Two Fettercairns and French pink oak


October 2, 2025

WF's Little Duos, today two Fettercairns and French pink oak

Two new official Fettercairns unearthed during a hugely successful new edition of Whisky Live Paris last weekend, ahead of The Whisky Show in London and Whisky Live Hamburg — followed by a much-needed few days of hibernation. Or so we like to think… Just kidding. Aside from that, we absolutely love what (Old) Fettercairn has become over the past few years.

Fettercairn 'Vanguard 1st Release' (46.3%, OB, 2025)

This small batch was first matured in ex-bourbon casks before being finished in barrels composed of staves made from American oak and heads fashioned from toasted Scottish oak. Scottish musicians Kathryn Joseph and Mogwai even composed a special piece after being exposed to the global project (check 'Lorica Pink', it’s very charming). Colour: pale gold. Nose: I wouldn’t go so far as to claim I’m detecting the Scottish oak—which I wouldn’t pretend to recognise in any case—but I do find the customary notes of exotic fruits accompanied by green spices, cardamom in particular, which may well be a gift from the wood. Light touches of confectionery as well, along with half a coconut ball and a wee spoonful of green oak honeydew. Mouth: still very much a conversation between distillate and fresh oak, with notes of green tea and orange and lemon sweets, the whole coming together rather well. The usual faintly mustardy and leathery notes we so enjoy in Fettercairn arrive next and help bind the whole together. Finish: fairly long, notably drier, with a rather green tannicity reminiscent of walnut skin. Comments: really good for a malt that leans quite heavily on its casks. Only the finish is a tad less ‘easy’.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Fettercairn 29 yo 1995/2025 'Vanguard' (48.3%, OB, 99 bottles)

25 years in a refill hogshead, the remainder in French pink oak. I humbly confess to never having heard of ‘pink oak’ before, it would seem it’s not truly a distinct variety, but rather the heartwood of a French oak tree with a more ‘rosy’ hue, said to be a sign of superior wood maturation as compared with the paler white or yellow oak. so, nothing to do with American pink oak aka Quercus palustris. Colour: gold. Nose: there’s a clear lineage with the NAS, the oak’s influence being quite present, though gently so, with soft vanilla and white chocolate infused with strawberry and grated coconut. Pâtissiers sometimes use freeze-dried strawberry powder to evoke a similar effect. The firmer, slightly austere side of Fettercairn only whispers from the background, but whisper it does (spices, mustard, walnuts). The official notes spoke of strawberry aromas, which I initially thought might be a stretch, but it’s entirely true! Mouth: lively, fresh, more on blood orange on the palate, and that pink hue seems to linger in the mind’s eye... As with the NAS, the oak plays a central role, alongside those freeze-dried strawberry, cake, pistachio, citrus, and thus the wood leading the ensemble. Not a style we usually warm to, but I must admit the solo is very well performed here. Finish: medium in length, more on peach and apricot skins, with the lively tannicity one might expect and a very, very faintly mentholated, mustardy and peppery signature... Comments: it’s the aftertaste that feels most ‘Fettercairn’, which is quite unusual for malts in general. An old malt that simply does everything differently—and that, naturally, we love!
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Fettercairn we've tasted