Edradour 10 Year The Distillery Edition

Apologies in advance. I suspect this will be a rambling review of Edradour 10 Distillery Edition.. I was very intrigued after reading Ctrexman’s wonderful review of this dram. I had Edradour in a tasting 5-6 years ago. I cannot remember many specifics now, but I do know that expression was both sherry and peat free. I recall I enjoyed it, but thought it to be over priced in comparison to others in the tasting. Anyway, after seeing Ct’s review I searched for a bottle of Edradour 10 in my KC area. The lowest price I found was $55, the highest was $72, and they were hard to find. It is just as described by Ctrex, dark as a cola or a dark rum in the nosing glass. A nose redolent of malt, sherry notes of aged fruit of raisin, date, and fig. These are evident in the mouth along with a wonderful heavy oiliness. There is also a little vanilla and barrel char. This IS NOT the dram I sampled a few years back. I agree with Ct that this bottle seems older than a 10. Tasting it beside a Glendronach 12 the Glend sherry influence seems “fresh” in comparison---this Edradour comes across as older fig and date. Apparently Edradours fortunes and reputation have greatly improved since Andrew Symington purchased it in 2003. He is reputed to strive for the best quality and many experimental expressions. One account I read stated it use to be referred to as “EDRASORE” in reference to the poor quality before his take-over. Their website states there are 4 in the classic range, 6 cask strength, 11 wine finishes, 4 wine matured, and 5 heavily peated expressions. According to “Malt Yearbook 2020” they opened a new distillery on site in 2018 allowing a doubling of production. Maybe when I am 80 years old some of those other expressions will be available to me here. Right now I can only find their flagship 10 yo. Most of their malt has no peat, and on the occasions they do use peated malt the distillation is done only in the original still house. I hope the literature I have found is accurate on these facts. Drams I really enjoy on a regular basis I tend to buy by the case. My local small town mom/pop shop gives me a case discount. They got a case of six Edradour 10 for $50 per bottle for me. I am a happy old man.

Alright, I’m out here starting fights tonight. I am not a distiller or blender, and acknowledge the murky waters which comprise my credentials… but I have emptied more than a few bottles over the years and did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I feel righteous and qualified in making the the following claims: This is not re-seasoned sherry finished. This is not first fill sherry casked. This is not “oops a little sherry was left in the bottom of the barrel” dosed. This has to be just straight up blended with sherry. As in, I’d accept it easily if I were told it was 50/50. My bottle is looks purple brown and 3x darker than the Distiller picture (maybe some hyperbole), yet claims to be “natural color”. Perhaps they are being clever, since caramel colorant is indeed naturally derived… but this stuff might be darker than Goslings. Okay, rant over. Regarding the experience, I don’t find a lot on the nose and the palate doesn't quite "zing", but it is creamy and pleasantly malty, then brings orange, prune and fig. Marzipan and black walnut. Currant. Over-the-top rich, but the sweetness is well-moderated. Seems to have more kinship with well-aged and decadent rums (say Diplomatico with the sweetness cut in half) than other Scotches I am used to. There is a “bourbon-y” essence to it that surprises me - corn, oak, caramel, and vanilla. Is it legal to sneak a portion into new charred oak? Ultimately enjoyable to drink, inoffensive (beyond the suspicious opaque appearance), and a couple channels turned up to 11, I’ve enjoyed the bottle. I’m just not sure it’s worth a repurchase at > $60 given my penchant for musty and sulfuric sherry rather than lush and velvety Christmas pudding sherry. A decent drop, and I'd buy more if I could find it in the low $50s.

