Review: Edradour 2000 Vintage 18 Years Old Barolo Cask Finish

Edradour Distillery has never been afraid of doing things a little differently, and I’m always excited by an opportunity to try their bottlings. This 2000 vintage 18-year old Barolo Cask is a particularly interesting example: spending 12 years in ex-bourbon casks before a lengthy six years in Barolo casks.

The result is a whisky where the wine influence is substantial without completely overwhelming the underlying distillery character. Bottled at a punchy 56.5% abv, just 578 bottles were produced.

Edradour 2000 Vintage 18 Years Old Barolo Cask Finish Review

The nose is rich and immediately fruity, with red berries, ripe plums, and dark cherries alongside vanilla, honey, and a pleasing nutty note. There is also a slight earthy, almost leathery quality beneath the fruit, giving the nose far more complexity than a simple wine cask sweetness. The alcohol is certainly assertive, but spending some time bonding with it, becomes beautifully integrated.

The palate is powerful and full-bodied. Dark fruit arrives first, with cherries and red berries leading the way, followed by toasted nuts and a touch of dark chocolate. The Barolo influence brings a pleasant combination of fruitiness and tannic dryness, without owerpowering the malt. At 56.5% abv, it definitely isn’t shy, but dilution reveals a more tropical and decadent side.

The long and warming finish is surprisingly dry, with lingering dark fruit, oak spice, and a hint of tobacco. The wine cask leaves its mark right to the end, but there’s enough malt and oak character to keep the finish balanced.

Overall, this is an excellent example of what a long wine cask finish can do when given enough time to integrate. Six years in Barolo is considerably more than the usual finishing period of modern releases, and it shows. Rather than simply adding a layer of red wine quality to the whisky, the cask has become a major player in this dram’s identity.

The high strength is, in my opinion, an added bonus. It’s powerful, concentrated, and distinctly old-school in character, with a kind of complexity that rewards taking your time.

113 proof.

A / $190

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