Edradour 10 Year The Distillery Edition

My apologies in advance. I suspect this will be a lengthy review of an Edradour 10 year old. I was very curious after reading a fantastic review of this dram by a friend. I had Edradour in a tasting about five or six years ago. I don't recall many details now, but I do remember that expression was free of both sherry and peat. I thought it was enjoyable, but overpriced compared to others in the tasting. Anyway, after seeing the review, I looked for a bottle of Edradour 10 in my area. The lowest price I found was $55, the highest was $72, and they were difficult to locate. It looks exactly as described by my friend, dark as cola or dark rum in the nosing glass. The aroma is redolent of malt, with sherry notes of aged fruit like raisin, date, and fig. These are present in the mouthfeel along with a wonderful heavy oiliness. There's also a little vanilla and barrel char. This is definitely NOT the dram I sampled a few years ago. I agree with my friend that this bottle seems older than 10 years. Tasting it next to a Glendronach 12, the Glendronach's sherry influence seems "fresh" in comparison; this Edradour comes across as having older fig and date notes. Apparently, Edradour's success and reputation have significantly improved since Andrew Symington purchased it in 2003. He is known for striving for the best quality and creating many experimental expressions. One account I read stated it used to be called "EDRASORE" due to poor quality before his takeover. Their website indicates there are 4 in the classic range, 6 cask strength, 11 wine finishes, 4 wine matured, and 5 heavily peated expressions. According to "Malt Yearbook 2020," they opened a new distillery on site in 2018, doubling production capacity. Perhaps when I'm 80, some of those other expressions will be available to me here. Right now, I can only find their flagship 10 year old. Most of their malt has no peat, and when they do use peated malt, the distillation occurs only in the original still house. I hope the information I've found is accurate. I tend to buy whiskies I really enjoy regularly by the case. My local small shop gives me a case discount. They got a case of six Edradour 10s for $50 per bottle for me. I'm a happy old man.

Alright, I’m here to stir things up tonight. I’m no distiller or blender, and I admit my qualifications are questionable… but I’ve finished more than a few bottles over the years and I did stay at a hotel last night, so I feel justified in stating the following: This is not sherry-finished whisky that's been re-seasoned. This is not sherry from first-fill casks. This is not "Oops, a bit of sherry was left in the barrel bottom" dosed. This has to be simply blended with sherry. In fact, I’d easily believe it if I were told it was 50/50. My bottle looks purple-brown and three times darker than the picture on the site (perhaps exaggerating), yet it claims to be "natural color." Maybe they're being clever, since coloring is indeed naturally derived… but this stuff might be darker than some rums. Okay, rant finished. As for the experience, I don't get much on the nose, and the palate doesn't quite "pop," but it's creamy and pleasantly malty, then brings orange, prune, and fig. Marzipan and black walnut. Currant. Exceptionally rich, but the sweetness is well-controlled. It seems to have more in common with well-aged, decadent rums (like Diplomatico, but with half the sweetness) than other Scotches I'm familiar with. There's a surprising "bourbon-like" quality to it – corn, oak, caramel, and vanilla. Is it even legal to sneak some into new charred oak? Ultimately enjoyable to drink, unobjectionable (aside from the suspect dark appearance), and with a couple of aspects turned up to eleven, I’ve enjoyed the bottle. I'm just not sure it's worth buying again at over $60, given my preference for musty and sulfuric sherry over rich and velvety Christmas pudding sherry. A decent pour, and I'd buy more if I could find it in the low $50s.

Nose: Earthy and damp forest floor, peaches and pears still on the branch with morning dew, rich caramel and vanilla ice cream swirl, honey, floral notes, sweet almond bread, faint baking spice and oak, a touch of funk and earth, chalky. Palate: Honey-drizzled fresh bread, orchard fruit, smooth citrus cream, caramel, vanilla, creamy oak (unclear what this means), very faint smoke, butterscotch candy. Finish: A whisper of cinnamon, an extremely mild warmth, honey, dried florals, vanilla cream, milk chocolate, toasted marshmallows, almonds, toasted wood, chalky minerals. Subtle and delightful. This spirit truly rewards slow, deliberate tasting. It has a peculiar effect where the flavors crossing my tongue evoke the sensation of sitting beside a gently flowing, babbling brook. Much is happening, yet nothing is overpowering. You want to reach in and feel the cool water and its soft current. It's simply a wonderfully calming drink. I appreciate it for that. I would definitely purchase this again. And, perhaps, it might even rival the Springbank 10 for the top spot among 10-year-old single malts. Possibly. They are very different, but still, maybe.

I was unfamiliar with this small distillery but was drawn in by positive feedback and a desire for something different. This ranks among the finest 10-12 year old single malts I've ever encountered. The incredibly dark color, resembling an 18-year-old, makes me wonder about the bottling process. The nose is a blend of dates, prunes, and raisins, combined with malt and barrel notes, all very refined and without any ethanol presence. It genuinely seems much older than 10 years. The palate has an oily texture and features rich, dark malty fruits, macadamia nut butter, some silty, earthy farm-like peat, light wispy smoke, and toasted barrel notes. It's rich and succulent, tasting significantly older than its stated age. The finish offers a slight tannic bitterness, but it's balanced by sherry cask wine notes and spicy barrel flavors, complemented by malt and gentle smoke. Purchased for $54, it offers incredible value and is an outstanding performer for a 10-year-old. Its depth of flavor, complexity, and rich smoothness are usually found in much older scotch. I intend to explore all releases from this distillery. This spirit reminds me, albeit in a less intense way, of the Glendronach 18 profile. As a bold statement, I prefer this over 12-year-old expressions from Glendronach, Macallan, and Highland Park. I remain convinced there might be an error regarding its age due to its extreme darkness, especially since the bottle clearly indicates natural color.

After a little patience, the aroma presents lightly salted caramel toffee, dark fruits, toasted grains, heather, Marcona almonds, modeling clay, marmalade, vanilla, and subtle spices, hinting at both sherry and bourbon cask influences. The palate is rich, intensely sweet like dark honey, with citrus, mild spice, and a touch of oak. It features stewed plums, cassis, Seville oranges, and an unexpected rhum agricole-like funk. The texture is full, smooth, and slick on the tongue. The liquid descends the glass rapidly in thick streaks, forming no legs and leaving only a few substantial beads that adhere, with a faint ring at the rim. The conclusion is somewhat brief, a little dry, sweet, and nutty, not overly tannic, reminiscent of penuche fudge with walnuts, but with more pronounced bourbon barrel spice and vanilla. A hint of smoke (more char than peat) and lasting minerality are also present. Adding a small amount of water enhances the nose and refines the palate, but moderation is key. Nose: 8 Taste: 9 Body: 8 Finish: 9

This distillery has been on my must-try list for ages, not only for being from the smallest distillery but also for its supposed distinctiveness. It pours an astonishingly dark color in the glass, just like it looks in the bottle: a deep mahogany. It is aromatically complex; I detect blackwood, dried cherry, a fallen log after rain, salted brown butter, oiled leather, and a mushroomy pungency. The palate adds flavors of sweet plantain, sumac, and hickory nut. Together, the nose and palate evoke an early autumn morning at the edge of the woods – you return home and your boots are damp from the dew. The mouthfeel is dully medicinal, while a sweetly earthy and mossy finish offers a fitting end. The aftertaste is like inhaling air inside a humidor. I wonder what a slightly higher alcohol content might do to highlight some of these impressive notes. All in all, it’s a dram that merits time and appreciation.