Old Fettercairn 26 yo Stillman's Dram

Old Fettercairn 26 yo Stillman's Dram, standard bottle, 750 ml, box packaging, 90 proof, about $135. This has been replaced by a 30 yo version at around $170.



As another of the Whyte & Mackay distilleries you can recognize Fettercairn in their blends once you've had some.Old Fettercairn is now called just Fettercairn but such was not the case in 1977 when this malt was distilled. An International Wine and Spirits Competition Gold medal winner as is the new 30 yo version. This is a splendid whisky, and was described by one judge as ,"A warm elegant glow wraps its silky elegance around you - refined and seductive. Soft pears and apple, with a hint of grapefruit completes this great malt. Stuningly beautiful!!" Hard to beat that with my limited whisky knowledge.

This scotch noses full with a light clean scent with some sherry, vanilla and peat buried far into the mix. Tasting is very smooth, sweet and with no alcohol burn whatsoever with a finish that is long (much longer then you'd think for a light whisky) sweet and very clean. Overall a very nice dram that is perfect for after dinner.

A great dram to drink and one of the more unknown single malts at age for the collector.

Great review, AVB!

Gregor

sounds positively yummy

Sounds incredible! This review really piques my interest. Thanks :thumbs:

CA ran a series on Scotch tasting last year. I think that I need to break them out again to get the nuances that AVB can differentiate. Might even be able to do my own reviews here sometime.

Gregor

Please do, the more the merrier.

gregor22 said:

Might even be able to do my own reviews here sometime.

Gregor

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I managed to get my hands on some of this somehow :whistling: and promised a review after my head cold was gone. Well, lucky for me, today was clear sailing and I could taste once again! The following is my review:

As the clock moved closer to midnight it was time for me to prepare the New Year's cocktail. The wife and I usually share a bottle of bubbly, but seeing as how she's pregnant, that was out this year. I decided I'd have a man's drink and selected my sampling of this whisky.

I prepared this as I have prepared each single malt I've tried (not many) with 2 shots in a high ball glass with 1 shot of cold bottled water (yeah, I'm a newbie ). The nose of this was very sweet and pronounced. My wife picked up the aroma from several feet away. I couldn't detect any vanilla or peat as AVB mentioned, but I'm chalking that up to my lack of experience. I don't really know what sherry smells like, so I don't know if that was around or not...

The first sip was incredibly smooth! No bite to speak of and quite sweet. The flavors stuck around for some time and really provided for prolonged enjoyment of each sip. I tasted what I thought was some butterscotch, a touch of citrus as mentioned in the above review, and maybe even a little malt (but I'm not sure if the malt was really there or not. Yeah, I'm REALLY a newbie ).

As I sat watching the revelry of the local New Year's Eve celebration on television the drink warmed a bit closer to room temperature. At this point, the flavor intensified noticeably and the whisky really came alive. The drink was still very smooth, but the sweetness was more pronounced (I think I got a little honey flavor, but I'm not sure if it was really honey or something else I just couldn't identify) and the finish was even longer. The bite was a little more pronounced as well, but it was not unpleasant in the least. This whisky was twice as good at room temperature than it was chilled by the cold water.

I would have to say that this is one of the most enjoyable experiences with whisky that I have had. I have never in my life tasted anything this good from a bottle of any kind. I will be saving this one for the next occasion in my life that merits a drink of this caliber; likely the birth of my second child in April. The drink will definitely be enjoyed at room temperature.

I'm sure that my palette and inexperience cannot do this whisky justice in a review. The attempt was a true pleasure.

Thank you for this wonderful experience Ray. :thumbs:

Glad you liked it. I tried to pick one that went with what you have had already and didn't want to bowl you over with something like a Peat Monster. I can tell you were to find the 30 yo version if you're interested.

AVB said:

Glad you liked it. I tried to pick one that went with what you have had already and didn't want to bowl you over with something like a Peat Monster. I can tell you were to find the 30 yo version if you're interested.

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My taste buds are interested, but I don't think my wallet is right now. :laugh: With the expectant arrival this spring, I'm afraid I'd fell the full brunt of the iron skillet if I bought a bottle in that price range. When the time comes, I'll get back to you. If it's no longer available...well, the sacrifices we make for our kids. :blush:


Thanks again!