Review #90 - Edradour 10 Year
'Meaty' Whisky Mini-Series: Part 3 of 3
To wrap our series, we're looking at one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland: Edradour. While their core range is relatively small, you can still find their bottles in a variety of places, and their most common whisky is probably this - the 10 year.
Owned by the independent bottler Signatory Vintage, Edradour is located in Perthshire, in the southern Highlands, not far from the south end of Speyside. Producing about 200,000 LPA currently (up from 95k-100k just a few years ago), the distillery creates mostly unpeated whisky, although a small amount is peated and sold under the brand Ballechin. Ballechin is aged in sherry casks, as well - an interesting comparison might be between the peated and unpeated varieties from the same distillery at the same age... another time, maybe.
Edradour 10 Year
Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 81 (2022)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 81 (2023)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 43% ABV
Cask Makeup: First and second fill ex-Oloroso casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 5 months; bottles at 90%, 100%, 80% (blind tasting), 60% (blind tasting), and 50% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: We do start off with some savory flavors - meaty, a sort of charred pulled pork, or even some smoked salmon, but this nose quickly dives straight into lots of fruit notes. So many different red and purple fruits across our tastings: fig, seedy raisins, prunes and pomegranate; there are raspberries and strawberries, it's juicy and stewed fruit as well; later, we transition to cocktail cherries and orange zest, rhubarb pie and cherry soda. With more air time, it becomes slightly darker, sparkling grape juice bordering on cough medicine. There are some baking notes here, like candied pecans and baked bread, but also spices of cinnamon and vanilla... darker notes of caramel and milk chocolate come later. Though it isn't too old, we do find some wood spice and leather, but some spirit character is also still present, like minerality and some straw; overall, it's rich, dark, and balanced between sweet and dry.
Palate: Not too much savory stuff on the palate, it's really a fruit and baking spice experience again. The fruit is even darker now: grape, raisin, dark cherry, blackberry, some inky mulled wine. There are a few tart fruits like cranberry and orange, even an amaro note, but the experience is generally sweeter. So many baked goods - lots of nutty spice, with cardamom, clove, and cinnamon to accent it; chocolate, both milk and dark; some bready tastes, but also sweetness from brown sugar, as well as sharper stuff like licorice and black pepper. There are some really nice oaky tones, like wood sugar and coffee, and we find a sweet cigar smoke once it's opened up further... mild tannins and salt add some balance here. A medium mouthfeel, sometimes slightly watery, and overall, this is a great dram for a winter night - it's cozy, and we end with a sort of vermouth or cocktail note.
Finish: The finish is medium length, both tangy and jammy, with more stewed fruits of prune and raspberry, some orange and cherry preserve. Lots of 'Christmas spice' elements, too: that cardamom and nutmeg is back, some dusty cocoa powder and molasses, but also lighter notes of vanilla and shortbread. A really nice coffee note from the palate continues into the finish, and some dry oak is contributing to the cozy, mildly warm vibe at the very end.
Final Note: What a dark, juicy blast of flavor. It would be nice if this was presented at a higher ABV, of course, but the lower strength doesn't impact the experience too much other than a slightly lackluster mouthfeel. We probably found the largest variety of fruits in this whisky that we've found in any so far, and while many are in the same vein (dark berries, dried fruit, etc.), there is enough nuance to keep it very interesting, and we come back to the bottle often. Value here is decent for the flavor you get, although $80+ for a 10 year old whisky feels like it's getting slightly expensive...
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.03
