Edradour Straight from the Cask

Details: A 10-year-old single malt from the Edradour distillery ("the little Scottish jewel," as the name suggests), aged in sherry from November 2006 to May 2017. It was then bottled as part of the Straight From The Cask range with a count of 971 bottles – each with its own small wooden box! This is a single cask edition aged in a Sherry butt. Nose: Notes of dried grapes. A scent of burnt oak, typical of bourbons. Cinnamon. Sugar. Sugarcane... the kind of sugar found in rum. Palate: Definitely notes of bourbon and rum. Very rich! Very nice texture! Good intensity on the palate throughout. It burns a little at first and then goes down well. The sherry is dominant. A sherry bomb as I like them! The notes are particularly interesting and very assertive. Well executed. This is not your typical smooth and balanced evening whisky. The GoT edition for the Targaryens should have been like this! It's a fiery inferno that is tamed by its sweetness. Apple and cinnamon sugar. Strawberry and rhubarb jam. A hint of coffee or Coca-Cola. Nice complexity! Finish: Cinnamon and dried fruit with that coffee bitterness. A little warmth remains like embers. Overall: Great surprise! It's only 10 years old! But, the sweetness and texture suggest an older age! A beautiful little single cask! The only problem is finding it! Too bad! If you come across it, don't miss it! Especially if you're a fan of sherry bombs like me! 91%

I've had this bottle for a considerable time and am unsure why I waited to open it, as I always considered it a special dram. This Edradour was bottled from a single sherry cask at 59.4% ABV and has a lovely chestnut color. On the nose, the alcohol's strength is not at all apparent. Notes of Christmas cake, marzipan, and glazed pork. Lemon peel, orange blossom, and a 'date juice' aroma. Hazelnut, blackberries, chocolate, and figs. Very sweet, with plums and dulce de leche. Quite an amazing aroma. On the palate, it's far too potent initially. It starts with BBQ sauce but then becomes too oily. A second sip made it much easier to discern the flavors. Oranges, a sherry bomb. Chocolate powder and prunes. The aftertaste is astringent and full of sherry. Coffee, sour blackberries, raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Overall, this whisky is a great offering, as are most Edradours. However, it is excessively potent, and the overwhelming sherry makes it somewhat challenging to enjoy. I don't find it very complex, which is somewhat disappointing, as Edradour is among my favorite distilleries, and I would have bet that the cask strength would have provided a wide range of flavors and aromas. My score is 88 out of 100.

Strong nutty and sherry-scented aromas are present. Adding water reveals some tropical fruit. Similar to what's described on this site, I detect cocoa, coffee, and pepper along with the sherry notes. A little water enhances the sherry, honey, and red fruit flavors. Unfortunately, both the aroma and taste have a significant sulfur presence, possibly due to lower quality casks. The sulfur needed months to diminish to a more acceptable level after opening. Without the sulfur, it would receive a higher rating, and indeed, after about six months, it gradually improved, becoming a very pleasant sherry-forward expression. It was exclusively available through UK distributors during the 2017-18 period.

A bit unusual for a single malt, at least compared to the ones I've tried, deviating from the norm with a strong presence of dark fruits and licorice, which are not just suggested on the palate but powerfully delivered. It's far from the most pleasant whisky, likely challenging for both peat enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts, but while it has an edge of unrefined bitterness to the taste it's one I repeatedly return to and haven't found anything quite like it, admittedly in a bit of a niche category.

*Mine is labeled 58.5%, but it's also 10 years old. Nose as impressive as the color, clearly Edradour has access to very unique sherry casks. Peppered steak, umami from good soy sauce, sweet floral nectar, dark grape jelly, a hint of peat in the background, round and oily texture without being too sweet on the finish… Wow. You can clearly see where the Caledonia 12 comes from. As delicious as it is memorable!