Edradour Caledonia Review
In-Depth Review
“Scotland’s Little Gem”. You’ll find this saying in three different places on this bottle of Caledonia, so clearly Edradour is very proud of this moniker. And “little” would be an accurate description of Edradour, with its incredibly small workforce and an output that has only recently grown from 100,000 liters to 500,000 liters per year (to put it into perspective, Edradour has announced it will remain closed for the rest of 2025 to visitors due to being understaffed). Located in Pitlochry, Perthshire, Edradour is now owned by Signatory – the beloved independent bottler of vintage scotch that has owned Edradour since 2002. Edradour is known for their core offering 10 year old expression, while also offering some unique 21 year, cask strength, and their peated “Ballechin” expression. This 12 year old is eponymously named after Dougie MacLean’s famous song Caledonia and is apparently reviewed and chosen by the singwriter himself. It features unchillfiltration and comes in at 46% ABV.
I will readily admit that I am a huge fan of Edradour. It’s a distillery that will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the vacation bottle on my first trip to Scotland. Every night I’d would come back from a day of sight-seeing to a cozy 375ml bottle of Edradour 10 I had picked up at the Scotch Whisky Museum in Edinburgh. But their 12 year Caledonia expression has never been near the top of my list. For almost twice the cost of what I find their 10 year expression, how much better could it be? After picking up this bottle at K&L on sale for $74.99, let’s dive in and find out.
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 46%
Cask: Initial aging in bourbon cask before finishing for 4-5 years in Oloroso sherry casks.
MSRP: $90-$100
Distillery Name: Edradour Distillery
Review Date: 4/24/25
Color: Well Used Motor Oil
Nose: Whoa. A fist whiff reveals that this is going to be a sherry BOMB. The nose is huge and fills the room with dark fruits, dates, toasted raisins, with toasted coconut sugar and maple honey glaze. This is a sherry lover’s dream – continuing the association between Edradour and its love for rich, deep sherry influence.
Palate: Good news. All of that beautiful sherry goodness found on the nose continues onto the palate. There’s a splash of rancio funk, black strap molasses, fig jam, mild tobacco, and burnt marzipan. This isn’t for the faint of heart but still miraculously, maintains a softness and finesse in the face of such strong flavors. The mouthfeel is great – leaving a syrupy, mouth coating texture behind as it slips into the finish.
Finish: After such a big and bold profile, the finish is lighter than I expected. Medium length with a softer, less in your face finish that leaves the sweetness behind but gives lingering notes of trail mix, drying oak, baking spice, and a touch of very bitter chocolate.
Final Thoughts: I’ll admit that before starting this review, I had never heard the song Caledonia. But with its lyric laden bottle, Edradour has written a love song to the sherry lovers among us. No need to pass the chocolate cake, this 12 year expression is the perfect dessert in a glass. Its rich, sweet, syrupy mouthfeel is everything you want in a sherry bomb, with enough nuance and finesse to keep it interesting after a few glasses. Even its 46% ABV is perfect proof for the rich sweetness to come through without overpowering your palate with heat. The finish can drop off quickly, but it leaves enough spice, and oak lingering behind to go back for more. Even at its higher MSRP, this is a great bottle for anyone who wants a whisky that lets its sherry cask shine. It’s easily a few steps above the 10 year and is well worth the extra coin. This is a bottle that should be on every sherry lovers’ shelf.
