Ballechin 12 yo 2005 vintage [Signatory] for TWB

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I thin this is the first EVER Ballechin review on the blog, and this it’s about time. For those who are not familiar, Ballechin is the  heavily peated line from the small distillery of Edradour. Now, Edradour distillery is not one of my favorites (an understatement). I have tasted quite a few Edradours, and have never found a really good one. Some were horrible, some were OK, but not my cuppa , as they say.

Peated Edradour or Ballechin, is something else. And for some reason, it really works well when it comes to heavy peat and the Edradour stills, and this wee dram is a good example : distilled in 2005 and aged in a refill sherry Hogshead #160 , bottled at a whopping 61.5% by the gentlemen at Signatory exclusively for The Whisky Barrel.

Ballechin 12 yo 2005 vintage [Signatory] for TWB ,  61.5%  , £80 (TWB)

Nose : sweet smoke, with honey and BBQ sauce marinated meats, lovely meaty stuff, bold with maple syrup notes, and also herbal notes and pepper with a wee cinnamon touch. 
Palate: bigger sherry on the Palate, with pepper and chili then sweeter smoky notes, and lots of sweet wine influence..  Dates, and ripe prunes, with a big oily and sweet note, chocolate and more sweet smoke, wood and damp earth. 
Finish: sweet, and spicy with pepper and salted caramel candy. 

Bottom line:

I have to admit, this is a yummy whisky indeed, lovely stuff. Clean sherry, sweet, and meaty with the smoke and spices, it’s just so easy to drink at over 60% ABV. Well done.  I would not be able to even guess this stuff comes from Edradour.

Score: 88/100

Still available for  £80 on the TWB online site. 

 

 

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