Edradour 12 Year is nicknamed "Caledonia" after a song by Scotsman Dougie MacLean, who helped select the whisky from the Edradour casks as well. Matured in ex-bourbon casks for 7-8 years and then transferred to ex-Oloroso casks for the last 4-5 years, it's bottled at 46% ABV with no chill-filtration or coloring. Let's see what Scotland's smallest distillery can do with two extra years in the cask.
Nose: Sherry fruit (golden raisins), honey, and Earl Grey tea. Strong undercurrent of moss, wet leaves, perhaps sulfur. Not much smoke, unlike the 10 year. A little closed off ... does well with a few drops of water, which reduce the sherry and increase the tea and moss.
Mouthfeel: Middle of the road.
Palate: Sherry fruit here too, more honey, and more of that black tea. More moss, perhaps sulfur. Orange peel and oak tannins - quite strong oak tannins. Water does well here too, putting the sherry in the backseat.
Finish: Dry and short. Sherry and oak, and then it fades rapidly away.
Verdict: I prefer the 10 year old, but I like this - it's like an Earl Grey tea bag made love to a bottle of Aberlour Abunadh. Interesting - full of flavor - punches WAY above its weight at 46% - but ultimately leaves me wanting a bit. Needed more smoke, more complexity, more ... difficulties, maybe. An interesting dram, though. Worth exploring at least once.
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