Fettercairn Fior

About 5 years ago Fettercairn repositioned the brand as (self proclaimed) premium and in fairness it is well presented. This is my first Fettercairn expression but that’s not surprising considering 95% of the spirit produced goes into Whyte & Mackay blends.

Bottled at 42% and the colour is dark amber.

The nose is earthy, dried leather, a faint whiff of smoke, coffee dark sherried fruits underlie a vegetative peatiness.

In the mouth you get a classy soft mouthfeel. Buttery and fruity. Dates and chocolate, smoke is there but not over-powering. The oak comes through later and it is really well balanced.

The finish is shorter than I would have liked but that's only because it is so nice. Sweetness and liquorice linger and it makes you want more.

Water adds to the smoothness but at 42% its well balanced already so to my mind is unnecessary.

For the price this is a banging drop. Great flavours, interesting, well balanced and well made. Good work Fettercairn, more please.

Been looking at getting this for a while, due to both hearing good things about it and it been a distillery I've never heard of. Bottle looks great as well.

Nose: considering it's bottled at the relatively low strength of 42% the nose is quite punchy, has a big hit of sherry, with stewed fruits and fig, some good flavours of creamy expresso and dark chocolate shavings, cocoa powder and a touch of earthy peat hiding up the back.

Palate: very smooth in the mouth, big waves of creamy coffee and melted dark chocolate, some burnt orange peels, the sherry oak is here as well bringing a nice deep fruitiness with it, a note of soft dark peat-smoke runs though the palate in the background as well as some desert spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) maybe a hint of clove spice as well.

Finish: Gets dry on the finish, strong notes of oak, salted caramel and toffee, the desert spices carry over from the palate and fade into the finish, some gentle smoke is detectable as well.

Considering you can get this for a very cheap price I'm quite impressed. I'd recommend everyone give this little known distiller a go. This cheap little bottle is totally worth it imo.