Ballechin 10 Years old
Peated Edradour
0 1268
Review by @Alexsweden
- Nose17
- Taste18
- Finish17
- Balance16
- Overall68
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Ballechin is Edradour's peated offering. Its quite heavily peated for a highlander and it has only been available for about two years.
Nose
It begins heavily on wood smoke. A somewhat herbal but acrid smoke. A note of White pepper that almost stings the nose a bit. It really needs some time in the glass to mellow. After a while there is some soft vanilla sweetness that is a tad soapy. Mint and maybe an odd lingonberry in there.
Palate
The palate begins peppery with a funky sweet wood smoke. Peat smoke, and some tart maltyness in the background. A bit one-dimensional and unfortunately the flavors don't really come together. The whole is less than it's parts.
Finish
More of that familiar smoke and a soapy sweetness like an artificial sweetener. pipe Tobacco burning too hot and a used up Cherry bubblegum. Its a bit flat or vapid the finish.
This might sound like its a real peat-bomb but it is not. The backbone certainly is the peat smoke but it isn't a very aggressive one at that. It hasn't got that strong Islay smoke. A whisky with flavors that don't really come together.
Find where to buy Ballechin whisky
Isn't it quite heavily peated for ANY whisky, not just a highlander? I thought I saw its peating level was in the neighborhood of Islay's south shore.
I recall that Edradour built up to this 10-year-old Ballechin over the course of a few years and a few releases, but their "Work in Progress" releases (to borrow Kilkerran's lingo) were all different cask types. They're mostly supposed to be quite good, but it's a small shame that the cask differences don't really give us a chance to watch the spirit mature in a straight line toward that 10-year milestone.