Edradour markets a whole range of wine finishes, bottled in the series Straight from the Cask, meaning the whisky is single cask at cask strength. This one was distilled on 14 September 1998 and then re-casked in a Bordeaux hogshead on 2 May 2007. It got a 3-yer finish before being bottled at the age of 11 years old (in bottles of 50cl) on 15 June 2010.
This red wine finished Edradour suffers from the same shortcomings as his Châteuneuf-du-Pape and Sauternes finished cousins. Sweet at the outset, but soon buttery and organic. So much so that you –literally – curl your nose. Adding water only makes matters worse.
Sure, it’s sweet and feisty on the palate with flowers and allspice, but nothing more. Water flattens the whole, leaving little whisky and bringing out more wine. Surely that’s not the intention?
The finish is fairly long, drying, but offers nothing new.
For me, this is a serious disappointment. The worst of the lot. One can rejoice for Edradour’s innovation and experimenting with a whole range of casks, but more than a footnote in the history of this distillery isn’t merited, I’m afraid. Apart from the finishes I’ve tried, there are also bottles from the following wine casks: Barolo, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Madeira and Marsala. But you’ll forgive me for leaving the Edradour 'Straight from the Cask' series behind me now.
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