Highland distillery Fettercairn has released the latest edition of its 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky. Only available annually and in limited quantity, Fettercairn 18 Year Old is finished in responsibly-sourced, native Scottish Oak and shines a light on provenance and innovation.
Nestled in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains, the team at Fettercairn, which this year celebrates 200 years of imaginative whisky making, are pioneers of provenance, with the quality and extra effort to use locally sourced ingredients evident in every drop.
Only locally-sourced barley from farms within a 50 mile radius of the distillery is used and, when it comes to distilling, Fettercairn’s stills are crowned with unique copper cooling rings, which cascade ice cold water from the nearby mountains down the outside. This innovation cools the stills, and allows only the lightest vapours to rise, creating the whisky’s characteristic tropical house style.
For Fettercairn 18 Year Old, this effort also extends to the cask, as part of an ongoing new initiative. Fettercairn’s Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass first started to implement the award-winning[1] Scottish Oak Programme eight years ago, bringing a new approach to whisky making. This innovative programme has been developed to ultimately future-proof the industry, whilst creating a circular economy by encouraging the use of 100% native wood in whisky making.
The small batch Fettercairn 18 Year Old is the first expression of the programme, released annually as a limited-edition due to its rarity. First unveiled in 2022, this is only the third time the expression has been made available.
Fettercairn 18 Year Old is fully finished in responsibly sourced Scottish Oak, after an initial maturation in handpicked first fill and refill ex-bourbon American White Oak barrels, to produce a beautiful depth of flavour.
Perfect for curious whisky lovers who look for innovation and value skilled craftsmanship, Fettercairn 18 Year Old is non-chill filtered, offered in its natural colour and at an ABV of 46.8%.
Golden amber in colour, Fettercairn 18 Year Old has notes of sugared almonds, baking spices, passion fruit and guava on the nose. To taste, expect exotic syruped fruits, patisserie sugars, brioche and spices, with soft hints of berry fruits, flowing through to a cacao, and natural vanilla finish.
Fettercairn’s future-facing attitude, commitment to progressive whisky making and celebration of local provenance and produce, aligns beautifully to the conscious movement that many are following – to be more aware, to eat with the seasons, shop locally and cook from farm-to-table.
With game season well underway, Fettercairn 18 Year Old’s fruity notes will pair effortlessly with game birds such as duck, partridge or grouse in both taste, as the whisky will enhance the sweeter flavours of the game, as well as in ethos, given game’s managed farming.
Equally, for keen foragers, Hen of the Woods mushrooms, often found growing amidst oak trees themselves, or Chanterelles would also make for an intriguing pairing with Fettercairn 18 Year Old.
Whilst tropical desserts shine alongside the matching notes of the whisky, more traditional autumn flavours, like apples dusted with cinnamon, custard infused with vanilla and Chelsea buns, will also complement brilliantly.
Award-winning Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass comments:
“The Scottish Oak Programme is one of my proudest achievements and the annual release of the Fettercairn 18 Year Old is a regular reminder of the journey our team has gone through so far, to bring this to life.
“Over the last three years, we’ve gained a loyal following for this special whisky and our hope every year is for more people to experience how truly special Scottish Oak is and the incredible flavours it can impart to Scotch.
“So the diverse flavours of Scottish Oak can be enjoyed for generations to come, in 2021 we replanted an ancient forest at Fettercairn. The saplings are growing well, with many now visible from the distillery. We’re still generations away from these trees being used in whisky making, but having them there to watch over our distillery offers an important reminder that our work isn’t just for the present, it’s for the future.”
Fettercairn is celebrating its landmark 200th anniversary in 2024. Earlier in the year, the distillery announced refreshed ranges in both domestic and global travel retail markets. The domestic core range now features a 12 Year Old, 16 Year Old and 24 Year Old, while global travel retail will exclusively offer Fettercairn 14 Year Old, 17 Year Old and 25 Year Old.
To further mark the milestone, The Fettercairn 200th Anniversary Cabinet was unveiled in June, with just ten sets to ever be created. The handmade, bespoke cabinets are crafted from Scottish Oak, sourced from the distillery’s estate, and each hold six bottles of incredibly rare whisky. The six bottles combined total 200 years and each mark a significant moment in the distillery’s history. The collection includes a 60 Year Old, the oldest ever to be released by Fettercairn and the birth year of Distillery Manager, Stewart Walker, and a 3 Year Old which has been fully matured in 100% Scottish Oak, a look to Fettercairn’s future.
Fettercairn 18 Year Old is non-chill filtered and bottled in its natural colour, with an ABV of 46.8%. An annual, limited release, the 2024 edition will be available in specialist retailers from October, with an RSP of £212.
