Edradour 14 Oloroso Finish & Edradour 16 Bordeaux Finish {Specs Liquor Store Pick}

Now to conclude my current ongoing need to finish off whiskies that all come from the same distillery, it’s time for the smallest (in size, not in ferocity) distillery in Scotland, Edradour. So remember: As one Edradour closes, another one opens. Don’t worry, I’ll be doing it again.

Thanks to /u/ScotchChick for these samples.

Specs Liquor has 100 locations across Texas, reminding me again how big Texas is. I get that its big, and provinces in Canada are too, but I live in a pretty big one and it’s only 2/3rds the size of Texas.

That’s a huge place. So Specs is in Texas. I’ve never had any of their picks. Ever. Thus it’s kinda cool that I’m trying them. Both of these are finished, though by how much I can’t really tell you. I can’t really tell you much about them, save for what the website tells me.

But we have two red wine finished older Edradours. And that is a fitting way to finish off my current series. So let’s see how they taste, shall we?

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Edradour 14 2004 Oloroso Finish {Specs Liquor Store Pick}

Price: $147.36

Region: Highland

Distilled: 25th April 2001

Bottled: 20th August 2015

Cask No. 2225

Outturn: 643 bottles

Abv: 56.4%

Colour: 7.5YR 5/8

Nose: Oak/vanilla, nectarine, strawberry, cinnamon buns, treacle

Different take for this one than previous ones that were split matured. The ex-bourbon element is still very evident here. And they’ve picked up some nice spice and caramel from the Oloroso.

Water really is needed here. A simple dram opens into something more yeasty and sweeter, with lots of complexity.

Taste: Caramel, strawberry, floral, papaya, ginger

More caramel, more fruit. Some floral elements. Water… is really needed to get past the caramel, like rubbing blood all over your friend in a horror situation to get past the killer bear.

Not that I had anything to do with the killer bear situation if anyone asks.

Finish: Vanilla, cranberry, herbal, orange, ginger

Again, ex-bourbon element is quite evident here, more so than others. And sweet. Really, really sweet. Some herbal tries to turn the tide, but not enough to really stop the sheer amount of sweets.

Conclusion: Needs water/very sweet. If I had to go out on a limb, I’d say this was picked by someone who loves Xmas, loves Oloroso finishes, and may have a sweet issue like me. Also, they may be a nose hound, in that they love the nose on whisky more than the rest.

Which frankly since taste is mostly aroma, I don’t blame them. The nose on this is really interesting for a young Edradour. Or an older Edradour, I should say. So there are aspects I enjoy. That said there was just too much sweet flavours. It’s singular noted in that way, which is pretty rough.

77/100

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Edradour 16 Bordeaux Finish {Specs Liquor Store Pick}

Price: $157.88

Region: Highland

Abv: 56.1%

Colour: 10YR 7/10

Nose: Cherry candy, apple cinnamon, nectarine, ginger

Alright, more developed red fruits here. That cherry element that I prefer over strawberry light red fruits that sometimes happens with finishes from Oloroso.

So I guess Bordeaux has more complexity? Maybe? Who knows. I know this hits sweets, stone fruits, and spice. I like those things, and they are somewhat unique (to just hit those notes).

Taste: Apricot upside down cake, oak/vanilla, cream, puff pastry

Wow, caramel, well-developed cereal, and big oak/vanilla notes. Water brings out more cream/butter. It’s changing the usual Edradour profile and kicking it up a notch.

Finish: Peach, strawberry milk, cinnamon, orange, ginger, sesame oil, butter

What the heck? That finish is really odd. We went on an Asian bent, like that one friend who divorced her husband, Feng-shui the whole house, and then dated that nice-looking guy from the accountant’s office with a short last name and a calm demeanour.

While you’re trying to figure out if the last statement was confusing, mildly racist, or amazingly forward thinking (it’s neither, it’s just a joke, I took it in a different direction by using a woman instead of a man, I’m aware of the erasure of male Asian sexuality so I went that direction, and no, not all Asians are accountants).

Now that I’ve overexplained a joke so someone doesn’t call me out on Twitter, we can get back to the whisky. Yes, the finish has a lot of Asian cuisine flavours. Specifically Asian-Canadian cuisine, probably what I know as White People Targetted Chinese food (TM).

Conclusion: Water makes it unique. That finish is really complex and saves it from being just another whisky. I can see why you’d pick this out, as it’s really unique. The taste has dalliances with complexity, and the nose is bourbon inspired, in that it does simpler big things.

Overall an interesting dram. I don’t know if I’d personally buy it, but I’m happy to have tried it.

80/100

Scotch reviews #953-954, Highland reviews #159-160, Whisky Network reviews #1506-1507