People keep telling me I should try recent Edradour whisky, especially from sherry casks, to overcome my long-time aversion towards the brand. I tried too many sulphury examples in my early days of whisky exploration.
Here’s a sherry butt distilled in 2008, in the Ultimate series by van Wees.
Edradour 8 yo 2008 (60,4%, van Wees ‘The Ultimate’ 2016, sherry butt #118, 696 btl.)
Edradour 8 yo 2008 (60,4%, van Wees ‘The Ultimate’ 2016, sherry butt #118, 696 btl.)Nose: deep sherry, with truckloads of prune liqueur and dried figs. Raisins. Some caramelized nuts and tobacco. A bit of a damp, earthy undertone as well, and a few struck matches, especially when you add water, but it’s not as dirty as I feared.
Mouth: sweet and very strong of course. Peppery, with orange zests, mint, liquorice and herbs. Hints of wholegrain bread. Very big, still on the meaty side. Takes water reasonably well.
Finish: long, still fierce, with chocolate and spices, mainly pepper.
Still not a raving review, but a pretty good Edradour nonetheless. Thick sherry and the meaty side that many people love. Around € 60, still available from a few Dutch retailers.
Score: 85/100