Review by: Raygun

I was surprised to find I haven’t reviewed an Edradour in almost six years, and my Ballechin/Edradour ratio is about 5:1. I suppose some of that can be explained by the fact that Edradour does mainly big cask expressions (do they even have any pure bourbon maturations?) and unpeated wine casks in particular aren’t typically my favorite. Still, not exactly an obscure distillery and I wouldn’t have thought almost 500 reviews ago was the last time I did one. I have this one to rectify that, a pick by Spec’s in Texas aged in Marsala, the fortified wine from Sicily. Not a cask type I run into often and not always been a fan, but we’ll see how it goes. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

---

Distillery: Edradour

Bottler: Edradour    

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 60.9%

Age: 10 years old. Distilled on March 9, 2011 and bottled on May 1, 2021.   

Cask type: Marsala cask #76, 350 bottles.

Color: 1.5 auburn. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

---

Nose: The ABV definitely comes out. I think I singed some nose hairs off on first sniff. Maybe not the cask beast I expected. Clay, honey cake, apricot, and the smell of a wine cellar. Maybe water will bring out more. I get some spice with water, like nutmeg.                        

Palate: Yes, just as hot as the nose. This will definitely take some water. A bit of pine, tobacco, honey, and there’s some of the apricot I associate with Marsala. A hint of rancio, I assume from the cask. Significant floral influence, too. More manageable with water for sure, and it comes across as sweeter, but I’m not noticing a lot of difference in flavor. A little more spice I suppose. 

Finish: Develops well on the finish. A hint of orange, clay, honey, and the flavors of a Marsala sauce. The alcohol is still very strong, but a little easier to get past than the palate. Again more toned down with water without affecting the richness. Cannoli shells are traditionally made with Marsala and that toasted flavor comes through. It has that kind of sweetness and a touch of spice. 

---

Conclusion: I liked it more than I thought I would. I was expecting it to be a cask monster, but although I wouldn’t call it subtle, it doesn’t taste only of wine. Not that I’ve had Marsala on its own, but it’s recognizably Scotch. It does take a fair amount of water, and then it’s pretty tasty, with an interesting range of flavors. I’ve become rather skeptical of fortified wine casks other than sherry. Madeira in particular has not been a very positive experience. I might need to reconsider that position though. This was very enjoyable.

Score: 82

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)