New 18 Year Old Marks Fettercairn’s first Ever Scottish Oak Release
Fettercairn distillery today announced the arrival of a new dawn in its progressive whisky making with the launch of its inaugural 18 Years Old single malt and its first ever whisky finished in locally sourced Scottish Oak. The culmination of years of planning and innovation, Fettercairn 18 Years Old is the very embodiment of Fettercairn’s commitment to the future and to its local communities.
Fettercairn 18 Years Old has been realised from a refined marriage of American White Oak casks with an exceptionally hand-crafted finish in 100% Scottish Oak, sourced from the Scottish Highlands. Progressive and innovative in style and substance, this whisky celebrates what makes Fettercairn different – from the surprisingly tropical -house style achieved by the distinctive copper cooling ring distillation; to their future focused, innovative approach to local sourcing and working with the land in Aberdeenshire – ‘The Garden of Scotland’.
Bottled perfect to be enjoyed at 46.8%, natural in colour and non-chill filtered, this single malt showcases a meticulous approach to cask management and whisky making. With a character defined by richness and depth, it plays on mature fruit flavours, toasted oak, fresh patisserie aromas and rich mouthfeel with soft spice balances cacao and berry fruits.
Gregg Glass, Master Whisky Maker, explains: “Fettercairn 18 is a culmination of an approach to whisky making I have developed across a number of years. This first release reflects the dedication not just of myself, but of our partners ‘from Forest to Field’, who each played a role in rekindling the skills required to harvest Scottish Oak. At Fettercairn we are passionate about the potential of Scottish Oak and the unique flavour characteristics it offers to the whisky maker.”
Brought to life through our ground-breaking Scottish Oak programme and calling on a 100% finish in Scottish oak sourced from the Scottish Highlands, this whisky represents a long-term vision coming to life. Born from an initiative which extends far beyond cask production to the creation of a circular economy and the future-proofing Scottish Oak for the next generation of whisky makers.
TASTING NOTES
Colour: Golden amber
Nose: Sugared almonds, baking spices and tropical sweetness of passion fruit and guava
Taste: Exotic syruped fruits, patisserie sugars, brioche and spices with soft hints of berry fruits
Finish: Soft spice, cacao and natural vanilla
About Fettercairn
Driven by a progressive ethos at the heart of our distilling philosophy since 1824, today Fettercairn Distillery lives by a long-standing commitment to unfettered thinking.
We’re not like other distilleries and we’ve never been afraid to tread our own path. It’s only by defying convention, tradition and expectation, we can adopt an enlightened and progressive approach.
Take our cooling ring, our home-grown Scottish oak and single estate whiskies, the special collaboration with 200 local farmers, the Warehouse 2 Collection. And not forgetting the unicorn on our bottle!
Our vision is future facing, so we don’t need to look back to move forward. But ultimately, all of this leads to an unwavering commitment to a prosperous and sustainable future for whisky making.
We are Fettercairn; the home of enlightened whisky making. www.fettercairnwhisky.com
About Gregg Glass- Master Whisky Maker
Respected whisky maker Gregg Glass joined Whyte and Mackay in 2016, where he has been a leading light in the rejuvenation of Fettercairn alongside Distillery Manager Stewart Walker.
Gregg enjoyed a childhood in the heart of whisky making country, the Black Isle. With 22 years in industry notably 11 years at innovative whisky maker Compass Box, Gregg joined Whyte and Mackay in 2016 to work alongside renowned Master Distiller Mr Richard Paterson OBE.
Gregg has enjoyed 15 years career as a blender and whisky maker. At Whyte and Mackay Gregg has led whisky development for Fettercairn Single Malt Whisky, Jura Single Malt Whisky and in 2017 launched Whisky Works – an independent innovation wing of Whyte and Mackay.
Gregg is devoted to his craft and believes in flavour-led hands-on whisky making. Gregg is passionately involved in every aspect of the whisky making process from ‘acorn to glass’ and since 2020 leads whisky making across the Whyte and Mackay portfolio.
Award-Winning Whisky Makers Whyte and Mackay
Whyte and Mackay is home to a collection of multi-award-winning Single Malt Whiskies including The Dalmore, Jura and Fettercairn. With a premium spirits portfolio that includes contemporary whisky brands Shackleton, Woodsman and John Barr, alongside popular alcohol brands Wildcat, Fundador and Harveys Bristol Cream and Aperitivo. In the UK the company produce Whyte & Mackay, an award-winning ever-popular Blended Whisky, which recently launched the market-leading ‘Whyte & Mackay Light’ – a lighter spirit drink from Scotland, bottled at a lower ABV.
In 2020 the company were publicly recognised by the First Minister of Scotland for their support of the national pandemic response. Whyte and Mackay are official partners to SAMH – Scottish Association for Mental Health, which saw Whyte and Mackay employees worldwide complete a virtual-race-around-the-world to raise awareness for the charity.
Founded in Glasgow 1844, the whisky makers celebrated their 175 year anniversary in 2019. Today Whyte and Mackay have offices from New York to Singapore. In Scotland, Whyte and Mackay operate a state-of-the-art Bottling Hall and Distribution Centre in Grangemouth and a Whisky Production and Warehousing Centre in Invergordon.
Whyte and Mackay’s whisky making is led by Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE and pioneering Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass.
