Review #709 - Signatory Vintage Edradour 10 Year Single Cask - Binny's Selection
Edradour is known for its use of sherry casks for aging its single malt, especially in their unpeated 'Edradour' brand (as opposed to their peated 'Ballechin' single malt) - bottles such as the widely available 10 Year and the 12 Year Caledonia showcase this. Here's another prime example: a single cask fully matured for 10 years in a first fill Oloroso butt, which is reflected in the ridiculous color of the whisky, which looks more like used motor oil.
This was bottled by indie bottler Signatory Vintage, and it was a selection done by Binny's, a large liquor retail chain based in Illinois, USA. On top of the full sherry maturation, we also get a hefty cask strength of 59.1% ABV, and the lack of chill filtration means that texture and flavor delivery should be excellent.
Signatory Vintage Edradour 10 Year Single Cask - Binny's Selection
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 89 (2025)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 59.1% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill Oloroso sherry butt
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask 409; distilled August 29, 2012; bottled March 7, 2023; 597 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 8 months; bottles at 100%, 70%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Surprise, surprise - rich with a dark complexion. Molasses, charred meats, wood smoke, dark fruits of raisin and prune. There is a little bit of ethanol up front from that strength; sour orange, cinnamon, and a metallic note are accents. It becomes extremely savory: mushrooms cooked in a wine reduction, burnt ends, a hint of funk.
Palate: The mouthfeel is thick; this starts out a bit hot (spirit heat), but we get a blast of fruits like blackberry, blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberry... all the berries. Bordeaux red wine, cooked mushrooms and meats, and funk are secondary notes; we also get a baking side, with cinnamon, caramel, maybe a hint of chocolate. It grows spicier (European oak?) with time, and there's a fizzy note akin to peat, even though Edradour is unpeated.
Finish: Warming, with pomegranate, prune, lots of stewed fruit. Barbecue sauce and black pepper bring back that savory side, and we get some oak tannins. There's a bit of sulphur in the aftertaste; again, like the palate, we get a definite smoky note, maybe wood smoke.
Final Note: This is a powerful, brooding dram that takes some time to acclimate to. When we first opened the bottle, it was a little harsh and overly funky, but it has mellowed out nicely over the past 6 months; actually, mellow might not be the right word, as this still packs a huge punch... the more volatile notes have just burned off at this point.
Tons of red fruits, especially berry fruits, lots of meaty savory notes, a bit of funk, a whiff of smoke - this Edradour whisky has it all, everything we're looking for in a sherry bomb. It doesn't show too much age most of the time, and it isn't exactly what we would call balanced, but it sure is fun to dig into those dark, rich flavors.
Value here is above average, too. We found this bottle on offer for $89; at that price, this is a no-brainer, but even at $100+, this is offering flavor comparable to others in that range, and it even exceeds a lot of the competition's quality. This specific single cask will be tricky to find now, but as a general recommendation, we think these sherry cask Edradour single malts are great buys, especially when they're bottled at high strength.
Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.94
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
