Edradour 2014 10yo Sauvignon Blanc Finish & Edradour 2012 12yo Pinot Noir Finish

Edradour 2014 10yo Sauvignon Blanc Finish

Region: Highlands

ABV: 48.2%

Price: £59.95

The casks for this release were filled on 16th May 2014 and bottled on 22nd January 2025, following a finish in first-fill Sauvignon Blanc casks. 1,623 bottles were released, drawn from cask numbers #704 and #706.

Nose

The nose opens with soft peaches, pear drop sweeties, apple cider vinegar, light vanilla aromas and a hint of cacao. Going back, there’s more wine influence coming through, think melon balls, grappa, Schloer, lemon peel and a slightly vegetal note that appears too. The alcohol is mellow, but it feels a tad watery. There’s a young spirit note, nail varnish, that appears if you get a bit too deep into the glass.

Palate

The palate opens with lime, lots of zingy limeade, rice paper, green apple skins, fuzzy peach, mellow vanilla syrup and grapefruit pith. Theres more sweetness that comes through towards the finish, simple caster sugar and a little fudge, however there’s quite an astringent mid palate that leaves us with a real dry, puckered feeling in the mouth. The mouthfeel is fine, a little thinner than we’d like but good given the ABV reduction. Going back, we’re getting air dried oak, a little furniture polish, melon and black pepper spice. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more bourbon cask sweetness, more vanilla, more brown sugar, it becomes almost one-note in the sense that the wine maturation feels hidden. There’s still some soft orchard fruits to be found too. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate doesn’t change too much initially, more of that lime, melon and sugar syrup, but it does feel a fair bit waterier and thin. The palate then develops into drier, oakier flavours, sawn wood, and the youthfulness of the spirit feels more pronounced. 

Conclusion

We find that white wine maturation/finishes can be quite astringent if not done well, and this feels like it’s creeping into that category. The nose is quite pleasant, fruity, citrusy, enough of the wine character coming through to make it enjoyable, however we’re not too big fans of the palate, a bit too astringent and youthful for us. Saying that, the whisky itself is well made, expressive and still enjoyable.

Score: 6/10

Value

We’d have loved to see this at cask strength, but even at 48.2%, it still represents decent value.

Edradour 2012 12yo Pinot Noir Finish

Region: Highlands

ABV: 48.2%

Price: £61.95

The casks for this release were filled on 22nd February 2012 and bottled on 22nd January 2025, following a finish in first-fill Pinot Noir casks. 1,422 bottles were released, drawn from cask numbers #709, #710, #711 and #712.

Nose

The nose opens with warm red berry pie, grapes, a little poached rhubarb, digestive biscuits, sugar cubes, big red cinnamon chewing gum and a little fiery ginger beer in the background. As the nose opens up, we get a lot more spice, peppery, gingery, even a bit of struck match aroma too. The alcohol is right in the background, not too prickly, and we’re getting more chocolatey aromas as we sit with it. 

Palate

The palate opens with fizzy raspberries, almost fermented, grape juice, lime pickle, black pepper and lemonade. Going back, we’re getting currant jam, wholemeal bread and grated ginger. It’s quite fiery, in line with the nose, not alcohol-wise, but wood spice/tannins dialled up to 100%. The mouthfeel is fine, there’s some texture here, but it’s quite bitter throughout, although we do get some sherbetiness appearing on the latter palate before the decent length finish. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose is sweeter, more bourbon-like, with brown sugar, vanilla biscuits, toffee sweeties and milk chocolate. We’re searching for red fruits but are struggling to find any.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has cherry jam and rhubarb and custard sweeties, following into cinnamon and ginger snap biscuits. The water has mellowed some of the tannic spice, although has also thinned out the palate’s texture for us. 

Conclusion

A fiery dram on the palate, the nose presenting a little more subtly. The Pinot noir has imparted more tannin than we expected from a softer grape varietal. The casks have definitely given lots of flavour and aroma, and have likely covered up some of the youthful spirit notes. 

Score: 6.5/10

Value

Like today’s other review, we’d have loved to see this at cask strength, but even at 48.2%, it still represents decent value.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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