Ballechin 10 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Edradour - Highlands 

Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2014

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 50 ppm 

When Andrew Symington, owner of Signatory Vintage, acquired the small Edradour distillery in 2002, he immediately thought of producing a peated malt. He inaugurated the Ballechin brand, releasing the first batch in 2006, Ballechin The Discovery Series Batch 1, 4 years old. Seven more batches followed, up to the eighth, before this 10-year-old was launched in the summer of 2014. It has since joined the core range.

Let's Taste It : 

Nice, complex nose, with fine, grainy, herbaceous peat, enhanced by a fairly round Sherry. Fruits, but also vegetables, greenery, and a dash of vanilla at the end. Hay. Dry earth. On the palate, the Sherry takes over, it's more sweet, religieuse au chocolat, genoise, melting caramel. Slightly woody, with a bit of varnish and charcoal. Bay leaves. The finish is decent but not exceptional, with just the right amount of length, earthiness and smoke. Cola. Hints of stable. Warm chestnuts.

In Short, 

This bottling gets a bad press, and it's rather undeserved. Admittedly, it's not the maritime peat of Islay, and it's a little earthy, even rustic, but the whole is pleasant, delicious and solid. If you look hard enough, you can find it at a decent price. 

Score : 86

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Faun - Galdra