Fragrant Drops Aberfeldy 10yo Cask #252 & Fragrant Drops Glen Grant 21yo Cask #59942

Fragrant Drops Aberfeldy 10yo Cask #252

Region: Highlands

ABV: 60.7%

Price: £84.00

This bottling was distilled on 3rd April 2014 and matured in a refill bourbon barrel before being bottled on 29th October 2024. A total of 207 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with lightly poached orchard fruits, apples and pears, in an off-dry white wine, soft foam sweeties, as well as light malt and honey aromas. It's a very pleasant nose, lots of fruity sweetness, not jumping out of the glass but well balanced with a mellow peppery spice.Going back, we're getting lemon sponge cake, vanilla fondant icing and cheesecake biscuit base aromas appearing too.

Palate

The palate opens with toffee coated green apples, honey roasted nuts, bowls of cornflakes steeping in milk, lime cordial, coconut shavings and some ginger ale, fiery but slightly sweet. The mouthfeel is really good actually, thick, viscous, like a well made runny caramel. The finish has a bit of bitter oak, alongside some fudge sweetness and ginger spice too. Time and air brings out a little chocolate and black pepper.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels biscuitier, more malty, some brown sugar, digestives, cooking chocolate, with some of the light fruit aromas falling into the background. We're getting honey, oats and a little lemon/ginger hot toddy aroma. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has milk bottle sweeties, chocolate digestive biscuits, foam bananas.. it's become much biscuitier and richer in line with the reduced nose, and again, the fruit has fallen to the wayside. It still maintains the viscous mouthfeel and good length finish, lots of milky coffee appearing now.

Conclusion

Aberfeldy is one of the distilleries we often overlook, we've had quite a few younger refill bourbon barrels which haven't quite hit the spot, but we're very impressed by this particular cask. It has bags of flavour, it's well balanced, maintains a solid spirit character and is a pleasure to nose and sip. Not the most complex dram, and a tad too hot in places, but it's a really solid cask.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

A touch more than we’d like to pay, but Fragrant Drops are usually competitive on pricing, and we’re sure the cost reflects the price of the cask.

Fragrant Drops Glen Grant 21yo Cask #59942

Region: Speyside

ABV: 58.2%

Price: £130.00

This bottling was distilled on 11th September 2003 and matured in a 1st fill bourbon barrel before being bottled on 30th October 2024. A total of 201 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with fizzy lemonade, lots of appley sweetness, lime peel, shortbread fingers dusted in a little caster sugar, lots of fudge, and a little white sandwich bread too. There's a slight dustiness, old wooden shelves, in the background, along with sugar paper, tea leaves and a tinge of white chocolate. There's some alcohol here, relatively light but still present, and as the dram opens up we're getting a nuttiness, a handful of unsalted peanuts perhaps.

Palate

The palate opens with a caramel sauce-like mouthfeel, nice and textured, with candied almonds and pecan pie with a buttery pastry crust. There's also chocolate brownie batter, lots of malty character and cocoa nibs. The finish lingers on for a good length, continuing with the rich, chocolatey, confectionery flavours. Time and air brings out rich honey flavours, a bit of old oak and some cinnamon sticks.. more dry wood, more brown sugar sweetness too.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose removes some of the fruity, fizzy aromas, replacing them with vanilla fondant, almond butter, runny honey, and perhaps even a little dried dill leaf. There's a sweet yoghurt here too, as well as buttered popcorn and lemon sugar. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the great mouthfeel, and doesn't change too much in profile overall - candied pecans, milk chocolate, a little ginger, malt loaf and slightly overcooked caramel. The finish also maintains the length, with brown sugar and toffee.

Conclusion

A dram with a contrasting nose and palate for us - not in quality - it's a high quality spirit and cask, but the lighter, fruiter and dustier nose changes completely when we get to the palate - rich, nutty, malty, chocolatey, all very pleasant flavours and in well balance overall.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Given the age, it’s hard to complain too much about the price.

• 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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