Fettercairn Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been produced in Scotland for 200 years, but until recently, it wasn’t available in the U.S. That all changed this spring as the famed brand launched a collection of Fettercairn’s rare aged single malt whiskies, a taste of things to come — the brand plans to eventually roll out more from the portfolio in the coming years.
Founded in 1824 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Fettercairn’s recent U.S. launch included 24-year-old, 28-year-old, 40-year-old, 46-year-old, and 50-year-old expressions. If you want to get your hands on one of these bottles, it won’t be as easy as you think (though it’s certainly easier for U.S. Scotch whisky enthusiasts than it was a few months ago). These highly allocated single malt whisky releases are available at select retailers in key markets including California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. They range in price between $650 and $37,000.
To celebrate this launch, our own Dan Gaul recently spoke with Andy Lennie, Global Single Malt Specialist at Fettercairn, about Fettercairn’s legacy and Innovation, and its expansion into the U.S. He even had a chance to taste some of these rare whiskies.
Fettercairn’s U.S. launch
“The world is a big place and the United States is a big place with millions of people, many of whom love whiskey,” says Lennie, noting that Fettercairn is a small distillery in the Scottish Highlands. In 2018, the brand had four whiskies, “and over the years, we’ve managed to fill the gaps with limited editions and small batch whiskeys —it was all about building up the stock so that we knew when we would be able to roll it out across different parts of the world.”
Intentionality was key — making sure the brand could meet the demands of consumers in the new regions it’s launching in. Lennie noted that if all goes to plan, “a lot of the spirits we produce will be available for the United States over the next few years. It’s about making sure we have enough to keep everyone happy around the world.”
“We’ve not got an infinite amount of casks that are 20-year-old, 30-year-old, etc., so a lot of what we’ve been able to do is earmark casks that we believe are exceptional in terms of flavor, and we can release a very compelling and elegant whiskey at that age, “he says. “But things like Fettercairn 22-year-old, for example, it’s not something we can make infinitely because at some point, you might run out, so you have to go to 24 or slightly younger.
“It’s all about managing what you have in those warehouses. We often talk about the balance of nature and nurture — the nature element is the casks that have been laid down before us, and the nurture element is how we use them going forward,” Lennie says.
The Fettercairn legacy
No two Scotch whiskies are alike, and no two Scotch whisky brands are alike. So what’s intrinsic about Fettercairn?
“There’s a real sense of imagination when it comes to the whiskymaking, but a humble nature to the way things are done there,” Lennie explains. “Although we have 200 years of history, and we respect and honor that legacy, we also have one eye on the future.”
“If you’re visiting a single malt whisky distillery for the first ever time, and the first distillery you visit is Fettercairn, all the distilleries you visit after that could be slightly disappointing,” Lennie says, admitting he might be a bit biased. “The area around the distillery is stunning, the production process is utterly unique.”
Case in point: the copper cooling ring, a technique that involves drenching the stills with mountain water and cooling the copper rapidly, which allows minimal vapors to rise.
“The result is this wonderful mouthfeel, but also an incredible tropical character,” Lennie says, noting that the story of the copper cooling ring — and much of the brand’s history — is told on the unique design of its bottle.
Lennie also points to the brand’s Scottish Oak program, in which it uses Scottish Oak in its barrels. The team asked themselves, “What if we could actually use the things that grow around us? What if we could… lay down some foundations for the future for the sustainable use of Scottish Oak in whiskymaking?”
In 2015, Fettercairn began building relationships with local partners to make this a reality, now using Scottish Oak in expressions like the Fettercairn 18-year-old, and sending Scottish Oak casks to neighboring breweries and a local rum producer for cross-collaboration.
“We’re always thinking about flavor first, but [also], how can we lay down foundations for whiskymakers 200 years down the line?” Lennie says.
So what does Scottish Oak add to the flavor of Fettercain’s whisky? Lennie points to the 18-year-old, noting, “For me, it’s like everything’s been coated in chocolate or coffee grounds. It’s got a rich, exuberant flavor and a lovely depth of spices because Scottish oak is high in tannin, and the American Oak we use initially is full of vanilla.”
For more about Fettercairn — including a tasting of the expressions now available in the U.S., be sure to check out the video.
