Fettercairn 40 Year

Stellar. Unbelievably smooth and complex.

To celebrate my 300th tasting, I decided to finally open my sample of this 40 year old single malt from Fettercairn that was distilled in December 1977 followed by aging in white oak ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in Apostoles sherry casks and finally bottled at 48.9% ABV. The nose starts with a mix of cavernous minerality, dusty leather bound books and creamy tropical fruits then cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by caramelized peaches, dehydrated apricots and orange blossom that transitions to sweet pipe tobacco and antique polished mahogany furniture with medium ethanol burn. The taste is rich oily mouthfeel starting with sweet creamy tropical fruits that quickly fades to old earthy notes of dusty leather bound books and cavernous minerality then toasted walnuts, black tea and cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by caramelized peaches, dehydrated apricots and mandarin orange peel that transitions to sweet pipe tobacco and freshly lacquered antique mahogany furniture with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with high percentage dark chocolate, dehydrated figs, light tropical fruits, cavernous minerality, black tea and dusty old leather bound books that lingers for minutes. The 40 years of age is apparent with rich old polished wood notes running throughout this whisky that never veers towards an overaged bitterness along with creamy tropical fruits, citrus and a mild sour sherry that all work in harmony with exceptional balance before the long and lingering finish that continues to slowly reveal additional flavors minutes after each sip. This is an absolute masterpiece that really shows what a well-aged whisky can become with time, patience and expert blending, but sadly at a price of $3000+, I don't think this will be a bottle I'll be buying any time soon unless I want to wake up to a Godfather-like scene where I see the empty bottle with the severed unicorn head logo with divorce paperwork inside.