29/07/2021 Fettercairn

Fettercairn 26yo 1989/2015 (54.5%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, C#001, 218b): nose: lovely woody tones, starting with hazelnut paste and encaustic, old furniture wax, brown shoe polish and rusty jar lids (which is not wood, of course). It has the mousy, grain-y, cereal-y, Horlick-y profile bordering on vinegar that I seem to find in every Fettercairn. The dominant hazelnut paste retreats a little, after a while, which allows iron tonic to come through, mixed with chicory-instant coffee (Ricoré, to name the brand). There is also some toffee, or fudge, rather, and maybe cooked wild rice, caramelised at the bottom of the pot. The second nose unveils baking soda and millionaire shortbread, augmented with a sprinkle of green-grape juice. Water strangely adds a riparian quality to it -- a picnic table and a bottle of white wine, in the shade of a willow tree, by the riverside. It certainly mellows out. Mouth: it is not an easy attack, this! The palate is vinegary indeed, even if it is partly balanced by the aforementioned toffee. The tongue counts plenty of copper coins, and the iron tonic is here too. Perhaps, there are some unripe hazelnuts and old rags, crusty with dried wax. The cereals, on the other hand, seem to have vanished. The texture is thin, akin to skimmed milk, and soon turns a bit stripping, so acidic it is. Grape-pip oil minus the oily feel. Water takes all out of this, bar the unripe hazelnut. A few seconds later, one realises it was not a great idea to wet this: it is now very bitter. Perhaps that bitterness was hidden by the acidity at cask strength? In any case, it is no longer really enjoyable. Finish: warm and comforting, if not a little acidic. Come to think of it, it is also rather bold: my upper gum and the tip of my tongue feel like I have been anaesthetised for a tooth extraction -- completely numb! In terms of flavours, the finish is where this dram appeals most; it has fudge and cocoa butter in copious doses, before hazelnuts operate a daring comeback. They are riper than before, so that is good. I am led to think of a British cheese platter, yet not because of the cheeses so much: instead, it is the wooden board, grapes, relish and celery sticks that trigger that thought. And it works, I must admit. Water, again, works less well. It turns this into a half-drunk bowl of cold chicory-brew, or stale, under-strength instant coffee. This is bitter and spells 'regret', despite barley sugar popping round, in the end. Decent without water. 7/10