Country – Region: Scotland – Highland
Distillery: Edradour
Type:  Single Malt
Age: 12
Cask: Sherry Butt
ABV: 58.7%
Proof: 117.4
Price: $130
Cask No: 27
Outturn: 684 Bottles

Nose: Raisins, tobacco, orange blossom, leather, cocoa, mocha, cinnamon, damp earth, cedar, plums.

Palate: Oily, chocolate, almond, raisins, dates, figs. After water, crème caramel, toffee and orange burst. 

Finish: Heated oak spices, raisins, nutty notes, plums, Maduro cigar.

Sometimes I shop from across the sea and during one of my haul days, I came across to this gorgeous decanter written nothing but good on it, 'Edradour', 'Natural Cask Strength'. So I didn't resist and got myself a bottle of Edradour 2008 12 Year Old Natural Cask Strength. It was a risk well taken and I never regretted it.

For another Edradour whisky, I reviewed check Signatory Edradour 9 Marsala Cask

Tell Us More About Whisky

This is a single cask whisky, and I actually find single casks not always reliable when it is a store pick, group pick or a pick from a giant brand. Edradour's Natural Cask Strenght series has generally good bottles except for some bourbon casks I have tasted this year.

Edradour 2008 12 Year Old was distilled on February 13th, 2008 and bottled on February 19th, 2020. A total of 684 bottles were released from cask number 27, which is a Sherry butt. It was bottled at the 'natural cask strength' of 58.7% abv.

Let's Taste It Monster!

A flawless Sherry bomb on the nose. Dried fruits like raisins, plums, prunes with orange blossom. Then leather, damp earth, cinnamon, cedar are added with darker and earthy flavors like cocoa and mocha. The palate is oily and very well balanced. Chocolate, almond raisins and dates take you to the spicy finish with oak spices, raisins and nutty character. As it opens, the finish feels like you are smoking a Maduro cigar.

ADD WATER TO YOUR WHISKY!

If you have a cask strength whisky in hand, don't hesitate to add water to it. As I added a few drops of water, the palate became crazy with creme caramel, toffee and orange burst. The nose softens but adds vanilla spice and patisserie cream on every good flavor it has.

Verdict

This is a single cask whisky and I have bought it in early 2020. There are a few more bottles laying around in Europe and you can purchase as it lasts.

I found this one a very attractive, flawless single cask whisky from a Sherry cask at a very friendly price for the quality.