Ferg & Harris arrived in the whisky world in 2020 with boldly unconventional choices — a 42-year-old Bunnahabhain and an 11-year-old Lochindaal as opening moves. This Speyside 12 Years follows the same playbook: no distillery name on the label, but complete transparency about the cask journey. The spirit matured in first fill bourbon, then finished for six months in a Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead.

At 55.7% cask strength, this is an uncompromising pour. The bourbon-and-PX marriage delivers rich fruit without veering into cloying sweetness. The nose shows dried fruit and honey with fragrant floral hints. The palate presents malt and caramel, though some tasters detect an astringency that edges toward harshness — a point of contention among reviewers.