Fettercairn 2009/2015 Glenkeir Treasures
Treasure?
0 574
Review by @Pandemonium
- Nose18
- Taste17
- Finish19
- Balance20
- Overall74
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- Brand: Fettercairn
- Type: Scotch
- Region: Highland
- ABV: 40%
November 2015, on my way to visit my little sister, who studies at Aberystwyth University I made a quick stop in the city Oxford, to stretch my legs, take in some culture,… and of course find a whisky shop. And as so many British cities the independent liquor merchant has been replaced by a shop from “The Whisky Shop” chain. I’m going to be brutally honest here, when I think about a whisky shop, I see shelves filled with a wide variety of original whiskies that you normally wouldn’t find anywhere else. Is it me or does “The Whisky Shop” only have twenty or so different whiskies for sale, spread out thinly over their shelves to give you the illusion of choice. And they aren’t cheap either. I have no idea why anyone would choose their establishments over a cheaper webstore. Well it might be because they give their clients the opportunity to bottle their own whisky fresh the cask. This range is called Glenkeir Treasures. Well yes, it is too good to be true. No limited edition single cask here, it is the same three or four whiskies in every shop that you can tap from a small cask that is clearly too small and clean to be the original. Which is a bit puzzling, are there metal or plastic containers hidden inside or is “The Whisky Shop” giving them a virgin cask finish in the store? If that is the case, could it even be legally called Scotch Whisky?
End of rent and start of review
Description: a 6yo whisky from Fettercairn distilled in 2009, bottled in 2015 at 40 % ABV, no cask information was given.
Nose: flowery or rather fruity? No idea it is right there in the middle, notes of birch wood, apricots, honeydew and cardboard. Not a great start.
Mouth: nothing... oh wait, there it is. Quite fresh, heavy on the virgin oak tannins, caramel, a strange off-note of potting soil.
Finish: chocolate powder, cayenne pepper, cardboard, and latte coffee.
Verdict: weak palate, strong finish. But overall, yuck what a terrible dram. Watered down to a meagre 40% and boy does it show! Normally the strength of these younglings lies with their ability to deal a few punches, now she’s completely toothless. This just feels wrong: a young life ripped from the cask before its best years even started, what cruel faith!
Find where to buy Fettercairn whisky
So they dilute some whisky down to 40% and then put it in some gimmicky little in-store casks that they can make a show of bottling from? 2% cool, 98% dumb.
What part of your speculations would prevent it from being called scotch whisky?