The unlikeliness of Fettercairn

November 29, 2013

The unlikeliness of Fettercairn - again

It seems that Diageo, now quasi-owners of Whyte & Mackay, are about to sell Jura and Fettercairn to other parties. I've read that that could be Campari, or Bacardi, or Jim Beam, or Brown Forman, or Russian investors, or Chinese investors, or Indian investors. Maybe time to have some Fettercairn?

Fettercairn 14 yo 1996/2011 (46%, Signatory Unchillfiltered, cask # 4241, 304 bottles)

Signatory had quite a few 1996s. No easy whisky, I think... Colour: pale gold. Nose: not easy for sure. I find some rubber, some raw malt, some raw eau-de-vie (farmer's kirsch) and touches of new plastic as well as a little soap and dust. On the better side, some oranges. How unsexy! Mouth: not quite. Fanta and green pepper, the whole feeling kind of chemical and frankly aggressive. After ten minutes, it's become grassy and bitter. Very challenging. Finish: not too long but with notes of cardboard and burnt herbs. Burnt mint leaves? More lemon in the aftertaste - hurray. Comments: a strange beast, acrid and totally unsexy. The aftertaste saves it. SGP:352 - 74 points.

Fettercairn 19 yo 1993/2013 (54.1%, Cadenhead, small batch, bourbon hogshead, 462 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: same kind of nose, but much cleaner, which changes everything. So rubber, plastic and kirsch have become much tinier and now represent assets rather than problems. As Paracelsus would have said, the dose makes the poison. Also quite some chalk and clay, then more grass. With water: works a treat, very nice lemons and hay. Mouth (neat): some kind of soapy lemon and lime, but that soapiness kind of works in this context, that's hard to explain. Maybe also a little cologny. With water: typical. Lemons, malt and 'plastic'. Very unusual but kind of works. Finish: medium length. More lemon and wax/plastic. Comments: I think Fettercairn is often difficult, but also that this one's rather in the upper echelon. I don't think we can ask for much more. SGP:451 - 82 points.

Fettercairn 1990/2013 (51.5%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon, cask #MoS 13004, 242 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: some sulphur this time, and that's not sulphur from the cask. It's also very butyric and almost rancid at times, quite an experience again! The good news is that all that tends to vanish, leaving more room for some pleasant lemony, mineral and porridgy notes. With water: tiny-wee notes of cabbage but other than that, it improved indeed. Lemon marmalade, limestone, chalk... Mouth (neat): I like this! It's the first that's 'immediately good', without detours and all on lemons and citrons (maybe ala Clynelish, in a way), with only a little barley sugar and no dirtiness. Good mouth feel. With water: waxier and, well, more Clynelish. How could we be against that? Finish: quite long, waxy and lemony. No more cabbage. Comments: fun stuff, needs water, plays with you. SGP:551 - 84 points.

How about a very old official to round up this little session?

Fettercairn 30 yo 1955 (41.2%, OB, Whyte & Mackay, +/-1985)

My oldest Fettercairn ever. Colour: full gold. Nose: well, it seems that Fettercairn was already quite wacky back then, although that would rather go towards rotting tobacco bales this time, with the sulphury notes rather in the background. Hay, farmyard, leather, ham, then more oranges, patchouli, menthol, more tobacco... A very intriguing nose, I'm really curious about the palate. Mouth: very good arrival but tends to nosedive after only two or three seconds. In the arrival, oranges, tobacco and soft spices (cloves, cinnamon cake). Not a lot after that, except one or two mint drops and a little liquorice. Finish: very short and obviously cleaner than expected. A little burnt caramel and a little malt, plus funny touches of kippers in the aftertaste. Comments: it's good that no one ever considered rebottling some of these in ugly decanters and selling them back at Asian airports for silly money. It's very good old whisky at times, the attack is actually great, but it really lacks oomph by today's standards. Partly flattish. SGP:341 - 82 points.

(with thanks to Angus)

Check the index of all Fettercairn I've tasted so far