Edradour 7 Year Old 2006 Ornellaia Cask Sample

At a festival in Belgium some whisky writers and bloggers, myself included, were invited by Andrew Symington for a tasting. He wanted to prove that Edradour’s dubious reputation was undeserved and brought some stuff from the warehouses. He did not wholly succeed with this cask sample of a 7 year Old, not yet on the market, that matured on Ornellaia wood. Ornellaia is a so-called Super Tuscany, an Italian red wine from the Maremma region, not far from the coast.

The nose is rife with nuts. Walnuts, hazelnuts, pecan nuts. You name it. Ask Bert Bruyneel, who turned nut expert when we tried it together for the first time (hilarious, let me tell you). Underneath some red fruit and something that reminds me of gingerbread and berry pie. A bit creamy with some coffee liqueur in the distance. Far from bad. Adding water makes it sweeter, more fruity.

Pretty spicy on the palate. Think pepper, ginger, nutmeg and even some saffron. Now I get mostly nuts and kriek. Rum raisins, too. Again a hint of coffee. Warm and inviting. Not winey or oaky at all. It can take quite a bit of water, too. Nice!

On the medium long finish, it is mostly the red fruit and spices that speak.

Not yet on the market, so still a work in progress, but I like where this is going.

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