Fettercairn 12 Year (SMWS 94.18 "Balanced as a Bird on a Wire")

 

This is the first Fettercairn I've ever had - a single cask independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), a nice standard 12 year ex-bourbon cask version. Should be a nice way to get to know the distillery, which is owned by Whyte and Mackay (who also own Dalmore and Jura). 

Here are the official notes:

The nose suggested good cask influence – woody and aromatic – we imagined mixed spices ground in a mortar with olive oil or a French polisher’s workshop (varnish, oak, used polishing cloths). The palate found mango and dried papaya, fizzy orange sherbet and lemon thyme. A drop of water awaked the nose – geraniums and orange blossoms, lemon and orange peel, gin botanicals, tropical fruits and charred oak. The palate now gave us coconut oil and a balancing act between custard, marshmallows and foamy shrimp sweetness and slightly more bitter oak shavings, almond skins and quince – as balanced as a bird on a wire.

Solid notes here. This is bottled at a VERY high 64.2% ABV. Let's explore this new-to-me distillery: 

Nose: The neck pour on this was 100% bourbon. Like straight up sniffing a glass of bourbon. It was wild! But after half a bottle down, it transformed slowly but surely. Now the nose is slightly sour malt, big wet tobacco leaf, brown sugar, vanilla pods, rich wood, soft spices, and ... wood polishing cloths. That note from the official list is right on the money! Lots of polish/varnish scents on the back end. Quite an interesting nose, actually. 

Mouthfeel: Very oily, heavyish. 

Palate: HOT. Big alcohol bite at 64.2%, that's for sure. I get rich malt, pineapple, orange ice cream, soda fizz, orange peel, and something herbal. Also a lot of wood on the back end, but not too bitter. A little more earthy and astringent than the nose predicted, but still pretty nicely balanced. 

Finish: Wood, mango, orange, menthol cigarettes. Nice. 

Verdict: I like this, but I am not sure I could pick this out blind from a lineup. That is to say, it's attractive and pleasant and even a little bit interesting, but doesn't have a big signature or anything. I am interested in trying more, which is perhaps the highest compliment I can give it.