Fettercairn seems a distillery practiced at running under the radar. It has existed on two sites (not simultaneously), been closed and reopened, then bought and sold since beginning production in 1824. The distillery is currently owned by Whyte & Mackay (owner of the Jura and Dalmore distilleries), which is owned by Emperador, which is owned by Alliance Global Group. Never seeming to have a great deal of time in the limelight that other, better known distilleries enjoy, Fettercairn is nevertheless known for a unique method of cooling their stills involving running water down the outside that results in only the lightest elements being collected, along with the beautiful, patina-coated stills resulting from the curious method. This Fettercairn Fior serves as an introduction to the core expression.
Deanston 12 Year
Deanston has been a distillery since 1966, though the site was a major cotton mill for almost 200 hundred years before that. Sourcing water from the River Teith, it is the only current distillery in Scotland to be entirely powered by hydro-electricity. Deanston is currently owned by Distell Group Limited, which also owns the Tobermory and Bunnahabhain distilleries. Its first single malt was named Old Bannockburn but the core range is now made up of the Deanston 12 and a No Age Statement offering, though they experiment with more limited or distillery-only editions.
Ballechin 10 Year
Ballechin is a heavily peated scotch from Edradour, differentiated by brand much in the same way Springbank and Bruichladdich do with their peated offerings. It first appeared in 2003 and has seen a few limited releases before this 10 year old appeared on the market. The Ballechin 10 year takes its name from a nearby Perthshire farm distillery that closed in 1927. According to the 19th century travel writer Alfred Barnard, that distillery made a peated malt. This whisky is peated to at least 50ppm.