From www.edradour.co.uk  Edradour is the smallest whisky distillery in Scotland; possibly the smallest legal distillery of any kind in the World. John Reid and his two assistants hand-craft Edradour without automation, using skills handed down through generations. Edradour produces just twelve casks of whisky a week during production times. This is then laid down to mature for at least 10 years until the whisky reaches the peak quality. (Whisky Intelligence does find it a little odd that there is so little mention of their actual whisky on the website “The place, the story, the craft, enjoy.” But no mention of the whisky… an opportunity wasted one is forced to conclude. Perhaps they feel their whisky speaks for it self.) 

Edradour 10yo (40%, OB, +/-2010)

The nose is pleasant and pleasantly zesty with loads of fruit notes (cherries, lemon, apricots) along with some good oak spice in the back ground. Some slight hints of fragrance (heather and roses or even pot-pourri) but this is just in the back ground and not very evident. All good so far. The taste is of cereals and tinned fruit cocktail with the heather, roses and pot-pourri making a stronger showing. Much like 24 hours after having your mouth washed out with soap. Much like but not like if you take the meaning. Still is has lots of happy moments. The finish shows some really good malt which makes a strong showing and some really solid moments and it’s actually quite long.

A decent malt that shows some promise.

78 points

$77

Edradour “Straight from the Cask” Portwood Finish 11yo (55.8%, OB, +/-2010)

The nose is well, strong with shades of Hessian, lashings of port and lots of other aromas from the ‘oak’ side of the house like nutmeg, furniture polish and lumber yard.  Also hints of Marmite, card board and straw. Things settle down with some time in the glass. The taste is quite pleasant at first and then becomes maple sweet quite quickly which is all very good. Later moments of extreme dryness and hugely vibrant. Hints of the pot-pourri, heather and roses which become more than hints after a while but the high alcohol and the port do a credible job of masking this. The finish is slightly different with some of the cardboard and Hessian returning, all very active and complex, a varied amount of activity. It’s long and decent, not a bad finish. Late malt arrival which is welcome.

Mildly confused but still a decent dram, the cask strength aids the whole picture.

Score 80 points

$89

Edradour Ballechin #2 Madeira Matured (46%, OB, +/-2010)

Oh my, this is VERY peated on the nose and it’s all very nice. The peat smoke is quite dominant, not much else is daring to show a face. Still this should not be construed as a complaint. There’s some traces of vanilla and old musical instruments but they are faint murmurs. Sort of an 8yo Signatory Unchillfiltered (UCF) Laphroaig. The taste is both peated and malty with some really good moments of Islay in the mix and it presents like a cask strength, all very nice. The PPM on this must be quite high. The Edradour character has been some what obliterated by the cluster bomb of peat smoke. Again no complaints since it’s really nice whisky. The finish is malty and again the peat smoke is very dominate. Talking this into consideration the finish is unsurprisingly very long and contains lashing so f peat smoke.

Whoa! What a great dram, could be from Islay. High praise indeed.

Score 85 points

$106

Edradour 12yo Caledonia (46%, OB, +/-2010)

The nose is creamy along with some crème brulèe, a very, very nice nose at first blush and a departure from some of the other Edradour and with time in the glass it only improves. The taste is once again different from the previous expressions and quite nice, verging on very nice. A solid highland dram with lots of solid flavours and gone are the floral notes of other Edradour samples (well, not entirely, but now they add to the whole picture). Some moments of leather and tobacco swirled in with the crème brulèe along with some sweet malt. All in a really good solid dram. The finish is malty, creamy and vibrant, Very long and at the tail end the leather and tobacco reappear.

Edradour have done it, a sensational dram. Must buy a bottle NOW!

Score 88 points.

$94

Edradour 13yo 1997 (56.4%, OB, C#185, +/- 2010)

On the nose there’s a strong presence of alcohol (not a shock after all!) and lashings of fruit and wet cotton, the fruit in the form of rich Christmas fruit cake, warm marmalade and raisins. A extremely nice collection of aromas that compliment each other very well. Perhaps some good fry cocoa powder in the mix also. The taste is strong and very fruity however there is a good showing of some raw unlit tobacco along with the afore mentioned fruit and cake as well as some oak spice and loads of the cocoa powder. A tinge of the Edradour floral notes but not so much as to cause alarm and demand a quick shut down to the whole show. Very dry in the mouth. The finish is a 90 degree turn to malt along with the cocoa powder (unsweetened) and then the oak spice dryness takes over for the remainder of the trip.

What an excellent Edradour! Many thanks to Andrew Freguson at Kensington Wine Mart in Calgary for the sample.

Score 89 points

$130

Edradour 24yo (50.7%, OB, PX Sherry, C#09/151, +/-2010)

Floral (or perhaps some green malt) and sherry on the nose, tinned fruit cocktail, banana along with hints of black currents and some bees wax in the back ground perhaps, slight restrained and some definite stabs at elegance. With time in the glass some great moments of brown sugar arrive which ties everything together quite nicely. The taste is very gentle (much like a 40%) but still delivers the flavour profile and is pretty much a mirror image of the now however with some added dramatic oak spice and vibrancy to jolly things along. Late arrival of some chocolate (however like those fancy ‘boutique’ chocolates made with Elder flower or such but still chocolate despite the pretence). Things have worked out rather well in the taste department. The finish is very sherried, a quick flash of the floral and then into some really great moments of dryness along with the dark unsweetened chocolate. Raisins, very nice…

Once again what an excellent Edradour! It would be a real treat of it were peated! Many thanks to Andrew Freguson at Kensington Wine Mart in Calgary for the sample.

Score 89 points

$200