Highlands week began at Ben Nevis on Monday. It continues a little further east and south at Edradour. I had reviewed three Edradours in June of this year: two with sherry involvement (here and here) and one with marsala involvement (here). Today’s cask is a single oloroso sherry cask that was bottled for Spec’s in Texas. Let’s see what it’s like.

Edradour 10, 2012 (57.6%; for Spec’s; oloroso cask #2; from a bottle split)

Nose: Raisins, cola concentrate, roasted malt and that very Edradour nutty/beany complex. More of the roasted malt and the nuts with time. Water brings out some earthy notes but otherwise it’s pretty consistent

Palate: Comes in as predicted by the nose but sweeter. Approachable at full strength; good texture. Quite consistent as it sits; a little more salt maybe. With more time it gets a bit spicy—some pepper, some oak grip. Water emphasizes the spice, pulls out a bit of dried orange peel and pushes the sweeter notes back.

Finish: Long. Some oak emerges here (not tannic). More of the roasted malt at the end. As on the palate with water.

Comments: A very tasty sherried whisky with enough of the idiosyncratic Edradour character to make it stand out among similar young sherry bombs. There’s no real development or complexity but also no flaws.

Rating: 87 points.