Edradour Caledonia 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Edradour Caledonia

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highlands

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 46%

Colour: Full Gold. It’s hard to believe it does not contain any artificial colourants. Those 4 years in Oloroso Sherry Casks really did the job!

Nose: Full Fruity Heavy Nose, very mature for its 12 Years. My first impressions are Sweet Dried Fruits (Figs, Sultanas), Sherry, Toffee, Oak, Toasted Grain and Light Peat. There’s a bit of Alcohol there and a slight bitter off-note. Still, a lot going on here.

Taste: A very complex taste. The delivery is almost overwhelming although a bit on the watery side, which is odd since it’s bottled at 46%. In the melee of flavors I detect Bitter Orange Marmalade, Apricot, Spices like Pepper, Cinnamon and Nutmeg, Oak, Caramel, Butterscotch and Raspberries. There is also an Acetone-like off-note. I find it in Bourbons sometimes as well. There’s enough to discover but I don’t think it’s well balanced.

Finish: Quite Long. Spicy and very dry with Cocoa, Apricot and Nuts. The Acetone is still there I’m afraid.

I added some water and the Nose releases more Peat, Toffee and Malt. You certainly can experiment with a couple of drops of water.

Rating: 81,5 

Nose: 22 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: Edradour is Scotland's smallest single malt whisky distillery and produces just 90,000 litres of hand made whisky each year. It’s located in the Southern Highlands. It was only bottled as a Single Malt in 1986. Only Three employees operate the distillery. The Caledonia expression was launched in 2009 and involved Scottish singer Dougie MacLean. Caledonia is one of his songs.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very different from your average Single Malt. You either like it or you don’t!

Conclusion: What can I say! It’s a very special Single Malt made by a very special Distillery. But somehow it doesn’t work for me. I had the same feeling with the 10 Year expression. It’s certainly not a boring Single Malt. There’s enough to discover, both on the Nose and the Palate. But I don’t find balance in this whisky and there are strange off-notes that I don’t find agreeable. I’m sure there will be whisky drinkers who have fallen in love with the spirits of the Edradour Distillery but I can’t say I’m one of them.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 May 18, 2012