To celebrate Fettercairn Distillery’s bicentenary, it has released the ‘200th Anniversary Collection’, strictly limited to ten sets available around the world.
We caught up with Andy Lennie, Whisky Specialist at Fettercairn, to learn more about this historic release – and about his background in the whisky industry.
Square Mile: What was your first experience of whisky?
Andy Lennie: My first memory of whisky is from when I was a young boy, watching my dad and uncle enjoying a glass together. Then as I grew up and started bartending, I discovered whisky initially through making mixed drinks.
SM: What was the first whisky which really caught your attention?
AL: I remember being 18 and drinking Laphroaig with my friend, Grant. He was a big fan and anytime I was at his house he’d pour me a dram. Every time I drink Laphroaig it reminds me of those days.
Grant Anderson
SM: When did you decide ‘I want to make a career out of this’?
AL: After a time cocktail bartending, I moved on to manage a whisky bar in Edinburgh. This was really the first time I was introduced to the amazing library of flavour that the whisky world has to offer. I was able to learn more from industry experts and it soon became a passion, from which I’ve been fortunate to make a career.
SM: What’s been the best memory from your career so far?
AL: Celebrating the launch of the Fettercairn 200th Anniversary Collection at the distillery this year has been the biggest highlight so far. We had guests join us at our Highland home from all over the world for the big reveal which was very special. To be part of such a momentous occasion, presenting these incredibly rare whiskies alongside Fettercairn’s Distillery Manager, Stewart Walker was a total privilege.
SM: Give us the elevator pitch for Fettercairn…
AL: Fettercairn has been home of imaginative whisky making for over 200 years with a firm eye on the future.
A distillery with beautiful surroundings and a long line of inspirational makers, it boasts unique production methods, which result in a tropical house style.
SM: Fettercairn’s famed stills are remarkable for their unique copper cooling ring. How does this work and what is the effect?
AL: They were an innovation in the 1950s when the whisky makers were looking to make a lighter new make spirit. The same cooling rings are attached today and drench the outside of the stills with fresh water straight from the hills behind the distillery. The water cools the stills, allowing the lightest vapours to rise, helping to create Fettercairn’s unique tropical house style.
SM: Fettercairn uses fallen Scottish oak trees in cask making – how and when did this programme come about? And how does it affect the final flavour?
AL: The Scottish Oak Programme was born in 2021 and is a long-term passion project of our master whisky maker, Gregg Glass, who asked: ‘What if we could rely less on importing casks and more on what our landscape can offer?’
Sustainably sourced fallen Scottish Oak is used now and we’ve planted thousands of saplings at the distillery for the future. We’re also working with coopers and sawmills to create a circular economy for the whole industry.
The flavour possibilities with Scottish Oak are endless. At the moment, we use it to finish expressions like our annual 18 Year Old. We are also experimenting, filling the casks with our new make spirit and looking to like-minded partners for interesting, innovative cask seasoning.
SM: This is obviously a huge year for Fettercairn – and the ‘200th Anniversary Collection’ is a fitting celebration. Why did Fettercairn choose these six expressions?
AL: The six whiskies in the collection each tell a story from Fettercairn’s history, while showcasing the tropical house style at different ages.
Together, they have a combined age of 200 years and each is incredibly rare. The oldest bottle is a 60 Year Old from 1964, the highest age statement Fettercairn has released and also the birth year of distillery manager Stewart Walker, who has been with the distillery for 35 years.
The youngest is just 3 Years Old and fully matured in a single Scottish Oak Cask – a taste of the future. The collection celebrates the people who have shaped Fettercairn’s past and inspire its future.
SM: Tell us about the cabinet in which the collection is presented.
AL: There are just ten sets of the Fettercairn 200th Anniversary Collection, which is quite incredible. Each cabinet has been completely handmade, using Scottish Oak, sourced from the distillery’s estate. They incorporate brass and copper, a nod to the stills, and the design is inspired by dappled light in the forest at Fettercairn.
There are subtle touches of branding including Gregg Glass’s etched signature.
And each bottle sits atop a specially designed coaster with a summary of the whisky’s story and tasting notes.
They are truly a work of art and make for an incredible collector’s piece.
SM: If you could only drink one whisky for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why?
AL: Fettercairn 28 Year Old. It reminds me of my first day at the distillery. It captures a real sense of place, with a unique depth of flavour which transports you inside the old dunnage warehouse walls. Tastes incredible too.
Just ten sets of The Fettercairn 200th Anniversary Collection are available at a price of £100,000. See more at fettercairnwhisky.com
