The Whisky Exchange’s latest Edradour is part of a duet, released alongside it’s peated sibling – Ballechin. Both have been given a full-term sherry maturation, with the Edradour matured for 11 year in 1st fill oloroso sherry before being bottled in May of last year (taken a little time to get to market this one). The cask (#372) was disgorged to produce 709 bottles – they’re available from the TWE website for £79.95.
Nose: Compact, dense sherry with an immediate deep intensity. Chocolate covered cherries and blackberry gateaux are joined by a prominent earthiness from damp cellars and forest mushrooms. Richness is never too far away with run-soaked raisins and bread and butter pudding sprinkled liberally with brown sugar and baking spice. Dilution expresses overcooked caramel and resinous oak alongside macerated raspberries.
Taste: Unexpected. An altogether lighter affair. Sticky raisins and plump sultanas join plum pudding, whilst crunchy, crisp toffee apples and dulce de leche are livened with crystalline ginger. Fruit loaf is expressed in the mid-palate – whilst peppery oak spice and charred staves are offset with sherried sweetness and a trickle of balsamic sharpness. Reduction reveals additional softness with redcurrant jelly, red cherry compote and gingernut biscuits.
Finish: Medium in length and spice-focussed – an earthy amalgamation of ginger, cinnamon alongside dark, bitter chocolate.
On paper and in nose, TWE’s 2008 Edradour is a fathomless sherrybomb (we’ve seen such things from them and this distillery before). However, on the palate and particularly when diluted, this spirit offers far more restraint and less sledgehammering than one might have initially expected. Nevertheless, sherry is still very much the order of the day here, and things get a touch too sweet for me in places. Your mileage may of course vary depending on your sweet tooth – buy now and save for Christmas 2021?
Review sample provided by The Whisky Exchange