Edradour has, under the ownership of Andrew Symington's Signatory Vintage since 2002, become known for its enthusiastic exploration of European wine casks. Sherry, port, marsala, Burgundy and Bordeaux casks have all featured in its bottlings, often as finishes layered onto a base of traditional Highland maturation.
This 21 Year Old draws on Sauternes casks — vessels that once held the celebrated sweet wine of the Sauternes appellation in Bordeaux, where botrytis-affected Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes produce a famously rich, honeyed wine. Such casks are highly sought after for whisky finishing, contributing notes of stone fruit, honey and a particular waxy sweetness.
Edradour's spirit lends itself well to this kind of treatment. Distilled on the smallest legally permitted stills in Scotland and produced in tiny batches at the small Pitlochry distillery, the new make is unusually oily and full-textured. Two decades in oak give it weight, and the Sauternes influence adds a distinct sweetness without overwhelming the underlying malt.
Bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered and at natural colour, the 21 Year Old Sauternes Cask is a considered piece of work. It is also a reminder that Edradour, often pigeonholed as a curiosity for its scale, takes its older bottlings seriously. For drinkers who enjoy wine-cask Highland malts of real age and character, it is a quietly impressive dram.