N: Moss on a rainy day, peaches and pears - still on the tree, dripping with dew - rich caramel and vanilla swirled ice cream, honey, flowers, sweet bread with almond extract, hints of baking spice and oak, funky, earthy, chalky. P: Honey drizzled on fresh baked bread, orchard fruit, soft citrus cream, caramel, vanilla, oak cream (whatever that is), very subtle smokiness, butterscotch candy. F: Hint of cinnamon, ever so gentle touch of heat, honey, dried flowers, vanilla cream, milk chocolate, toasted marshmallows, almonds, toasted wood, chalky minerals. Delicate and delicious. This one really rewards patient, slow sipping. It has this strange effect on me where, experiencing the flavors cross my palate, just feels like sitting next to a softly bubbling, but swiftly moving stream. There's a lot happening, but none of it is loud. And you want to dip your hand in and feel the cold and the gentle pressure. It's just a freaking relaxing dram. I love it for that. Would certainly do another bottle of this. And, dare I say, it may just challenge Springbank 10 as the best 10 year single malt on the market. Maybe. Very different, but still maybe. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired (it shouldn't be), please post a comment and I will gladly provide a new one.)

Ok so Ive never heard of the smallest distillery before. I read some good reviews and like something different so why not. This is one of the best 10-12 yr single malt I have ever had. I wonder if someone screwed up during bottling as this is so dark it looks like an 18 yr. Nose has dates and prunes with raisins all meshed together with some malt and barrel. Very refined with no ethanol interfering. Again seems way older than 10 years. Oily mouthfeel leads palate of heavy dark malty fruits, macadamia nut butter with some silty earthy farm like peat, light wispy smoke and some toasted barrel. Its rich and succulent and (broken record) tastes much older. Finish gives a little bit of tannic bitter note but the sherry cask wine notes and spicy barrel offset. Malt and gentle smoke help as well. I got this for $54 and feel its amazing value and an absolute blockbuster for a 10 yr. This dominates with excellent flavor depth, complexity and a rich smoothness usually reserved for much older scotch. I am going after everything made by this distillery .......91/100........as crazy as it sounds this reminds me of the Glendronach18 profile( lesser version of course)........Here's a bold statement: I'll take this over 12 yrs from Glendronach, Macallan and Highland Park........I will say again I seriously think there may be an error as this shit is so dark I cannot believe its only 10 yrs and yes it clearly says natural color on bottle

The nose, which takes some time to open up, is comprised of lightly salted caramel toffee, dark fruits, toasted cereals, heather, Marcona almonds, modeling clay, marmalade, vanilla, and gentle spices showcasing both sherry and bourbon cask influence. On the tongue it’s rich, dark honey sweet, citrusy, mildly spicy, and a little oaky. There are stewed prunes, cassis, Seville oranges, and an almost rhum agricole funk. Full bodied, velvety and slick in the mouth. In the glass it falls quickly in sheets with no legs forming at all, leaving a few heavy droplets clinging behind and just the fringe of a skirt at the very top of the Glencairn. The finish is a bit short, slightly dry, sweet and nutty but not too tannic, like penuche fudge with chopped walnuts, but with more of that bourbon barrel spice and vanilla shining through. A little smoke too (char rather than peat) plus lingering minerality. A little water opens up the nose and smoothes out the palate, but don’t overdo it. Nose: 8 Taste: 9 Body: 8 Finish: 9

Edradour 10 has been on my wishlist for a long time, not only for being from the smallest scotch operation, but also for its supposed uniqueness. It pours as astonishingly dark in the glass as it looks in the bottle: storied mahogany. Edradour is aromatically complex; I sense blackwood, dried cherry, rain-soaked fallen log, salted brown butter, oiled leather, and a mushroomy pungency. The palate adds flavors of sweet plantain, sumac, and hickory nut. Together, nose and palate give the impression of an early morning at wood’s edge on the verge of autumn — you return home and your boots are wet from the dew. The mouthfeel is dully medicinal, while a sweetly earthy and mossy finish offers a fitting denouement. The aftertaste is like breathing inside a humidor. I wonder what a slightly higher proof might do to emphasize some of these impressive notes. All in all, it’s a dram that deserves time and treasuring.