Whisky : Fettercairn 11 Year SMWS 94.5 “Vineyard mudguard”

Country/Region : Scotland/Highlands

ABV : 56.1%

Cask : First Fill STR Barrique

Age : 11 Years (Distilled 5 Aug. 2007, Bottled 2019)

Nose : Waxy sweet honeycomb, musty grapes, and bitter grape leafs.  Earthy mineral notes of a child’s rock collection, brown sugar, and pineapple upside down cake give the dram some depth.  Dried cherries and overripe berries develop in the background.

Palate : Pleasant light body with mild oiliness.  Sweet earthy and fruity notes jump out first; grassy green hay, floral olive oil, and churned wet earth.  A bit of salt compliments sweet honey, wax, and mineral oil notes on the back end.

Finish :  Lingering sweet honey.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Dolmadakia and Chilled Red Wine.

Something Better : Octomore 6Y Sauternes R&BT (similar olive/mineral, more smoke/brine)

Something Similar : Cooley 14 Year; The Exclusive Malts (musty grapes/oily body, more ginger/wood)

Something Worse : Nikka Date (similar musty grapes/olive oil/pastry, less finish/body, more spice)

Notes : A pleasant, albeit simple and young, Fettercairn.  Between some of the nice waxy notes and the interesting combination of earth, mineral, and grassy-florals, I quite enjoyed this one.  It was certainly a little funky and strange, but overall it punched pretty well and had decent depth for a dram right past the decade mark.  It might have benefited from more time in the cask and developed additional depth and maturity, but that was about the only thing really holding it back.  Otherwise it was a perfectly pleasant sipper with some intriguing notes that opened up beautifully over time and became more floral with a few drops of water.  It was not really the sort of bottle I would buy, but I would very happily accept a pour of it or pick it out of a lineup of similar fruity Highland expressions.