Here is a monthly whisky review, written by Martin from WhiskyCritic.com. Enjoy!
The sign hanging outside the distillery reads “The Edradour – The Smallest Distillery in Scotland”. Located in Pitlochry, this tiny distillery is manned by only 2 men and their dedicated foreman, and produces a modest 12 casks of whisky per week. Pitlochry isn’t far from Edinburgh, and you can get there in a number of ways including rental car or bus tour (which tends to be the most popular in my experience). The town, like the distillery, is small but well worth a visit.
A lot of whisky tourists make the mistake of visiting only the big names of distilling when they holiday in Scotland, completely forgetting smaller players such as Edradour, which means that they miss out on a large part of the whisky experience. So if you’re planning a holiday here, make sure to include a smaller distillery too, and take part of their unspoilt quaintness and charm!
For this wee tasting I’ve purchased a bottle of the standard Edradour 10 year old which set me back £35 ($50). The nose has a decisively dessert-like note, with a combination of toasted almond puree, unsalted peanuts, a whisper of crème brûlée or perhaps New York cheesecake and a citrus undertone. The palate is deliciously creamy, with a combination of flavours that bring three things to mind; amaretto, port and banana conserve – so as you might guess, it is as sweet and gentle as one might imagine that a hug from Aunt Jemima would be. Finally, the finish is of a decent length and exactly as you would imagine (creamy, sweet, and slightly nutty).
I like this whisky, and I like the fact that the distillery is so small, so in short I would recommend buying it. If I were to say one negative thing about it, however, it would be that it is slightly too predictable. After sniffing it, one can quite easily imagine just what the palate and finish will be like and not suffer any unexpected surprises later on. This doesn’t have to be a negative thing, and I’m sure a lot of people like it for that very reason, but I would have quite liked being surprised by a tangy bite or peppery punch.
Colour: Golden autumn leaf.
Nose: Dessert, toasted almond puree, unsalted peanuts, crème brûlée/New York cheesecake and citrus.
Taste: Amaretto, port and banana conserve – warm and creamy!
I was quite surprised by this stuff as well. It’s on the purchase list.
Mmmmm….. I am a Laphroaig man, m’self.