Ballechin Madeira Matured

Ballechin is the name of a former distillery (1810-1927) that could be found about 4 miles south of where Edradour is today. When Andrew Symington started his peated runs in 2003, he did not have to look further for a good name. As soon as the producted was legally whisky, the first Ballechin hit the market. Batch 1 matured on Burgundy wine casks, this second batch from 2007 on Madeira and so forth. Let us give that a try.

The nose is immediately farmy. Think cow stable. The peat is soft and nicely interwoven in the grassy notes (hay, straw and dried dandelions) with a drop of cod oil. Reminds me a bit of Ledaig (which is fine, for I quite love Ledaig, the peated Tobermory). The wine, however discreet, takes care of a fruity side that takes some work to discover. But it pays to try.

On the palate, the cod oil returns with a vengeance. Oily and salty. Sounds not as good as it tastes. Nice smokiness, not too big, not dominant. There is enough room for all kinds of sweetness and spices. Liquorice. Still farmy and grassy (think oats) with a salty edge. Soot? Yes, this is quite good indeed!

The finish is fairly long with a mildly bitter but spicy finale. Think walnuts and paprika.

Andrew may not like to hear this, but his best Edradour is the peated version! And such a young animal too. Let us not forget that this Ballechin is only 4 years old! Thanks to the Green Man from Ostend for the sample. What a discovery.

Find where to buy Ballechin whisky