Edradour Caledonia 12 Year

An initially shy nose awakens to delicious aromas of stewed fruit after some vigorous agitation (2/3). On the palette, there are rich, melting caramel flavors with a satisfying undertone of tannic Assam tea (2/3). The peppery finish lingers long enough to make you want to close your eyes and savor it. (2/3). Bonus point: 1/1 for the lovely color and viscosity. Total: 7/10. Many thanks to Pranay for the generous sample that introduced me to a distillery I would happily revisit.

Another end to a weekend finds me watching some March Madness basketball. Perfect time for a dram and watch the drama and action unfold. Eradour Calendonia pours out in the glass as a rust colored liquid. By a purely visual observation, you would be in err to think that this was unnaturally colored and chilled filtered (this is the natural color and is NCF). The initial nose is floral and citrus with heather, orange rind, peaches. Over time, a malty and sucrose sweetness are detected along with some tea and honey notes. A bit of saddle leather lurks in the depths. I have said before, when nosing, I envision where a dram takes me. I find myself on that first warm spring day where you know the winter is well behind (unfortunately, this spring, not yet!). Arrives in a light and thin body with brown sugar and mixed nuts. Mostly sweet but tempered somewhat. Oddly, cola flavors come forward after some time in the glass. The cola could be considered or on par with the maple syrup flavor that others have experienced. A zing of black pepper and ginger root spice as this fades to a finish. The sweetness and cola flavors strenthen over time. A long and simple finish of orange bitters, caramel and a touch of ginger and oak. Thanks Pranay for the sample. This is a sweet whisky that evolves to an even sweeter one. The oddity of cola, for me, made this slightly unique. Not a flashy whisky or one that pushes boundries. Stays sweet and enjoyable. Somewhat akin, for me, to Balvenie. [Dry Glass: Salted Caramels][86/100][Tasted: 3/19/17]

Stop number 7 on the SDT is Edradour. They use the smallest stills allowed by law in Scotland (according to an article I read recently) which helps produce a whisky with strong character. This Highland single malt is matured in Olorsoso sherry casks. It weighs in at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of burnt sienna. On the nose I was greeted with a blast of sweet floral honey. The sherry kicks in pretty quickly with berries and plums. Light oaky notes. Savory toffee and caramel. There is a faint bourbony mint, and speaking of bourbon I could easily be fooled into believing this was a scotch/ bourbon blend. There are definite bourbon like flavors hidden away here if you hunt for them. After sitting in the glass there is a nice light maple syrup to round things out. There is a burst of pepper on the tongue on the first sip that was surprising given how sweet the nose is. More berries and plums and sherried fruits. Honey and oak and more pepper. Medium bodied and very mouthwatering. A fairly long finish for a sherried scotch. The mouthwatering feel continues on with considerable length. Sweet with dry oak and spice. This being my first Edradour I didn't know what to expect. I have to say I'm quite impressed. Perfect level of sweetness for me and enough spice to balance it out. The natural presentation is always appreciated. I believe this bottle goes for around $50 and I feel that's a great price for this quality. I just read an article that Edradour is expanding which is good news for all. Thank you Pranay for the sample. Cheers

Very intriguing aroma and rich, multi - layer taste. Nuts, fruits, bit of smoke... and a bourbon - like finish, but it burns a lot. Good scotch.