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!

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Welcome back to another round of side-by-side tastings. I’ve been a bit absent from the site in the last month. I took a short trip around Germany and visited a few of their whisky establishments and shops to see what was on offer. I was surprised to find a bunch of Springbank sold all around at some pretty reasonable prices. There were also a few amazing independent bottlers that I took notice of, and I plan on covering some of them in the future. More on that later, but for now, we’re back to the 15th dram from the Cask Explorer’s 2022 Advent Calendar (Emerald Edition), and it’s a Fettercairn 16-year-old single malt, 2nd release from 2021! Oh wow! I have a bottle stashed away of the very first release (2020) of the same 16-year-old, which I picked up back in 2022 after encountering it at this tasting. In fact, it looks like I tried the second release back then, but I won’t go back and review my words, so as not to colour my perception, and instead will jump directly into this round. So let’s get to it, but first, we need music! Now playing: Ben Chatwin – Verdigris.

A quick review of the distillery. Fettercairn is owned by Whyte & Mackay, who also own Dalmore and Jura distilleries, and it, in turn, is owned by the Philippines-based Emperador Inc. The distillery is renowned for its unique cooling ring mechanism, which sprays cold water down the outside of the still, increasing the reflux of the alcohol vapours and resulting in a lighter and purer spirit. Today, we have two different releases of the same-aged whisky. Both are 46.4%, but from looking at them alone, they look completely different. And looks can be deceiving. We learn that the first release is actually coloured (unsure if it’s chill-filtered), while the second release is definitely neither on both fronts, and so it will receive the coveted integrity star. That means that we can completely dismiss the colour comparison of one versus the other because the first release is just a lie. But let’s not get distracted by this minor annoyance; ignore the colouring and let the nose talk. The first release is a bit musky, like a cavernous and dingy warehouse full of leaky port barrels. This one was finished in sherry and port casks, so that is probably where it gets all of that flavour. The nose on the second release is completely clean. Nothing specifically stands out. It’s just a well-balanced sherried malt, and I can peel apart some layers of caramel, bananas, and maybe even stewed fruit. But yes, the nose on the first release is pungy, sulphur, and funky, and I immediately think of bottle shock. Let’s go in for a taste, first neat.

Let’s start with the first release. The musk is still a little there, but now my mouth is overwhelmed with beautiful and round sweetness, not too thick and not too honeyed, but more like… like port again and red sweet wine. My experience tells me that the funk may be from the bottle itself, so I will need to let this one breathe, perhaps for a week after uncorking. The second release is just like its nose. Nothing exactly stands out. Perhaps a little woodsy, but in general, it’s just a straight-up good ol’ Scotch that spent its life in some ex-Oloroso and ex-Palo Cortado sherry butts. The latter is what gave it that more drier flavour profile. And yes, I think there’s more umami here, but that’s because it’s not as sweet as its initial run. Let’s go back to the first again, but now with some water in the mix. The scent of spoilage is still there, but now the sweetness is becoming more burnt caramel on the nose [delicious!], and yeah, it’s there in the flavour, with some dark chocolate and even tobacco notes. This is an impressive and complex sip, and I’ll have to return to this write-up in a few days and let you know how my airing worked out. Let’s go back to the second release. Again, just as before, but now the oak is even stronger on the palate, approaching that bitterness that I am not a fan of. One final sip after a break, but this time in reverse. The second release is nothing special, and although I appreciate the higher ABV and non-filtration, it’s definitely woodsy, and it wouldn’t really stand up to other integrity single malts of the same age. The first release is something else, and I like it very much, if not for that annoying sulfur / spoiled wine nose.

Distillery / Region	Fettercairn / Highlands	Fettercairn / Highlands
Producer	Whyte & Mackay Ltd	Whyte & Mackay Ltd
Bottler / Series	Distillery bottling / special release	Distillery bottling / special release
Stated Age	16 years old	16 years old
Cask type	bourbon + sherry and port casks finish	Oloroso and Palo Cortado butts
ABV / Cask Strength	46.4% / No	46.4% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	? / No	Yes / Yes 🌟
Price	£150 for 1L / not available	£75 / limited supplies
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes but needs more time to settle	No / Eh – it’s just a good whisky
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	No / Yes – a whole litre bottle is enough	No / No – get older bottlings

As promised above, I have returned to the first release a week after the initial opening. It definitely has smoothed out a bit, and I attempted to help it out a bit by reopening and shaking it up. It’s not like carbon dioxide will escape, and aeration shall help out a bit. It has improved, but to be honest, I can still pick up a bit of funk, which, if you close your eyes, can be dismissed or written off as that old warehouse feeling. It’s still pretty sweet, and I can best appreciate it as an after-dinner malt. With that, I’ll pause here and proclaim the 1st release from 2020 as the winner of this round.