If you’re new here, welcome to Two Drams A Day! Each article is a personal journey where I pair two whiskies, often Scotch single malts among others, to discover the subtle differences that make each one unique and special. My approach is hands-on and intimate: I taste these whiskies side-by-side and share my real-time observations, from unexpected delights to the occasional letdowns. In the end, I choose a favourite, and along the way, I hope to learn something new and share that knowledge with you. If you’re curious about the nuanced and fascinating world of whisky and enjoy a personal touch in your reading, you’re in the right place. Stick around, subscribe, and join me on this flavorful adventure, two drams at a time!

---

Today, in my two Glencairn glasses, I have the 14th dram from the Cask Explorer’s 2022 Advent Calendar (Ruby Edition), a unique bottling of the Fettercairn from 2015, subtitled Warehouse 2 Batch 3. At this point, I have given up on finishing all of the remaining drams this year, and I have made peace with that. I was going to buy this year’s 2023 edition of the Advent Calendar(s), but honestly, I still have way too much whisky to drink. To complete the pairing, I picked a bottle of the Ardnamurchan AD/09.22 from my personal collection. I’ve been slowly sipping on this cask-strength single malt during the last week, and I’m honestly curious to see how it will stand up against the Fettercairn. So, let’s get to it, shall we? But first, you know that we need music! Now playing: Clark – Cave Dog.

Let’s begin with the Fettercairn. This is an Eastern Highlands distillery founded in 1824 by Alexander Ramsay. One of its distinguishing features is its unique water-cooling ring, fitted at the top of its stills. This fascinating apparatus sprays cold water down the outside, increasing the reflux within the still. As a result, the spirit is light, fruity and complex, but some of the distillery’s past bottlings didn’t live up to the enthusiast’s expectations. I’ve personally had a few on-and-off experiences, so let’s see what we find inside this bottle. This is an uncoloured and non-chill filtered whisky, bottled at 50.6% ABV, and, as the label informs, is a third release from its Warehouse 2 collection, crafted by vatting a handpicked selection [it’s always handpicked!] of ex-bourbon barrels, ex-rum, and Frech Red Wine barriques. It doesn’t have an explicit age statement, but the distillate is from 2015, and it was bottled in 2022, which makes it sort of seven years old, I guess. It’s got a candied, caramelised nose, and I sense more of bourbon and possibly rum here than the red wine influence. Let’s try it neat first, and then I’ll add some water. It’s a well-integrated flavour profile with a wonderful hint of sweetness, again more on the confectionary side than honey or sweet fruit. With water, it takes on more vanilla, but now there is some oakiness and nuttiness together with the sweets. I take a moment to nose the Ardnamurchan and can barely peel apart any aroma in there. The latter is also much stronger than the Fettercairn, bottled at 58.4%. I took a short, neat sip of it and was [un]welcomed with the leathery, tobacco-infused wood. So let me add some water to it as well, and let it breathe and open up a little.

The Ardnamurchan distillery is relatively new to the world of Scotch whisky (and my shelves), beginning its production only in 2014. It’s part of the Adelphi Distillery [which started as an independent bottler], situated in the Highlands. The distillery focuses on sustainability with a zero-waste policy. In addition to its renewable energy use, it practices responsible sourcing and local engagement “aiming to positively impact its surrounding environment and community.” Yes, that’s great and all, now, how is the whisky? With some water, this cask-strength non-chill filtered and uncoloured single malt has opened up. But the influence of the 40-peated ex-bourbon, 5 unpeated ex-bourbon, and 5 unpeated ex-oloroso sherry casks in the vatting is not that overpowering or recognisable, for that matter. I taste no peat at all. It feels like a solid, and I would even say “meaty” single malt, but there is nothing particularly remarkable about its profile. It’s a well-made whisky, evident in the overall delivery of this 6-year-old, bottled in September of 2022 (as the label honestly proclaims). Apparently, you can scan the QR code of each bottle to see more details of the batch. Let’s do this now. Ok, cool, so mine is 1092/18000 bottles. The rest of the page takes me through the process of making this bottle, including the barley variety used in this batch (Concerto, from Broomhall farm), the mash water temperature of individual waters (and the operator’s name!), the fermentation time (76 hours), the min and max spirit hydrometer readings (64.5-73%) and the cask data PDF with, wow, almost too much detail. So, does that make me appreciate this particular bottle more? Well, yes, it does (I see a bunch of 7-year-old barrels in there). But does the whisky actually taste better? Not necessarily, of course.

Distillery / Region	Fettercairn / Highlands	Ardnamurchan / Highlands
Name / Style	Warehouse 2 Batch 3 / single malt	AD/09.22 / single malt
Producer / Bottler	Whyte & Mackay / distillery	Adelphi / distillery
Stated Age / Vintage	NAS / 2015 and about 7 years old	NAS / 2014+2015 and about 6-7 years old
Cask type	bourbon, rum, and Frech red wine	bourbon, oloroso, and PX
ABV / Cask Strength	50.6% / not sure	58.4% / Yes
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	Yes / Yes 🌟	Yes / Yes 🌟
Price	£60	£62
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes	No / Yes, but could be more pronounced
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Yes / Yes – Fettercairn is getting better!	No / Yes, worth exploring this newcomer!

So there you have it, folks. Another interesting pairing. Two six / seven-year-old highland whiskies bottled at higher strength and uncompromised quality. I welcome the transparency of these newer kids on the block and hope the rest of the geezers will follow. But I also recognise the experience of the older distilleries and admit that no amount of marketing can live up to the taste. Perhaps the followers of trends and brands will have a different notion, but for yours truly, it’s what’s left inside the glass. So, with that said, I’ll pause here and proclaim the Fettercairn 2015 as the winner of this round. Thank you, and hope to see you once again!