Edradour is a small highland distillery, in the 30’s it was apparently owned by a New York mobster. In 2002 it was bought from Pernod Ricard by Andrew Symington, who also runs independent bottler Signatory, in some ways its not unlike the Springbank/Cadenhead connection, the distillery output is very low less than a 100,000$ liters a year, yet despite that they manage to make both peated and unpeated variants and use a staggering amount of cask types.
Stangely the 10 year old is the only one of their whiskys which they “chill filter” and it’s bottled at 40%. It’s weird since Signatory is know for its unchillfiltered line. It’s a vatting of bourbon & sherry casks, no specific mentions.
Nose: Musty, damp basement, funky, a bit of sweetness, vanilla, milk jam, a feeling of oxydized sherry, the tiniest hint of peat, like smelling burnt leaves in the distance.
Palate: At first I got chinchona bark like in tonic water, it was very weird. Allspice, black earth, puer eh tea. It veers into full on malted barley notes but with a good dose of oak spices, there is also a feeling of sharp cider.
Finish: Oak, caramel, coconut oil, juniper, a touch of chlorine & damp concrete.
What a ride! This thing has lots of character, despite the low ABV, it’s not an easy one but none of it was unpleasant. Some bits reminded me of the grimy side of Springbank.
That said I wouldn’t buy a bottle of this, it lacks some of the depth to push it into the high score territory. I am definitely curious to try more from this distillery.
Edradour 10
40% ABV
83/100
Elegant Bastards 