The fourth release in The Collection, Warehouse 2 Batch No.004 has been crafted using a handpicked selection of first and second fill American and Hungarian oak casks; filled with spirit that flowed from the Fettercairn stills in 2014 and has since been maturing in Fettercairn Warehouse 2.
COLOUR
Natural colour of golden honey.
TASTE
Notes of Madagascan vanilla, poached pears and cracked pepper.
FINISH
Toffee, honey and rich nuttiness. Vibrant yet elegant balance of honey dew melon, passion fruit, burnished citrus and sweet oak wood.
From Master of Malt
Warehouse 2 is a dunnage warehouse at Fettercairn that's home to some of the distillery's oldest casks, as well as some more experimental ones, with the latter utilised in creative ways for this range. While previous batches had fun with vasyma sherry, rye, rum and French wine casks, this fourth batch makes use of wire-brushed and recharred Hungarian oak German Pinot Noir casks!
And yet, skilled whisky maker Gregg Glass used these Hungarian oak casks for just 6% of the total recipe here, with first-fill (74%) and second-fill (20%) ex-bourbon casks making up the majority. Nonetheless, they appear to contribute some red fruit and tannins, which combined with comparatively younger spirit than their core range (it's a 2014 vintage, although some older liquid has also been used) puts us partly in mind of an older style of Fettercairn. Balancing fruit and baking spice sweetness keeps everything in order, however.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose: Whole peanut and some meatiness, before apple strudel fruit notes slowly come to the fore with a touch of Fry’s Orange Cream.
Palate: A pleasing continuation of the nose, now with hints of red berries and espresso, but honeyed melon sweetness is never far away.
Finish: Some late palate tannin gives way to soft cocoa and grapefruit peel.
