Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. For the majority of whisky drinkers it is the 12 year old that is most likely to draw attention. I find myself a little concerned with its price point, however, and fear the dreaded ‘p’ word may have been sprinkled liberally over the marketing meetings that led to its release. The premiumisation of whisky is getting rather out of hand of late, with largely unheard of brands suddenly declaring themselves luxury items and hiking their prices accordingly. This is particularly galling with a distillery like Fettercairn, that hasn’t been without image problems in the past. Nevertheless it seems we are expected to forget this and accept the new single malt is worthy of a higher price point. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets.

Nose: Fettercairn yeastiness meets sweet sherry. Orange peels, juice and marmalade (there’s a lot of orange here) sit with golden syrup and dehydrated mango slices. Malty loaves and oven-baked buns are joined by dusty spices – cinnamon and allspice - whilst ripe berries (cranberry and strawberry), Eton Mess, stem ginger and crushed hazelnuts emphasise the influence of the PX finish. It’s sweet. Super sweet. Thoughts: It’s actually a pleasant wee sipper of a dram but inevitably struggles to justify the price tag. There’s nothing radical going on but it’s a well executed example of a highland malt flavour profile. There’s some depth to the flavour profile and it feels like some decent casks have gone into it. The chocolate tones follow through to the taste but swiftly give way to a more pronounced hit of grapefruit. This is paired with a touch of lemon and the citrus flavors leave a sourness that sets your mouth watering. The finish is sharp but not at all unpleasant because it’s coupled with the sweetness of raisins.We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof.

Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age. Fettercairn is a distillery who’s differences are more visually apparent than most. An open-topped mash tun (always fun to see in operation) produces a cloudy wort – this results in a more malty, nutty and spicy spirit style as opposed to a clear wort which centres on sweetness rather than cereal character. But, perhaps the biggest alteration from the norm comes with Fettercairn’s stills. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Taste: The natural weight of the spirit isn’t allowed to shine at 40%. There’s some viscosity, but once it gets beyond the front of the mouth it feels underpowered and rather anaemic. The flavour delivery is better – orange sherbet, stone fruit preserves, dried mangos and a side bowl of stewed currants. Running throughout – characterful distillery notes of maltiness, porridge and yeasty bread - livened by white pepper and allspice. Resting is beneficial, offering an easier equilibrium between the spirit and the cask. It adds orange liqueurs and stem ginger whilst assimilating some of the sourer notes into the sweeter ones. Patience Padawan. Distillation at Fettercairn is still a process of evaporation and condensation – so, as my friends would suggest – exactly the same as everywhere else. However, not only is the distillery’s cooling ring unique, it’s also an integral part of what makes Fettercairn unique – both in terms of industrial innovation and also as a key contributor to their spirit character and whisky style. It’s these differences which keep me visiting distilleries - time and time again. And if we want our whiskies to have marked differences in aromas and flavours, and not become a homogenised corpus of liquid, it’s these differences which should be celebrated.Nose: nicely fruity, with nectarine and tinned pineapple. Not too much vanilla. Hints of meadow flowers and mint. Behind this bright side there is also a hint of roasted nuts, veggies and a light meaty touch. The colour is golden yellow and the nose has a fresh and fruity vibrancy to it. There are immediate aromas of green apple and tinned tropical fruit salad, which are followed by further aromas of honey, vanilla and brown sugar. Underneath are hints of cookie dough, yeast and cinnamon. The Fettercairn Distillery has some serious history behind it. The business was founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsay, one of the Scottish landowners who campaigned to license Scotch Whiskey distillation. He was also one of the first to apply for a licence, which he applied to Fettercairn. Interestingly, Ramsay employed illegal whiskey makers to be his first stillmen. He understood that it was they who had the skills and experience needed to make his dream a reality.

This is a tasty whiskey for sure, but I’m not certain that it would be a go-to for me personally. For my part, I much prefer smoother, creamier whiskies, but this certainly has its virtues. Still, Fettercairn 12 is just a tiny bit too astringent for my palate. If you love that fruity, citrus blast, though I really think you’ll enjoy the 12 year old.

Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. There is a definite sweetness to the nose. The smoothness of milk chocolate and a dash of vanilla give way to more herbaceous tones. The coolness of mint pairs with just a hint of citrus. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”).