Edradour Equilibrium II 16 Year (2005) Whisky Sponge

Review by: TOModera

What was the occasion: I was reviewing blends, and this had a random name and some people called it a blend, so I didn’t look into it at all (as I typically do) and included it with the blends.

Guess what? I’m super wrong, this isn’t a blend! Stop the internet presses, this is serious business! Burn him alive! See if he floats, for he must be a witch!

There, I wrote your angry comment for you. Trust me, the voices in my head care about this more than all of you, combined.

What whisky did we review? Edradour Equilibrium II 16 Year 2005 Whisky Sponge is not a blend. It’s just a tribute. Wait, no, that’s a fun song that’s a 22-year-old song. Oh god, I’m ageing before my very eyes!

Ahem, it’s a single malt Scotch created by Whisky Sponge and Decadent Drinks. For this whisky, they were given the chance to raid the Signatory archives for casks. It’s two different casks, each aged in 2nd fill sherry Hogsheads, one from Edradour, and one from Ballechin (aka the peated offering from Edradour).

So this is a vatting, because Edradour and Ballechin are separated like parents who got married at 18, but it all comes from the same distillery, so it’s a single malt.

What’s the distillery? Edradour distillery is a Highland distillery originally established in 1825. The distillery was originally run by three men. Now it’s run by two men. If that doesn’t sum up the issue with labour as time goes on, I don’t know what will (this is a joke).

Decadent Drinks is a young, Perth based independent bottler run by Angus MacRaild who is controlled by a 500 million year old sponge that lives off the West Coast of Scotland. I wish I was making a joke, but that’s the official tagline, so here we go. A Porifera is now helping release alcohol. Specifically, they bottle Rum, Cognac, Armagnac, and Scotch.

What’s my bias? I mean, it’s Edradour, right? I’ve explored the distillery to see how I feel about it, and every single time I do, there’s about two or three people who say they enjoy it, and maybe one kinkster who loves it, and then everyone else has an open bottle and lives their lives.

As for Whisky Sponge and Decadent Drinks, I have no real bias. The bottles are pricey, sure, but what isn’t nowadays? Also I’ve had a grand total of 3 releases, which isn’t even enough to determine if I like a type of cheese, let alone an independent bottler.

But I didn’t know this was Edradour while reviewing it. I thought it was a blended malt, knew that it was 16 years old, and (based on the colour) assumed there was some sherry involved. I attempt this each time, because I don’t look up anything about the whisky before trying it. That means what we have is a rare moment where I’m without bias and amazing and sexy and liked and without doubts. 

Okay, I’m back after my crying break. Let’s see how the whisky is, shall we?

Distillery: Edradour Distillery.

Bottler: Decadent Drams/Whisky Sponge.

Region: Highland.

ABV: 55%. Cask strength.

Age: 16 years. Distilled in 2005. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: 2nd Fill Sherry Hogshead.

Price: £168.

Color: 10R 3/10.

Nose: Hazelnut, strawberry, brown sugar, grassy

Nutty, some light red fruits (think not rich), some molasses and grass. Aka this is grassy and there’s a metric tonne (one seventh of an average elephant for the American readers) of sherry in here.

Looking back, at the time I assumed there was a grassy note and a lot of sherry. Now? Some of the Edradour may be stretching its neck out as a vegetal/grassy note. The problem? When I review old Edradour whiskies, they are all drenched in red wines of various types.

Taste: Cinnamon, walnut, cherry, grassy, cranberry

See, the walnut should have been the main thing to tell me this was a bunch of Edradour. I get walnuts on a lot of them, and cranberries (raw ones that taste of wood and are very tart) in the sherried ones. So yay me for being consistent, at least.

Oh, it’s a ton of sherry too. Just drenched to hell, which is also a hint that this is Edradour. Or used a recent sherry cask.

Finish: Melon, cinnamon, peanut, anise

I mean, the sherry gave us a ton of fruit, there’s a bit of nuttiness and salt, and then generic whisky melon taste (think honeydew but not really good honeydew).

So only slightly drenched to hell in sherry at the end.

Conclusion: Drenched to hell in Sherry. I know I said it over and over, and I know that’s not always the worst thing, but this is a sherry drenched whisky. I didn’t hate it, and to be fair, some of the whisky came out. It’s nice tasting. There’s nothing too off on it. Sweet, bitter, spice, and grassy, all cool.

On the other hand… is there Ballechin in here? Like, a leaky cask of it? I love the idea of blending two similar casks of Edradour’s line-up. They don’t, this could be fun. Instead it tasted like a good Edradour SFTC (Straight from the Cask) release. Maybe Ballechin needs to be amped up? Maybe a younger one is needed? Oh, here’s an idea, maybe we use a less wet cask next time?

All in all, it was fine, and that bums me out. This is really cool, and it’s the type of really cool thing I look for among Blenders and Independent Bottlers. And yes, I don’t include price in my review, thanks for bringing it up.

Final Score: 80.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Leave a comment