Edradour 10yo

The Maker

Edradour distillery was built around 1837, but distillation got underway as part of a farmers co-operative in a nearby barn in 1825. The formation of the co-operative was a product of the recent Excise Act which required stills to be larger in an attempt to prevent distillation at the domestic scale. By joining together local communities were able to make a larger operation work, and thereby supply themselves and others with all the whisky they could drink with plenty to spare.

Like several distilleries of this period Edradour benefits from a rich historical record which documents changes to the site and production - including the original letter from the then Duke of Athol giving permission for construction. These, along with the rich history of the distillery are documented in Andrew Cameron's short book 'Edradour: the myth, the mafia & the magic' which is often provided as a free gift alongside a bottle when ordered from several online whisky shops in the UK.

For those wishing to have a fuller understanding of the ins and outs of Edradour's ownership it is a book I would strongly recommend. At just 60 pages it details the many changes that have taken place and digs into the allegations that the distillery played a central role in the East Coast Mafia's efforts to overcome the constraints of prohibition. I will not spoil that here, but it suffices to say that the history of Edradour is a little more complex and interesting than the norm.

The current ownership of Signatory's Andrew Symington can be dated back to the early 2000s where he purchased Edradour from Pernod Ricard for £5.4m. In the years since he has maintained Edradour's small scale approach focusing on quality over quantity. As a result it remains one of Scotland's smallest distilleries with a capacity of between 95,000 and 260,000 litres a year - depending on which sources you read. This included the addition of a peated line under the name of Ballechin which began in 2002. I have had some great Ballechin's over the years, but few more so than the new 18yo which which I reviewed several months ago.

Symington's approach has made Edradour a favourite of whisky nerds around the world who have become accustomed to its high quality output, and no nonsense approach. As such I suspect that many would put Edradour alongside the likes of Springbank, Daftmill and Benromach on their lists of favourites.

The Expression

This is the entry level Edradour 10yo which was matured in a mixture of ex-bourbon and oloroso casks. It is just 43% ABV and as such is very likely to have been chill-filtered. There being no reference to artificial colouring on the packaging suggests it might have some, yet the colour itself, and Edradour's general approach to whisky suggests otherwise. This has been widely available across the UK for many years at around £46 ($63 USD).

The Neck Pour

The first hint of this one the nose tells you this is going to be a bit of a sherry bomb on a scale that is immediately reminiscent of a good Glenfarclas. There are both sweet and dry sherry notes here, and plenty of oak char. Combined these are suggestive of high quality cask use.

All of this follows on the palate. It starts with brown sugar and fizzy cola bottles. Then slides into salted caramel and a warming vanilla and oak on the finish. The lower strength makes it all very drinkable, but perhaps a little watery. I believe this could be considered a bit of a 'breakfast whisky'.

The Body

Returning to this bottle after a few months the strong sherry notes are still there, but they have been joined by a hint of tobacco leaf. Beyond that there is not a significant change on the nose, maybe a tiny bit of spearmint.

In other words this remains safe, but is not simple. Instead it is clearly a high quality whisky that has been presented in a very accessible way. While this may risk being a little too accessible for the experienced whisky drinker it is a cut above the supermarket shelves alternatives that its price point is competing with. In that regard it might be fair to consider this a sherry driven version of the Arran 10 insomuch that they are both strong entry level whiskies that make good recommendations for someone wishing to explore what whisky is, in a way which will not blow their palate.

Final Throughs

Finishing this off there has been no further development. Yet, just as I came to the end I learn that it has recently been discontinued and replaced with a 100% oloroso, non chill-filtered version at 46% to mark Edradour's 200th anniversary. The even better news is that this is being sold in the UK at the same price as this version. To my mind this is just what this bottle needs to sustain interest across its whole, and is another testament to the great work Edradour and Signatory are doing for scotch these days.