[Quick Review] Speyside Single Malt - 12 years old (Ferg & Harris) 55.7%


Distillery: Speyside

Bottler: Ferg & Harris

Age: 12 years old

Distilled: n/a

Bottled: 2022

Cask: Pedro Ximénez Sherry Hogshead Finish (6 months)

Abv: 55.7%

Unchillfiltered: Yes

Natural Colour: Yes

Nb of bottles: 1192

Extra: n/a


My tasting notes:


Nose: Rich and dark, you definitely get the PX influence straight away with dates and raisins. There’s an old Cognac vibe to it too. Wood spice, old oak, dark fruits, blackberry jam, stewed dark cherries, muscovado sugar, nuts, chocolate and orange. A big start!

Palate: Dark, rich and thick on the palate. Sticky toffee pudding, old oak, dark chocolate with some bitterness from it, prunes. The higher abv is there and the dram is quite dense and closed without water. This is definitely one I want to add more than a couple of drops to…!

Finish: Very nutty, walnuts, oak, leather, dried tobacco leaves, old bookcase, very warming.

With water: More manageable to access flavours I feel. The nose gets more milk chocolate, dried fruits, Christmas cake (a bit like an older Bunna 12), walnuts/ hazelnuts/ almonds, fresh figs and candied orange peels. On the palate there is dried fruits and citrus again, creamy and nutty, toffee, dried figs and hints of aniseed. The finish gains in nuttiness too, with tobacco, old oak and a slight smokiness as well.


This is a rich, dark and intense dram. Don’t rush into it or you could be left a tad disappointed, but give it a bit of time and water and you’ll definitely be rewarded!


Thanks to Ferg and Harris for sending me a sample of this super tasty dram!


Slàinte all!


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