due to liquidation..
Mothballed in 1926 it remains closed until 1939 when bought by Associated Scottish Distillers ltd.
In 1952 a cooling ring was added to the spirit still in order to cool down the outside of the neck which in turn increased the condensation inside and only allowed the lighter vapour to rise and escape into the condenser..
The distillery stops production of its own melting floor and soon after increases production with the addition of 2 more stills..
Today the distillery has the capacity to produce 3.2 million litres from its 2 sets of stills, a Buhler which is only 4 years old and so very different to the typical Porteus mills we generally see…11 wooden washbacks ( mostly replaced but No 1 and No2 are around 40 years and will be replaced shortly ) a 5 ton mash tun ( copper ) and generally has a 56 hour fermentation time..
Fettercairn 12
Solely matured in American oak ex bourbon casks this 12 year old was launched in the latter part of 2018 when the distillery went through a complete re brand..
Distillery.. Fettercairn
Region.. Highlands
Age.. 12 years
Abv.. 40%
Casks.. American Oak
Nose.. Starts off spirity before those floral notes start to shine through, some freshly peeled apples, orange juice, pineapple, cinnamon and fresh ginger gives it a kick and a hint of chocolate lurking in the background..
Palate.. A real whack of ginger greets you instantly before cinnamon buns, fresh apples, pear, pineapple and a little mango show up.. That chocolate note eventually shows up too with some soft coconut, vanilla and a little citrus peel bitterness.
Finish.. Spices and tropical.
Thoughts.. As an entry level whisky there is not much to complain about.. It would be nice with a little more Abv but isn’t that the case in most instances..
It delivers a decent flavour profile and sits well within the entry level price range. Reach for this on those warmer summer months and it will go down rather easily..
Sample provided as part of a Twitter tasting..
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