Fettercairn Fior
Fettercairn seems a distillery practiced at running under the radar. It has existed on two sites (not simultaneously), been closed and reopened, then bought and sold since beginning production in 1824. The distillery is currently owned by Whyte & Mackay (owner of the Jura and Dalmore distilleries), which is owned by Emperador, which is owned by Alliance Global Group. Never seeming to have a great deal of time in the limelight that other, better known distilleries enjoy, Fettercairn is nevertheless known for a unique method of cooling their stills involving running water down the outside that results in only the lightest elements being collected, along with the beautiful, patina-coated stills resulting from the curious method. This Fettercairn Fior serves as an introduction to the core expression.
Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt
Masataka Taketsuru founded Nikka Whisky in 1934, fifteen years after traveling to Scotland to learn about whisky production. Nikka’s first distillery was in Yoichi and the company now owns seven distilleries. The Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries are where malt distilling takes place and the Nikka Taketsuru, named after the company’s founder, combines single malts from both locations. Nikka currently makes several No Age Statement kinds of whiskies around a similar price point, along with a few more expensive age statement whiskies.
Caol Ila 17 Year Unpeated
One of the great things about the whisky surge over the past couple of decades has been the freedom of experimentation. With more volume moving off the shelf, distilleries need a way to stand out. Scotch, having stricter regulations than whisky in many other parts of the world, has to arguably work a little harder to be unique without alienating consumers. The Caol Ila 17 is an example of this deviation, by the simple act of not peat-drying the barley and bottling the whisky at cask strength.