Current Product: Shocking! Edradour 10 Year Old Official

The milky Edradour has returned. It clearly tastes like the old days. Edradour EDRADOUR 10yo OB 40% Current Bottle The aroma features ripe oranges, plums, a strong coffee fresh-like creaminess, powdered milk, caramelized nuts, milk chocolate, gentle barley notes. The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, with ripe oranges and plums similar to the aroma, distinctive coffee fresh, a generous amount of milk coffee, milk chocolate, caramelized nuts, viscosity with a rich sweetness, a subtle tannic finish, and remains smooth and sweetly creamy throughout. [Good/Very Good, Interesting] This is the current official standard bottle of Edradour 10 Years Old. As Signatory acquired it in 2002, this is likely a vatting of distillates from after that year. As most are aware, Edradour is known for its small distillery size and unique perfumed character. However, this current standard bottle does not exhibit that perfumed quality. Regarding the absence of perfume, which is generally seen as a negative trait, I previously mentioned this when tasting Maison du Whisky's bottling. Honestly, it was somewhat disappointing that such a distinctive distillery produced something so unremarkable. However, what surprised me this time was the clear presence of a milky creaminess reminiscent of the 1980s distillery labels. The old bottles without perfume I occasionally encountered in the past felt exactly like this, and upon drinking this one, that particular bottle immediately came to mind. It truly evoked the same character as before. When it comes to creamy malts, recent examples include Glen Turret 1977 from German bottlers and some excellent older Glenrothes, which have a refined creaminess akin to whipped cream used in pastries. However, both the old bottles and this current one have a creaminess that personally feels slightly cheap to me—reminiscent of plant-based coffee fresh or powdered milk added to coffee. Moreover, this current 10 Year Old has an unexpectedly pleasant sherried note that complements the generous coffee fresh, evoking nuances of sweet milk coffee or milk chocolate. The sweetness is rich yet balanced, avoiding cloying. Its unique aroma sets it apart; the older 10 Year Olds, though slightly perfumed, were occasionally sought after for this creaminess. However, nowadays they're too expensive for bar consumption. Amidst these changes, this current 10 Year Old stands out—it retains its unique character without perfume, is affordable, and even aside from its excellent value proposition, it's on par with the old bottles. In an era where many distilleries have lost their former character and become less distinctive, it's heartening to see this standard bottle reclaiming its old identity. I sincerely respect Signatory for not only removing the perfume but also restoring this appealing character. However, Edradour remains a small distillery with presumably small cask volumes. Outside of this latest current batch, there's a possibility the flavor might not be consistent, which is why I couldn't help but buy three bottles. Subsequent information from fellow malt enthusiasts indicated that at least the January bottling of last year (as noted on the bottle) already had this flavor profile. This reassured me it wasn't a one-off. I look forward to this flavor remaining consistent in future releases.