Fettercairn – 22 Year Old (70cl, 47%)

Fettercairn – 22 Year Old is a whisky from Fettercairn (Highland). Aged 22 years, bottled at 47% ABV, 70cl. One of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland, Fettercairn was opened in 1825 and after having many owners (including Sir John Gladstone, father of 4-time British Prime Minister William Gladstone) it is at the heart of many of the Whyte & Mackay range. The malt produced is predominantly used in blends but they also produce their own range of aged single malts. Fettercairn has a very traditional style set-up with an open-topped mash tun, wooden washbacks and small stills. There are even soap grinders on the sides of the wash stills. These would have been used to add non-perfumed soap as a surfactant to stop the stills boiling over. This all points to a firm, quite heavy, nutty style of spirit. This was accentuated between 1995 and 2009, when the condensers were made of stainless steel. This also added a slightly burnt, pot ale character to the new make. However, a unique cooling ring attached to the top of the swan neck, which sprays cold water down the sides of the still, aids reflux and helps the spirit lean toward a lighter style.