As the sunbeams rain down on me and the temperatures seem to be rising once more, I found myself with an appetite for a glass of Fettercairn 16. And when I think tropical whisky, the first thing that comes to mind is not something from a tropical isle. It’s from the Highlands of Scotland and has te be a Fettercairn! Often abundant in flavours of pineapple, coconut and other tropical fruits such as papaya and guava, I find Fettercairn’s spirit the perfect accompaniment to a tropical day. In today’s review we’ll be finding out if the 4th release of Fettercairn 16 can foot that bill!
Fettercairn is not the only Scottish distillery that boasts tropical notes in its spirit ofcourse, the Arran 10 is another example of a great tropical dram. But Fettercairn, with it’s unicorn emblem, always seemed a little underestimated to me. The spirit is often very pure and pairs the tropical notes with a very well balanced roundness, that I often quite appreciate. Seeing as the unicorn stands for purity and strength, it seems the label fits the whisky.
Tasting Notes: Fettercairn 16 – 4th release 2023
Stats:
Age: 16 years old
ABV: 46,4% (92,8 proof)
Distillery: Fettercairn
Natural Colour: Yes
Chill-Filtered: No
Nose:
An utterly pleasant nose awaits with loads of dried apricots and white chocolate covered almonds. There’s also an abundance of white raisins and walnuts, with a lovely helping of spice in the form of nutmeg, kardemom, and cloves to boot.
Palate:
The palate seems to continue from the nose, with plenty of white chocolate dipped almonds and raisins. Paired with luscious honey and delicate Turkish delight this time around though. Some ground black pepper brings a bit of spice to this dram, but all-in-all it remains focused on its sweeter elements, where notes like marzipan, fondankt, apple crumble, freshly baked cookies seem to reign supreme!
Finish:
A medium long finish that’s once again a continuation from the nose and the palate of this dram. More white chocolate covered almonds, seem to pair nicely with apricots and wild peaches for a bit of a fruity layer near the end.
Food Pairing:
It would be fun to pair this dram with some white chocolate covered almonds, as that note is so prevalent in this dram. That having been said though, I personally think the pairing with a Pastel de Nata fits this dram like a glove. This Fettercairn 16 will also pair wonderfully with some goat cheese and spinach frittata’s though!
Verdict:
This is an utterly lovely and well-rounded dram. It’s far from spectacular in the sense that it doesn’t take you on a whirlwind of directions. It’s just very tasty, and very consistent. I personally love the whisky in my glass and this is one that will go great with a food pairing. In other words I do not fault it’s lack of excitement, for the dram is still wonderfull albeit very relaxed. But I do find myself surprised, as you can clearly tell from my notes that I didn’t find many of the tropical notes I know and love Fettercairn for.
I am someone who likes suprises in general, and this was certainly a pleasant one. Perhaps not something I’d recommend to a die hard Fettercairn fan, but definitely something I’d recommend highly to fans of atypical releases!